Island of peace for yogis
AN Indian yoga guru has bought a tiny island off the Scottish coast for around £2m (€2.17m) to set up a retreat.
Little Cumbrae Island, off the fishing town of Largs on the west coast, will soon host Baba Ramdev's lessons on yoga as a means to cleanse the body and mind.
The acquisition itself was carried out by a Scottish couple of Indian origin, Sam and Sunita Poddar.
The island, which is expected to be Mr Ramdev's overseas base, is an extension of the guru's institution, Patanjali Yogpeeth, which he founded for scientific research and treatment in yoga, spiritualism and ayurveda. The trust aims to build a "five-star" yoga and ayurveda retreat for visitors and a research centre for rare flora and fauna. Mr Ramdev said his new base was about spreading Indian values. "My aim is to turn this island into a peace haven," he said.
He is now one of several gurus to establish an international base.
