Obama's yoga trip no April Fools' joke

It is that time of the year when fake news peaks to celebrate April Fools’ Day. The jury may have already come to the conclusion that most of the outlandish stories of last week had no basis in reality. It was a test of media imagination to make them sound as realistic as possible and many failed the test because they were too obvious.

But, amidst the news breaks of the false and true variety that were swirling around the birth of the new month marked by All Fools Day, was a snippet that Barack Obama, the former US President, is contemplating a visit to a famous yoga centre in south India.

Now, this passes the credence test straightaway because Barack and Michelle Obama are ardent yoga fans. Inspired by Indian Prime Minister’s Narendra Modi’s visit to the White House in 2014 when he was fasting for Navratri and still seemed to have more energy and stamina than himself though he was much younger, Obama has also shown great interest in the physical culture of yoga.

“The president also expressed interest in having a conversation about yoga. There were some of these very personal, very human moments of interaction,” a White House spokeswoman had said in response to a reporter’s question then. Now that Obama has far more free time on his hands, it is on the cards that he might use some of it to whet his curiosity about yoga for fitness and health.

The former White House occupants have also been busy enjoying their free time though. They have been visiting exotic islands in the Caribbean as well as in Polynesia, even as writing books for their multi-million contracts with Penguin Random House has been the main objective in the holidays grabbed abroad.
Among the listed public events that Barack Obama would be going to soon is a visit to Milan for a food festival when the Mayor will also be presenting him with a key to the city. There is nothing in his itinerary yet to suggest a visit to India and a famous yoga centre. But when it does come about, it is not only the ashram that would be pleased, as much as all the millions for whom yoga is a way of life now.