Yoga followers fail to take up position on Scots island

IT WAS meant to be a pioneering yoga retreat, with state-of-the-art facilities that would attract millions of faithful followers from around the world.

But almost two years on, work has yet to begin on the small Scottish island of Little Cumbrae - nicknamed Peace Island by its owners, a group of Hindu yoga enthusiasts whose spiritual leader is currently in hospital in India following a highly publicised hunger strike.

Despite plans to build a meditation centre with room to accommodate up to 200 people at a time, as well as ecological living "pods" to house people on the island, Little Cumbrae has remained untouched, with just two caretakers living on site to carry out basic maintenance.

A spokesperson for North Ayrshire Council confirmed that no formal planning applications for any building on the island had been received. "It's all gone quiet since the big launch in 2009," said a spokesperson. "The only planning application we've had was a change of use application in 2009."

The group's spiritual leader, Swami Ramdev, India's most popular and controversial yoga guru, visited the island in 2009 after Sunita Poddar, an Ayrshire-based businesswoman, bought it for 2.5 million. Ramdev declared it would be the first place outside of India where his teachings would be practised.

Eight days ago, Ramdev gained international publicity after he started a "fast to the death" in Delhi alongside thousands of his followers in protest at government corruption in India, demanding the recovery of suspected bribe money allegedly held overseas.

Two days later Indian police attempted to break up the demonstration by evicting him from the city.

Yesterday Poddar insisted that the organisation was still attempting to raise money to continue with its plans for the island. "We want to make sure everything is in place before we open to the public so we are trying to raise funds so we can do that," she said.

"With the planning and an architect, health and safety restrictions and fire issues, we're looking at a six-figure sum that we need to raise."

"We are very much still online to develop Little Cumbrae. Ultimately we do want to build a retreat centre there where people can come and practise yoga and get better."

She said that members of the public were still welcome to visit the island to appreciate its natural beauty, but that retreats would not be open to the public until next summer at the earliest.

"We don't want to stop people going there because it is a beautiful island. We don't want to stop people from exploring. We have a lot of locals visiting the island."

Ramdev made a high-profile visit to Little Cumbrae shortly after the purchase to give the island his blessing and meditate on the land. Speaking through an interpreter, he said: "It is like the Himalayas and the banks of the Ganges."