NEW DELHI, India, Nov 2, 2000 -- (Reuters) Amid the tombs of India's medieval Muslim Lodi dynasty, a dozen people move their bodies in a slow and fluid motion, attracting curious stares from early morning walkers.
They are the new adherents of the Falun Gong spiritual movement, banned in China in July last year but now making small inroads in India, the home of yoga.
"The Indian people are very open (to new ideas). We would like to familiarize Indians with Falun Gong," said Ming Fa, a Frenchman of Laotian descent who is in India to spread the word about the spiritual movement.
Ming has taken time off from his auditor's job in Paris to popularize Falun Gong, a movement combining traditional Chinese physical exercises with Taoism and Buddhism which has been denounced by Beijing as [...].
China has demonized the group in its state media and accused it of trying to overthrow the government. It has also detained thousands of adherents and jailed some 150 prominent members for [...].
Ming can be seen with two colleagues persuading walkers in New Delhi's leafy tomb-studded Lodi gardens to try the Falun Gong exercises. They have put up boards announcing their presence and distribute leaflets touting its "stress-relieving benefits".
Besides Lodi gardens, where the rich and powerful take their walks, Falun Gong is being taught in two other neighborhoods of the Indian capital.
WARY OFFICIAL EYE
While its numbers are still very small in India, Falun Gong - which was started in 1992 in China by the US-based Li Hongzhi - has aroused some curiosity.
"Stress management is very important to me. I have been practicing Falun Gong for a week to see how it helps. It's still too early to say," said computer consultant Pradeep Jain.
He is aware of the Chinese government's ban on the group but does not believe its arrival will create any problems in India, where dozens of sects, beliefs and religions co-exist.
"It's OK. We are a democratic country," Jain said.
Still, the Falun Gong adherents say their activities have attracted some attention from Indian authorities.
Susie Trong, a Boston-based health worker, said officials from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had paid the Falun Gong pioneers several visits.
"They came to just ask us why we have come all this way to India to teach Falun Gong. They have not bothered us at all," said Trong.
CBI and interior ministry officials denied paying such calls, but did not rule out other government agencies making inquiries.