http://news.ft.com/cms/s/fde41934-1115-11da-adc0-00000e2511c8.html

>Recalling his iconic visits to Woodstock and other pop festivals, Shankar says there were huge misunderstandings between him and the hippie flock. "What they did in private was none of my business, but I had to tell them not to smoke in the auditorium, not to misbehave. They were masturbating here, copulating there. I suffered a lot [by association]. I asked them 'Would you behave like that if you were listening to Bach or Beethoven?' They took it all in the same spirit as a rock concert. Eventually I had to pick up my sitar and walk out. Everyone wanted me to sit there and meditate, to do this and that. I'm not blaming them - it was all for good, because out of the millions of kids I came into contact with, a core is still there who understand the spirit of the music, even if they don't wear beads and beards anymore. I'm just glad I remained strong and didn't sell myself. I could have made a billion. But I always tried to protect the sanctity of our music. That's why I'm still here today."

So too are the phoneys and fakes who style themselves as gurus, taking advantage of rich westerners' gullibility. Shankar says he recognises them a mile off. "They dupe people into buying packages with the promise that all your stresses will be gone. It's an easy way to make money. Mostly what we see is yoga, a purely physical form of exercise that helps the body to relax. Calling it a spiritual journey is not correct."<