FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Sadhus, yogis and sanyasis have roamed our land for centuries—practising austerity, living on alms, and preaching a path to spiritual enlightenment. In recent years, the roles and proclivities of gurus seem to have transformed, given the trappings of the modern world. We’ve had godmen who’ve enjoyed immense political clout, such as Dhirendra Brahmachari in the 1970s because of his proximity to then prime minister Indira Gandhi, and Chandraswami in the early ’90s by virtue of the influence he wielded over a host of Cabinet ministers and Opposition leaders. We’ve even had our share of self-styled gurus who have been arrested for alleged criminal activities, such as Asaram, Nityanand and Rampal.
Gurus continue to hold sway on the Indian social spectrum, often delivering not just inner peace to their legions of followers but also large-scale social service. If Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is recognised as a global peace ambassador, and Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev as a community developer, Mata Amritanandamayi is hailed as a healer and revered as a saint by her followers in the manner that Satya Sai Baba was.
But one man scripting an absolutely new definition of what it means to be a successful modern-day guru is the yoga-performing, satsang-delivering, politically active lord and master of a swelling FMCG empire—Baba Ramdev. The 48-year-old Ramdev has assumed so many different avatars that it’s hard to properly classify him. A man who first came to prominence by twirling his body on devotional TV channels, he has become associated with the fight against corruption, emerged as one of the pioneers of the ‘bring back black money’ movement, as a campaigner for Narendra Modi in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, as a voice on political issues such as intolerance and Bharat Mata, and now as a businessman whose call for swadeshi and recapturing India’s ancient glory has spawned the Rs 5,000-crore Patanjali Ayurved brand, which now competes with giants such as Hindustan Unilever Limited, Nestle and Dabur.
According to an IIFL Institutional Equities report, Patanjali has already garnered more than 5 per cent market share in the FMCG sector, and this will increase to an estimated 13 per cent by 2020. Ramdev has set himself a 10-year sales target of Rs 1 lakh crore, which is almost a third the existing size of India’s Rs 3.2 lakh crore packaged consumer products market. From biscuits to shampoo, ghee to anti-ageing creams, his company sells about 350 products—all marketed with an anti-MNC rhetoric that aims to sway not just his own sizeable following but also those who treat Patanjali as just another brand.
Ramdev is a brand ambassador like no other, appearing on some channel or the other every 30 seconds to promote his products. Between November 2015, when the first TV spots appeared, and March this year, industry sources estimate the group spent nearly Rs 400 crore in advertising, but Ramdev says the figure is closer to Rs 60 crore. Just as there is a method in the madness, there is also madness in the method. While he may be claiming to have a “cure” for homosexuality, his business is run on more rational, even scientific principles, with assembly lines and research units. That he has a good relationship with the ruling BJP, including prime minister Modi, raises both his profile and that of his company, particularly with the government promoting yoga and ayurveda in a manner that the previous UPA regime did not.
Our cover story, written by Senior Associate Editor Kaushik Deka, takes you behind the scenes of Ramdev’s empire, chronicling his astronomical rise, deciphering what he represents, and charting what lies ahead for him.
The multiple hats Ramdev wears make him different from any other spiritual guru before. There have been businessmen who cultivated political relationships and godmen with political networks. But never before has a guru so seamlessly blended all three—spiritualism, business and politics. A heady cocktail that makes for a fascinating tale.