Godman to Tycoon

Like it or loath it, Baba Ramdev is a brand name, someone akin to Steve Jobs, perhaps more for his legion of followers. In India, being a popular yoga guru is not a tall order, if you are smart and savvy and are willing to experiment. This is what Baba Ramdev did, when from being a small-time yoga instructor in Haridwar, he metamorphosed into a TV star in 2002, first in Sanskar TV and then Ashtha TV.

Fast forward a few years, Baba Ramdev now owns both the TV channels. This is a small achievement compared to what Baba Ramdev has achieved with Patanjali Ayurveda, a purportedly home-grown FMCG brand, giving established brands like Unilever, Colgate and Nestle a run for their money.

The numbers are enviable. Revenues at Patanjali Ayurveda multiplied 15 times from Rs 317 crore at the end of 2010-11 to Rs 5000 crore in 2015-16. In May 2017, the number was a staggering Rs 10,000 crore. The target is Rs 20,000 crore by May 2018.

So, how does a son of a poor farmer from Said Alipur, Haryana, born Ram Kisan Yadav, with no available date of birth and little to no formal education, manages to amass this massive wealth? And, not to forget that he is a sanyasi in saffron.

This is a classic rag to riches story, rivalling another brand name Dhirubhai Ambani, with controversy, court cases, political manoeuvring, and studied silences thrown in equal measure. In the book 'Godman to Tycoon: The Untold Story of Baba Ramdev', author Priyaka Pathak-Narain attempts to untangle the mysteries surrounding the rise of Baba Ramdev and his Patanjali brand with journalistic flair. The book reads like a fast-paced thriller with the inscrutable figure of Baba Ramdev at the centre with the people who knew him in the past narrating the story while his own voice remain conspicuously absent.

Read the full review at PrintWeek.in.