On 1st June 2011, as Baba Ramdev's plane landed at Delhi's Palam airport, three Union Cabinet ministers stood waiting with pleasantries and a warm welcome. Their agenda: to convince the ascetic to call off his indefinite fast against political corruption & black money which was scheduled to start in a couple of days. Baba Ramdev did not budge. Fast forward to 3rd May, 2016. Baba Ramdev visited RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav at his residence with a complimentary assortment of popular Patanjali Ayurvedic products and sought his endorsement. Lalu Prasad Yadav is convicted of corruption charges and is out on bail facing a six-year ban from holding public office.
Baba Ramdev has quietly re-tuned his priorities. His political aspirations seem to be withering away in the face of increasing profits from his herbal/Ayurvedic mega-business. Baba Ramdev, it appears, has decided to set aside political animosities- and the risks & struggles that come with it- to focus on expanding his FMCG empire and becoming a health and business icon rather than remaining a mere political disrupter.
It is human tendency (in a peaceful society) to always strive first for economic power. Having achieved comfortable financial security, an individual then tries to get substantial social power and only then tries his luck at achieving political power. Baba Ramdev was a household name in India by 2005-06 when he was being beamed into homes every morning on the 'Aastha' channel. His popularity as a yoga guru was at its peak. When you're an extremely popular actor, sportsman or a public figure, it is extremely difficult to resist the temptation of converting your fan following into your political supporters. Ramdev fell for this temptation and took the plunge into anti-establishment politics in 2010 when he set up the Bharat Swabhiman Party (later, a Trust) and aligned himself with issues such as the Jan Lokpal, 'Indian black money stashed abroad' & political corruption. This led to the 2011 indefinite fast and the eventual brutal crackdown by the government on his agitation. In the years that followed, the Congress left no stone unturned in making life difficult for Baba Ramdev. In the 2014 general elections, Ramdev openly campaigned for the eviction of the 'corrupt' Congress from power and successfully in favour of the BJP and Narendra Modi.
A lot has changed since. Baba Ramdev's pet issue of 'Indian black money stashed abroad' has received little attention from the Modi government. Modi has not tried to involve Ramdev in any political decisions or paid any attention to his political demands. Baba Ramdev's disillusionment with the Modi government has been seen in his public statements on quite a few occasions since 2014-the latest one being only two days ago (13th June, New Delhi) when he clearly expressed dissatisfaction with the Modi government's attempts to bring back 'Indian black money stashed abroad'.
Meanwhile, Baba Ramdev's Patanjali Ayurved Limited (PAL) continues to prove every analyst wrong with its growth and profitability. Within a year of the general elections of 2014, Ramdev had begun to aggressively expand and promote the Patanjali brand after having previously ignored it for his political escapades for more than a couple of years. From selling only in-house Ayurvedic medicines to now outsourcing chocolate and energy bars, Patanjali has taken the FMCG market in India by storm. Its net profit rose from ₹95.19 crore in FY 2013 to ₹196.31 crore in FY 2014. Sales increased from ₹843.92 crore in FY 2013 to almost ₹2k crore in FY 2015. Baba Ramdev can now be seen on almost every India television channel promoting Patanjali's products- from whole grain biscuits to anti-wrinkle creams to pure mustard oil. Baba Ramdev has clearly chosen to shift his public visibility from the political sphere to the sphere of the market and commerce.
Having once vowed to rid 'Bharat Mata' of corrupt politicians, Baba Ramdev is today choosing to eliminate the political acrimony that he accumulated during his previous political campaigns. In the past one month alone, Baba Ramdev has personally called upon two leaders (Lalu Prasad Yadav & UP CM Akhilesh Yadav) who were not only opposed to his political alignment during the general elections in 2014, but are also PM Modi's biggest political opponents in the two most populated states of northern India. The reason for these meetings has been solely commercial-as any business head would meet a politician.
Surely it seems that Baba Ramdev has decided to withdraw from political sloganeering and is no longer interested in creating enemies that cause his fledgling Ayurvedic empire any trouble. He seems to have realised that political alliances with the BJP and the resultant animosity with other politicians has done the economics of Patanjali Ayurved no good.
Perhaps it's time to let go of politics, feels the ascetic.
Follow: @theworldlymonk
Like: www.facebook/theworldlymonk
Baba Ramdev has quietly re-tuned his priorities. His political aspirations seem to be withering away in the face of increasing profits from his herbal/Ayurvedic mega-business. Baba Ramdev, it appears, has decided to set aside political animosities- and the risks & struggles that come with it- to focus on expanding his FMCG empire and becoming a health and business icon rather than remaining a mere political disrupter.
It is human tendency (in a peaceful society) to always strive first for economic power. Having achieved comfortable financial security, an individual then tries to get substantial social power and only then tries his luck at achieving political power. Baba Ramdev was a household name in India by 2005-06 when he was being beamed into homes every morning on the 'Aastha' channel. His popularity as a yoga guru was at its peak. When you're an extremely popular actor, sportsman or a public figure, it is extremely difficult to resist the temptation of converting your fan following into your political supporters. Ramdev fell for this temptation and took the plunge into anti-establishment politics in 2010 when he set up the Bharat Swabhiman Party (later, a Trust) and aligned himself with issues such as the Jan Lokpal, 'Indian black money stashed abroad' & political corruption. This led to the 2011 indefinite fast and the eventual brutal crackdown by the government on his agitation. In the years that followed, the Congress left no stone unturned in making life difficult for Baba Ramdev. In the 2014 general elections, Ramdev openly campaigned for the eviction of the 'corrupt' Congress from power and successfully in favour of the BJP and Narendra Modi.
A lot has changed since. Baba Ramdev's pet issue of 'Indian black money stashed abroad' has received little attention from the Modi government. Modi has not tried to involve Ramdev in any political decisions or paid any attention to his political demands. Baba Ramdev's disillusionment with the Modi government has been seen in his public statements on quite a few occasions since 2014-the latest one being only two days ago (13th June, New Delhi) when he clearly expressed dissatisfaction with the Modi government's attempts to bring back 'Indian black money stashed abroad'.
Meanwhile, Baba Ramdev's Patanjali Ayurved Limited (PAL) continues to prove every analyst wrong with its growth and profitability. Within a year of the general elections of 2014, Ramdev had begun to aggressively expand and promote the Patanjali brand after having previously ignored it for his political escapades for more than a couple of years. From selling only in-house Ayurvedic medicines to now outsourcing chocolate and energy bars, Patanjali has taken the FMCG market in India by storm. Its net profit rose from ₹95.19 crore in FY 2013 to ₹196.31 crore in FY 2014. Sales increased from ₹843.92 crore in FY 2013 to almost ₹2k crore in FY 2015. Baba Ramdev can now be seen on almost every India television channel promoting Patanjali's products- from whole grain biscuits to anti-wrinkle creams to pure mustard oil. Baba Ramdev has clearly chosen to shift his public visibility from the political sphere to the sphere of the market and commerce.
Having once vowed to rid 'Bharat Mata' of corrupt politicians, Baba Ramdev is today choosing to eliminate the political acrimony that he accumulated during his previous political campaigns. In the past one month alone, Baba Ramdev has personally called upon two leaders (Lalu Prasad Yadav & UP CM Akhilesh Yadav) who were not only opposed to his political alignment during the general elections in 2014, but are also PM Modi's biggest political opponents in the two most populated states of northern India. The reason for these meetings has been solely commercial-as any business head would meet a politician.
Surely it seems that Baba Ramdev has decided to withdraw from political sloganeering and is no longer interested in creating enemies that cause his fledgling Ayurvedic empire any trouble. He seems to have realised that political alliances with the BJP and the resultant animosity with other politicians has done the economics of Patanjali Ayurved no good.
Perhaps it's time to let go of politics, feels the ascetic.
Follow: @theworldlymonk
Like: www.facebook/theworldlymonk
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