Ramdev (bornRam Kisan Yadav[a]; between 1965—1975), also known by the prefixBaba, is an Indianyoga guru[8] and businessman.[9][3] He is primarily known for being a proponent ofyoga andayurveda in India.[10][3] Ramdev has been organizing and conducting large yoga camps since 2002 and broadcasting his yoga sessions on various TV channels.[3][11] He co-foundedPatanjali Ayurved andPatanjali Yogpeeth with his colleagueBalkrishna in 2006.[12]
Ramdev is aligned with theBharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on a number of issues.[3][13][14] In 2011–2012, he led protests against corruption in India and advocated for the repatriation of black money held in foreign banks.[15][16] Ramdev has received criticism over his comments related tomodern medicine, yoga, and ayurveda.[17][18]
Ramdev, originally named Ram Kisan Yadav, was born between 1965 and 1975[1][2] inHaryanvi family in Alipur village ofMahendragarh district ofHaryana.[20][2] He was born to Ram Niwas and Gulabo Devi,[2] who were poor illiterate farmers.[21][22] He has an older brother,[1] a younger brother,[23] and a younger sister.[24] Since childhood, the left side of his face has been partly paralyzed perhaps owing to a congenital disability or a childhood illness.[25]
Ramdev initially attended a government school at Shahbazpur, Haryana[26] until the eight standard.[27] At a young age, Ramdev was drawn to the writings byDayananda Saraswati that he quit the government school where the curriculum was a leftover of the education policy introduced by British politicianBabinton Macaulay.[28] At around the age of nine, he pursued study inKhanpur at a gurukula system.[28] Ramdev attended Arsh Gurukul Mahavidyalaya from 1984 to 1989.[26] At the age of fourteen, he moved to Kalwa to attend a gurukula and studied under one of his principal gurus, Acharya Baldevji.[2] This is where he metBalkrishna as a fellow student.[29] In Kalwa, he studied the Sanskrit language and literature, Hindu philosophical and religious texts, and traditions of yoga and asceticism.[2] While living in Kalwa, he offered free yoga training to villagers.[30]
After completing his studies in 1992, Ramdev traveled to Haridwar to stay at the Kripalu Bagh Ashram under the guidance of Shankardevi Maharaj.[2] At Kripalu Bagh Ashram, he learned yoga from Acharya Karamveer,[2] also anArya Samaj.[20] Ramdev took vows of renunciation, adoptedsannyasa, and took the name Ramdev.[31][2] Ramdev and Karamveer held yoga camps throughout India and soldchawanprash inHaridwar together.[32]
On 5 January 1995,[33] Balkrishna, Ramdev, and Acharya Karamveer founded Divya Yoga Mandir Trust, which was set up at the Kripalu Bagh Ashram inHaridwar.[2][33][34] Under the Divya Yoga Mandir Trust, they offered yoga camps and established an Ayurvedic pharmacy.[32]
Patanjali Ayurved is aconsumer packaged goods company, based in Haridwar, that was started by Ramdev andBalkrishna in 2006.[35] The company is one of the highest grossingFMCG's in India.[36] In FY22, Patanjali Ayurved posted revenues of Rs 10,664.46 crore.[37] Balkrishna serves as the CEO of Patanjali Ayurved with 96% ownership and supervises its day-to-day activities, while Ramdev serves as the face of the company and makes most of the business decisions.[36][38][39]
Ramdev has advocated forIndian nationalism in the tradition of theswadeshi movement through the production and sale of Patanjali Ayurved products, and he has encouraged Indian citizens to reject multinational brands.[40][41][36][42][43]
Members of Ramdev's family relocated to Haridwar and several have participated in his business ventures.[24] His father has overseen some activities at Patanjali Ayurved.[20][44] His younger brother Ram Bharat has been described as the company's de facto CEO.[23][24]
Ramdev declared net worth of his personal assets at around "₹1,100 crore" in 2013.[45]
The company has been accused of creating misleading advertisements about its products and conducting insufficient testing before launching products in the marketplace.[46] Some products likeamla juice have been banned from sales due to poor quality by the Indian government.[47][46] Patanjali has also been surrounded by controversies regarding working conditions where Ramdev and Balkrishna are treated like gurus whose feet must be touched each time they enter an area.[48] Factory workers are paid a salary of Rs 6000 per month while working 12-hour shifts, six days a week.[48] They are also discouraged to ask for a raise as working at factory is considered "seva" (voluntary service) to the cause.[48][49][50]
In May 2018, Ramdev launched Swadeshi SamriddhiSIM cards in partnership withBSNL.[51]
Patanjali Yogpeeth is an institute founded for the promotion and practice of Yoga and Ayurveda. It has two Indian campuses, Patanjali Yogpeeth I and Patanjali Yogpeeth II in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. Other locations includeUK,US,Nepal,Canada andMauritius.[52] Ramdev is the Vice-Chancellor of the Patanjali Yogpeeth.[53] In 2006, Ramdev established a registered charity in the UK known as the Patanjali Yog Peeth (UK) Trust, which had the stated objective of supporting Patanjali Yogpeeth (India) through the promotion of Ayurveda and pranayama yoga in the UK.[54] To extend Patanjali Yogpeeth, he also acquired the Scottish island ofLittle Cumbrae.[55][56] In 2012, Ramdev established the Divya Yog Pharmacy in Haridwar.[57]
In March 2018, 92 scholars of various different castes and backgrounds were initiated by Ramdev as sanyasis, or renunciants, at the Patanjali Yogpeeth in Haridwar.[59] In 2022, Ramdev announced that sanyasis will serve as trustees of the Patanjali Yogpeeth and Divya Yoga Mandir.[60] The sanyasis initiated by Ramdev studied Hindu scriptures for at least seven years at Patanjali Yogpeeth and a number of them have advanced degrees from universities.[59]
In 2006, Ramdev was invited byKofi Annan to deliver a lecture on poverty alleviation at a United Nations conference.[61][62] In October 2014, he was one of the nine personalities invited by the Prime MinisterModi to participate and promote the message of cleanliness whenSwachh Bharat Mission was launched.[63]
In 2010, Ramdev announced plans to form a political party.[3] In 2011, he stated that he did not have political ambitions, and instead of forming a political party, he would focus on fighting against nationwide corruption.[64] In 2014, Ramdev announced that Bharat Swabhiman would contest some constituencies in thegeneral election of that year and form alliances with some other parties.[65] It was at this time that he voiced his support forNarendra Modi to become the nextPrime Minister of India, and he signed nine pledges with BJP leaders on institutional and cultural reforms.[3][13][65] The Gujarat High Court allowed the Trust to hold yoga camps in 2014 as long as the camps were not political in nature.[66]
In 2014, the Bharat Swabhiman Trust, Divya Yog Mandir Trust, and Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust were under scrutiny by theECI for allegedly funding election expenses for political parties.[67]
In April 2011, Ramdev called on the government to add punitive powers to theJan Lokpal Bill, a bill to appoint an independent body to investigate alleged governmentcorruption.[68] Relatedly, Ramdev announced he would go on ananshan hunger strike atRamlila Ground in Delhi, on 4 June 2011, to pressure the government to root out corruption and repatriateblack money.[15] A week before the scheduled fast, the government set up a committee, headed by the chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes, to suggest steps to curb black money and its transfer abroad.[69] Talks continued between the two sides and, on 3 June, both sides claimed that a consensus had been reached on most issues. However, in the evening, Ramdev announced that he would still carry on with his hunger strike.[70][71]
During the first day of the strike, government minister Kapil Sibal publicized a letter from Ramdev's camp stating that the hunger strike would end if the government honoured its commitments.[72] Ramdev took it as a betrayal by the government and hardened his position.[72]
Shortly before midnight on the first day, a Delhi police spokesman announced that permission for the gathering had been revoked because permission was only granted for a 5,000 person yoga camp, and not for a protest of 50,000 people.[73] At midnight, over 5,000 police officers disrupted the protest and usedTear gas shells and alathicharge to drive away protesters.[74][75] Ramdev tried to escape capture by disguising himself in women's clothes but was eventually arrested and flown back to his ashram in Haridwar and banned from entering Delhi for 15 days.[76][77] On reaching Haridwar, Ramdev told reporters that his fast was not over yet and he would continue with hissatyagraha civil resistance.[78]
Police reported that 53 citizens and ten police members were injured and treated in hospitals.[78] There were accusations that women protesters had been badly treated by the police, who alleged that they had objects thrown at them by protesters.[79][80] One female protester suffered a spinal injury and later died in a hospital from cardiac arrest.[81] In a statement, Ramdev highlighted her sacrifice and noted that they would honor her by fighting against corruption in India.[82]
Ramdev accused the government of cheating him, and alleged that there was a conspiracy to kill him.[83] Leaders of the BJP said that the police action had been a shameful chapter in the democracy of this country.[76] BJP leaderLK. Advani called it naked fascism.[84] India's Supreme Court asked the government for an explanation.[85]
Ramdev was supported by civil society activists as well.[86] ActivistAnna Hazare called the crackdown a "strangulation of democracy".[86] Hazare indicated that the action could have been compared to theJallianwala Bagh massacre if the policed had fired ammunition.[87] Thousands of supporters in other cities continued their fast in protest.[88]
Ramdev ended his fast on the ninth day, after being hospitalised two days earlier.[89][90] His decision to end the protest was welcomed by politicians from the BJP, Janata Party and Congress Party.[90][91][92]
As a part of the "India against corruption" movement, Ramdev launched another indefinite protest on 10 August 2012 against the government's failure to act against corruption and repatriate money.[16] He announced that his future strategy depended upon the government's response to his protest.[93] Ramdev ended the fast at Delhi'sAmbedkar Stadium on 14 August 2012, and announced he was returning to Haridwar.[94][95] At Ambedkar, Ramdev said, "we are leaving because we won."[96]
Ramdev began appearing on TV as a yoga guru in 2002, first withSanskar TV.[97] The following year, in 2003,Aastha TV began featuring him in its morning yoga slot.[97] He proved to be telegenic and gained a large following.[97] A large number of people, including some celebrities from India and abroad, attended his Yoga camps.[98][99] He taught students in foreign countries including the United Kingdom, the United States, and Japan. He also addressed Muslim clerics at their seminary inDeoband, Uttar Pradesh in 2009.[100] At Yog Gram, his main yoga centre,[101] Ramdev practices and teaches yoga in an auditorium, for TV broadcast. In 2017, he was also a judge of a reality show entitled, "Om Shanti Om", where contestants sang devotional songs.[102]
In March 2005, 115 employees of Divya Yoga Mandir Trust began a protest forminimum wages and employees' rights, such as coverage under theProvident Fund andEmployees' State Insurance Corporation.[103] Management agreed to pay minimum wage and not initiate disciplinary actions against the employees protesting and, in turn, the employees agreed that they would restore normalcy in the workplace.[103] However, the Trust refused to take back some of the employees, accusing them of committing sabotage.[103] Their case was taken up by theCentre of Indian Trade Unions CITU, affiliated with theCommunist Party of India Marxist CPI(M).[103][104]
Brinda Karat, a senior figure in the CPI(M), took up the cause of the dismissed employees.[103] They indicated that human bones and animal parts were used in some herbal medicines manufactured by Divya Pharmacy, which is owned by Divya Yog Mandir Trust.[103] The dismissed employees provided samples that were tested at government laboratories, where the presence of animal materials in the sample was confirmed.[103] However, the source of the samples was disputed, since they had been given to Karat by the protesting employees and not procured by government officials.[3][103] Karat produced what were claimed to be the prescription and cash receipts for the samples, which were obtained from the Trust's hospital medicine counter.[103][104][105] Ramdev denied the results and further testing conflicted with the previous tests.[3][106] He received support from politicians, such asSharad Pawar.[3][106][107] Karat received a legal notice on behalf of a BJP leader inFaridabad, ordering her to apologize publicly or face legal action.[108][109]
Rajiv Dixit, Ramdev's advisor, died of a cardiac arrest on 30 November 2010 inBhilai,Chhattisgarh.[3][110] The New York Times claim that a few of Ramdev's friends believe that he may have been involved in Dixit's death, however, he has denied any involvement.[3][106][110]
In 2013, theSupreme Court of India upheld the constitutionality ofSection 377, which in part criminalized homosexuality.[111] Following the verdict, Ramdev called homosexuality "a bad addiction" and claimed he can "cure" it by yoga.[112][106]
Ramdev sparked several controversies related to diagnosing and curingCOVID-19 at the beginning of the pandemic.[17] He claimed that holding one's breath could help one diagnose the virus, and further claimed that mustard oil could treat the virus, both of which lacked scientific basis.[17] In May 2021, he questioned the need for oxygen amongst COVID-19 patients, but later withdrew his remarks after facing criticism from doctors.[113] But the back-handed apology did not last long as he again took a swipe at allopathy in an open letter, asking "If allopathy is so efficient, why do allopathic doctors fall ill and does allopathy have any medicine to ensure transition of a violent man into a decent one". Dr Jaswant of the Resident Doctors Association at AIIMS told that the "language of (Ramdev's) letter is not an apology".[114]Indian Medical Association's (IMA) national vice-president, Dr. Navjot Singh Dahiya, filed a police complaint against Ramdev for allegedly creating the wrong perception about treatments and for allegedly using defamatory and insulting language towards doctors.[115]
In June 2020, Patanjali Ayurved announced a drug named Coronil for COVID-19 treatment, marketing it as a cure for COVID-19 patients.[116][117] The day after the launch, a criminal complaint was filed against Ramdev and his partner,Balkrishna, in Muzaffarpur court by a social worker for misleading and putting the lives of a large number of people at risk.[118][119] The Indian government allowed Patanjali Ayurved to market Coronil as an immunity booster but not a cure, banning it from selling as aCOVID-19 cure.[120][121] TheGovernment of Maharashtra banned the sale of Coronil in the state, citing that theWorld Health Organisation had not certified the medicine.[122] Lawsuits were filed in Bihar and Rajasthan against Ramdev, Balkrishna, and others, accusing them of cheating and selling fake medicines.[123][124] TheMadras High Court fined the company₹10 lakh (equivalent to₹12 lakh or US$13,000 in 2023) for "exploiting fear and panic among the general public by projecting a cure for the coronavirus."[125][126] Patanjali withdrew the claim of Coronil being a cure for COVID-19.[120] The UK drug regulator threatened action if the unauthorized products were sold in the UK market.[120]
On 18 August 2022, Delhi High Court told Baba Ramdev not to mislead people againstmodern medicine after questioning the efficacy ofCOVID-19 vaccines and to avoid making any claims other than what is deemed official about Patanjali's Coronil.[127][128]
In late May 2021, Ramdev sparked a controversy when he claimed that modern medical science is a "stupid science" and that patients have died due to it.[18] As a result, the IMA claimed that he was creating fear and frustration among the public to sell his drugs.[129] The IMA also demanded theUnion Health MinisterHarsh Vardhan take action against Ramdev and prosecute him under theEpidemic Diseases Act, 1897 to save lives.[129][130] The Delhi Medical Association demanded an FIR against him.[131] Later, Patanjali's Balkrishna clarified that Ramdev has "no ill-will against modern science and good practitioners of modern medicine".[18] After facing pressure from the Health Minister, Ramdev eventually withdrew his comments and issued an apology.[18][132]
Following the withdrawal, he posted 25 questions to IMA in an 'open letter' regarding treatments for several diseases.[133] He courted sharp criticism from the medical community when he claimed that, "[d]octors should not fall ill at all if allopathy is all powerful and 'sarvagun sampanna' (having all good qualities)".[18][133] IMA's Uttarakhand division sent a defamation notice to Ramdev and expressed that they would demand₹1,000 crore (equivalent to₹11 billion or US$130 million in 2023) if he didn't issue an apology.[134] In a new video, he was seen reacting to the demand by saying, "even their father cannot arrest him".[135]
During a yoga camp in Haridwar, Ramdev said several allopathy practitioners with MBBS and MD degrees were facing the side-effects of allopathy and are now turning towards yoga and ayurveda.[101] He said his target would be to convert 1000 doctors to ayurveda within a year.[101]
On 3 June 2021, theDelhi High Court refused to issue an injunction against Ramdev, noting that his comments fall under the right to freedom of speech and expression.[136] In February 2024, the Supreme Court issued a contempt notice against him after he continued advertising misleading claims for Patanjali products despite assurances to the contrary in the court.[137]
In March 2017, Ramdev said at an event inRohtak that he would havebeheaded people who refused to chantBharat Mata Ki Jai if there was no law, but backtracked his statement a month later.[138][139]
In February 2023, Ramdev said Muslims think offering prayers legitimize terrorism and abducting Hindu girls.[140]
July 2007 – Legislature of the U.S. State ofNew Jersey honored Ramdev for his commitment to improving health in mind, body and spirit and to enhancing the well-being of people from all social backgrounds.[142]
July 2007 – Some members of the British House of Commons hosted a reception for him.[143][144]
September 2007 – Felicitated by KL. Chugh, Chairman ofASSOCHAM at the 5th Global Knowledge Millennium Summit.[145]
January 2015 – Considered forPadma Vibushan, second highest civilian award but day before 66th Republic day, refrained from taking noting he is an ascetic.[149][150][151]
April 2015 – Government ofHaryana appointed Ramdev as brand ambassador of Yoga and Ayurveda. He was given the status of Cabinet minister for Haryana but he declined.[152][153]
May 2016 American business magazineFast Company ranked Ramdev 27th in its Most Creative Business People of 2016 list.[154]
April 2017 – MagazineIndia Today ranked Ramdev #5th in India's 50 Most powerful people of 2017 list.[155]
April 2022 – The Indian Express ranked Ramdev 78th in the list of 100 Most Powerful Indians in 2022 (IE 100).[19]
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^Tripathy, Jyotirmaya (September 2019). "Consuming Indigeneity: Baba Ramdev, Patanjali Ayurveda and the Swadeshi Project of Development".Journal of Developing Societies.35 (3):412–430.doi:10.1177/0169796X19873213.S2CID203443199.
^"Soft drinks taking last breath: Ramdev".The Tribune, Chandigarh, India – Delhi and neighbourhood. Retrieved21 December 2020.Swami Ramdev is the Vice-Chancellor of the Patanjali Yogapeeth
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