Ramdev's biographer reveals what she learnt about yoga baba
Godman to Tycoon is a fascinating account by journalist Priyanka Pathak-Narain (formerly with the Mint) on the life everyone seems to know, that of Baba Ramdev. With never-before-known details from his past to understanding how he built his FMCG empire, the book makes riveting reading. Here she speaks to Kaveree Bamzai about working on the book, having empathy to write about his tough early life, his political ambitions and the possibility of Patanjali becoming a global brand.
Q. What are five reasons why Ramdev has made it big in business?
A. i) Sheer hard work, grit and determination, fuelled by breathtaking ambition and an enviable imagination.
ii) Recognising and catering to a previously unseen consumer segment at that very bottom of the pyramid.
iii) His ability to harness his personal credibility built among the masses over a decade and lending its heft to his brand.
iv) In an age of strident nationalism globally, he has also had the good fortune of timing his message well. "Swadeshi" has always evoked a powerful emotion in India, but it is a concept the world also understands today (for instance, Trump trying to force manufacturing to return to the US).
v) Finally his earthy, canny style of business that does not care about profit margins and more about legacies.
Q. Why did you choose Ramdev as a subject? And how long did the book take you?
A. The enterprises of Godmen is a subject that has fascinated me for a long time and I'd carried it around in my head for while. So when Chiki [Sarkar] had the idea to do an entire book on the biggest of them all, I decided to do it.
It took about a year.
Q. Ramdev needs to rectify his mistakes if he wants to become a global brand you say. Can he become a global brand? And what mistakes did he make?
A. One of the reasons that Ramdev keeps his margins low is that he does not pay his workers and management enough. To attract and keep the top talent, you have to pay for it. Expecting business school graduates to do "seva" in your organisation will only take you so far. He also needs to wrest his company out of the influence of his ragtag coterie that is not particularly well educated if he wants his legacy to truly outlast him.
Q. Do you think he still has political ambitions?
A. Absolutely. The political ambition has never gone. If anything, it has only grown. However, it is not in the same form as it was before. The passage of time, his success in business, has morphed his political ambition into something bigger.
He has recognised that rather than be a politician himself, it makes more sense to retain his clout across the political spectrum. He was once close to the Congress, then built his alliance with the VHP and the BJP. He remains close to the BJP today, but he has also quietly mended fences with key Congress leaders and their sons. If he needs to abandon his current allies, one can be reasonably sure that he would find refuge with his old allies-turned-enemies-turned-friends.
So I think at the moment, his political ambition has taken the shape of kingmaker. He now calls himself "Chanakya", the statesman, economist and royal strategist who helped found the [Chandragupta] Maurya Empire.
Q. Where is his old ally Karamveer now and what does he do?
A. He runs small ashrams in Maharashtra and Uttarakhand now, dividing his time between two places and holding yoga camps for free.
Q. How do you compare him to Sri Sri or Sadguru?
A. I would not compare them. They come from different backgrounds, with very different motivations and appeal to very different sections of our society.
Q. What are the five lessons you learnt as a reporter working on the book?
A. i) Never assume that you "kind of know the story" or it's likely "narrative arc" when you begin reporting. You probably don't.
ii) Allow the story to lead you, let people talk, talk to every single person you can. As far as possible, I interviewed people in person and found it made a huge difference in understanding not only their story, but also their motivations.
iii) I was reminded of the importance of using records to back up the interviews, because these documents helped me to pin down vital data and create the frame in which the story began to make sense. I didn't believe anything until I verified it and triangulated with other primary/secondary sources.
iv) I found myself repeatedly surprised by the profound complexity of his life. Walking that mile in Baba Ramdev's shoes, seeing the world through his eyes, trying to navigate the space between his heads and words was a revealing journey to take. To write the tale coherently for my readers, I needed it all - the sources, the documents, the imagination and most vitally, the empathy.
v) I needed to keep my humanity to help the reader grasp Baba Ramdev's humanity too. For me, it was vital to do so because no life is without its light and dark moments. I wanted the reader to understand the complexity and constraints of his life to understand his actions even if they did not agree with them.
So, I'd say I've tried to be thorough, to follow every trail and chase every source without judgment in order to document the facts as honestly, accurately as I could. That was my only brief as a reporter.
Q. How many times did you meet Ramdev?
A. About 8-10 times during the course of the past 10 years.
Q. Who will inherit the company? His brother or Balkrishna?
A. I don't know. But I'd be surprised if it was Balkrishna.
Q. What happened to the Bharat Swabhiman Andolan?
A. It continues to exist, but its existence has fused with Patanjali Ayurveda Limited and its "volunteers" are now largely involved in promoting "swadeshi products" aka Patanjali products.