Baba Ramdev is my brother, friend, philosopher & guide: Acharya Balkrishna

In a tête-à-tête with Dr Jagdeesh Chandra, Chairman of Patanjali, Acharya Balkrishna, delves into his early life, his education, Indian knowledge system and ethos, his turn towards Ayurveda and his bond with Yoga-guru Ramdev. Balkrishna also hands out life lessons during his talk with Dr Chandra and stresses that Patanjali not only brought respect to swadeshi companies and their products, but also helped those Indians, who never used Patanjali products by bringing down the price of products. Excerpts...

• When you started your life journey, did you ever think that you will reach such a point in life?
  Acharya Balkrishna: We have always thought about culture and Sanskrit because our environment and upbringing were such that we were inclined towards prayers and worship. So, since childhood, I was so interested in understanding the scriptures that are read. When Pandits and scholars used to come to our house for worship and chant mantras, I used to feel that I also had to do something similar. This was my only thought at that time. But I was taken to Gurukul and Gurukul inspired me towards culture, scriptures, nationalism, patriotism, our tradition, our revolutionaries, great men, martyrs, heroes, all these elements that are ‘Sattvik’ for life, and as a result, I entered this society. Even then, I had not thought about what I would do. I just kept on moving forward. Then call it the acceptance or need of society, our constant efforts, and our association with Swamiji or mutual coordination, all of this has resulted in whatever form we are in front of you today. I cannot say how much people understand our sensitivities and emotions, but I can say that we never compromised in any way on the dreams and resolutions with which we first moved forward.

• Where did you get your education, what did you get?
  Basically, the major part of our education is the Gurukul tradition, wherein, we study the scriptures. In the scriptures, we have learned everything from Sanskrit and grammar to Upanishad philosophy, from Vedas to Ayurveda, which has been our ancient tradition, which we got by staying in the company of our ‘Gurus.’

• When did you develop an interest in Ayurveda?
  There is an interesting story behind this too. When we were in Gurukul, there was a great Ayurveda expert, who was very famous for making medicines especially ‘Bhasma’ and other medicines using the ‘Bhasma.’ I was so interested in it, that sometimes, I used to go and sit with him. And while doing this, I developed so much of interest that I got absorbed in it.

• It is said that you know every herb of Uttarakhand. How did this happen?
  We cannot claim this, but I want to tell you one strange thing, I do not remember the names of people, I may forget things, but the hill I climbed and the trees and plants that I will see, even after years, if you ask me which tree or plant was found where, I will be able to tell you that this type of plant or a plant with this name is available there.

• So do you think that God has sent you to earth for this work?
  I believe that many times many people try to do many things. But according to the destiny, we reach where we are destined to reach. That is why, I think and have a clear belief that a man should never leave any stone unturned in his efforts. There are no shortcuts. If you patiently walk the long road, God will guide you to your destination.

• When did you first meet Baba Ramdev?
  I first met Swamiji 35-36 years ago. And we are childhood friends. Just the other day, I was looking at a photo of us from our Gurukul days. When I looked at it, it felt like a long time had passed. Friendship is forged through mutual thoughts and values, yet it can fracture with the introduction of external elements, whether in friendship or family relations. We have come to realise that closeness is built on shared thoughts, and fissures can develop due to other reasons. So, we did not let that reason enter, so by God’s grace, we are still friends. In ethical terms, it has been said that the friendship of noble individuals is like the Sun in its Purvarga phase—it grows stronger over time. Conversely, the friendship of those with malicious intentions is like the latter phase of the Sun—it begins to diminish over time. So, this first half is with continuity and we feel that we will continue to serve in whatever capacity we can in this life.

• So how will you define your relationship with Baba - brother or business partner?
  See, not business partner because neither I have anything to do with business nor Swamiji has anything to do with it. See, business is not our aim, business is a means for us. Secondly, when I used to study in Gurukul, even then I used to call him Bhrataji in Gurukul. Now, I call Bhrataji, Pujya Swamiji or Maharajji. That relationship of mine was unbreakable, is unbreakable, and will remain unbreakable. The rest of the work-related arrangement is an arrangement, it is not our relation or relationship. There is no division between us. I want to tell one thing to everyone. Looking at me, what do you think, how many resources do I need to sustain my life? I do not want to show off my wealth, marry my children, or display pomp and show in worldly matters, so how much wealth or money do I need to live my life? Even if we exaggerate, let us assume that I need one crore rupees a year. I am 50 years old now and will live for 30 more years, so according to this, it will be 30 crore rupees, and if we multiply it by two or three times, if I make a fixed deposit of 100 crore rupees, then tell me why are we working even today? When we do not have to spend anything! Swamiji is continuously engaged in work from 3 am to 10 pm. And why are we doing this is because Patanjali taught the countrymen to respect Swadeshi. When I was studying, we needed soap to wash clothes or for other work, even then we had the concept of Swadeshi. But when the products arrived, we had to look for them in the list to see which soap, etc. was indigenous and which was foreign. So we took this resolution to promote indigenous products from the Gurukul, and the same resolution, today, due to the efforts of Swamiji, no matter how many indigenous companies have come up, Patanjali is the leader and will remain so because history is always a witness. Secondly, due to Patanjali, those who do not even buy Patanjali products have also benefited a lot. Why is that so? I remember when we started Aloe Vera juice, before that Aloe Vera juice was available for Rs 1,300 per litre, today the juice of the same companies is available for Rs 200. You see the prices of other essential items, noting how much they were before and how much they are now. Even after the inflation has increased, they have reduced the rates of those items. As a result of Patanjali, your family’s savings and protection, as well as those involved in herbal products today, are affected similarly. They do not love herbs, they love the products made by Patanjali from herbs and want to be a part of the market it has created. This is also benefiting the farmers who are growing herbs, tribals who bring herbs from the forests, are also benefiting. See, if an allopathic company grows a herb, then the farmer does not get any benefit because I cannot make chemicals in the field, but the farmer benefits from Ayurvedic products because I cannot make herbs in the factory, they will grow in the field only. So, here we all have to understand that our culture is of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ and ‘Sarve Santu Sukhinah,’ our culture is not of living in prosperity ourselves but ensuring prosperity for others.

• In 2013, your turnover was Rs 5,000 crore, now it is Rs 55,000 crore. So what is the agenda of Patanjali in the next five years?
  The truth is that I never think about turnover. My job is to do whatever I do in the best way. Whatever Swamiji has said, do it in the best way. Today if you ask me how much sales etc. are there, I don’t even look at all that. Maybe Swamiji will be able to tell you, but I can’t. There is only one approach in life, and that is to speak through your actions. Nowadays, people promote and brand themselves through words, making those who rely on words alone as fleeting as sound. However, those who act leave, but the mark of the ‘Karma’ remains immortal.

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