Baba Ramdev (born 25 December 1965), born Ramkishan Yadav, is an Indian yoga teacher and businessman. From the early 2000s his televised yoga camps, centred on breathing exercises (pranayama), drew millions of followers and helped make yoga a daily habit in ordinary Indian homes. With his associate Acharya Balkrishna he founded Patanjali Ayurved, which grew into one of India’s largest consumer goods companies. He has also been active in political campaigns and has faced repeated controversy over medical claims.
Quick Facts
| Birth name | Ramkishan Yadav |
| Born | 25 December 1965, Saidalipur, Mahendragarh district, Haryana, India |
| Occupation | Yoga teacher, businessman |
| Organisations | Divya Yog Mandir Trust (1995); Patanjali Yogpeeth; Patanjali Ayurved (2006) |
| Associate | Acharya Balkrishna |
| Based in | Haridwar, Uttarakhand |
| Known for | Televised yoga camps, Patanjali products |
Early Life
Ramdev was born into a farming family in Saidalipur village. He has said that he suffered partial paralysis as a child and that yoga cured him. He left school after the eighth class and studied Sanskrit, scripture and yoga at gurukuls at Khanpur and Kalwa in Haryana. He took the vows of a sanyasi (renunciate) and the name Swami Ramdev, and moved to Haridwar.
Career
In 1995 he set up the Divya Yog Mandir Trust in Haridwar with Balkrishna. His early-morning yoga programme on Sanskar channel and, from 2003, on Aastha TV made him a household name. Thousands attended his camps in stadiums and parks, where he taught seven simple breathing exercises, notably kapalbhati and anulom vilom. He founded the Patanjali Yogpeeth institute in 2006. He took part in the first International Day of Yoga on 21 June 2015 with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi.
Founded in 2006, Patanjali Ayurved began with Ayurvedic medicines and moved into toothpaste, ghee, honey, noodles, flour and clothing, selling on the appeal of swadeshi (Indian-made) goods and low prices. Its sales grew very fast in the mid-2010s and shook established multinational rivals. In 2019 the group bought the bankrupt edible-oil company Ruchi Soya, now Patanjali Foods. Balkrishna holds most of the shares; Ramdev is the public face.
Ramdev campaigned against corruption and “black money” held abroad. In June 2011 his fast at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan was broken up by police at midnight, and he escaped dressed in women’s clothes. He supported the BJP in the 2014 election.
Controversies
In 2020, during the pandemic, Patanjali launched Coronil and claimed it could cure COVID-19; the government allowed it to be sold only as an immunity booster. His remarks disparaging modern medicine in 2021 angered doctors. On a petition by the Indian Medical Association, the Supreme Court in 2024 pulled up Ramdev and Balkrishna for misleading advertisements; they apologised in court and in newspapers, and contempt proceedings were closed.
Legacy
Whatever the disputes, Ramdev is widely credited with taking yoga out of ashrams and into the living rooms of middle-class and rural India.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Baba Ramdev born?
Baba Ramdev was born on 25 December 1965 in Saidalipur, Mahendragarh district, Haryana, India.
What is Baba Ramdev known for?
Known for: Televised yoga camps, Patanjali products.
Featured image: Baba Ramdev (in saffron) at Yoggram, the Patanjali naturopathy centre in Haridwar, June 2024. Photo by Mukesh.kfc, licensed under CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
