Patanjali has been ranked as India”s most trusted Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) Brand by the Brand Trust Report India Study 2017 and has been announced as the most attractive brand in India. Ten years ago no one could have imagined that a Sanyasi will change for good the landscape of the FMCG market in Bharat and would move ahead of most of the multi-national players in the field. He started with his Yoga training sessions and today Swami Ramdev has evolved as a businessman par excellence. The key difference between him and the other traditional businessmen is that profits made by Patanjali are being utilised for social transformation. We all had been singing paeans in praise of Ayurvedic medical system but inexpensive and affordable medicines could not be taken to the doorstep of the needy.
How did he do it all ? What motivated him ? Swami Ramdev discusses all such issues in an interview to Organiser special Correspondent Rajan Khanna in Mumbai. Excerpts;
What made a Sanyasi turn into a businessman?
Since the ancient times, Sanyasis had been guiding spirit in the field of education, health and agriculture. Only during medieval period, Sanyasis confined their role to religious ritualism. Acharya Chanakya has stated, ‘Sukhasya moolam Dharmah, Dharmasya moolam arthah’. If you want to do charitable works in the field of education, health and Gauseva, you need lakhs of rupees which may not come your way in form of donations.
Therefore, the profits generated from the business can be utilised to sustain the charitable activities all over Bharat. Moreover, in ancient times, kings used to give aid to the “Dharmik” institutions to undertake social activities whereas today the governments collect taxes and give nothing to such institutions to run their social programmes. On the contrary, governments are
exercising controls over the incomes of the religious institutions.
How are you handling stiff competition from the multi-national corporations?
We wanted to create a Swadeshi brand in which we have become successful and not only that, Patanjali has beaten most of the multi-national brands in our field with the exception of Unilever. The way our graph is moving in an upward direction, soon we will be able to beat that also. This trend has created a positive environment for other Swadeshi brands also.
Several cases were filed against Patanjali during the rule of previousgovernment; what is the status of those cases now?
Most of the cases are being heard in the courts of law. We know justice will prevail.
What do you think if there is regime change at the Centre and again fictitious cases are filed against Patanjali, what will be your response?
I believe in one thing; if your systems and yourworking are hundred percent transparent and you are legally correct then whatever government is in the rule, your working cannot be disturbed. There might be some governments which may not share your ideology but if you are on the right path legally, no one can do any harm to your interests.
The number of the products, manufactured by Patanjali, are multiplying very fast; how are you being able to maintain the quality?
We have employed more than three hundred scientists who are looking after aspect of quality control. Recently our Patanjali research institute was inaugurated by our honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji. We give utmost importance to quality control at our production centres and at even smallest of our production units, each and every product has to pass through a very strict quality check process.
What steps have you taken to maintain the continuity of a huge range of products you are manufacturing at present?
We are working very well on increasing our production capacity. Sometimes we do find it hard to meet market demands but it remains our constant endeavour to fulfil the requirements of the ever increasing number of consumers. Secondly, whatever number of products we have started making, we have not discontinued manufacturing of even a single item from our total range.
What are your plans for export?
Though we are exporting our products even now,, a big fillip to our export plans will be imparted when our export-oriented units will go on steam. We are starting a couple of production units in Nagpur which will be able to meet the export demands.
How are you planning to contribute in job sector through Patanjali?
We are already being instrumental in providing jobs to more than one lakh individuals. This number will keep on growing because we believe that those jobs which can be manually done should not be done through machines. We follow Gandhi ji’s principle in this regard; the idea of human welfare remains always at the core of our hearts.
Many a time multi-national corporations exert pressure through their respective governments and our own government has to yield because of foreign policy constraints; what is your take on that?
We take it as a corporate struggle. However, we are not unduly perturbed by these developments. We have chalked out our plans of Swadeshi and we will keep on treading on this path very determinedly.
Patanjali outlets are reaching even the remotest of the villages; how are you planning that?
Distribution network has become an area of top priority for us. We are inducting a force of twenty thousand people to give a further boost to our sales network. Soon Patanjali products will be available in those areas also where at present we do not have distribution mechanism.
What initiatives you have been taking for environmental protection in your production units?
We are trying to be as eco- friendly as possible; from packaging to other inputs, our efforts are afoot to leave minimum carbon footprints.
We are on our way to install in-house solar power units which will supply power to all our production units. And we are not stopping at that; the surplus power
generated through solar panels will be sold to the government power grids.
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