Acharya Balkrishna is the CEO and MD of Patanjali Ayurveda Limited. According to Forbes, he is one of the richest men in India with an estimated net worth of around $5 billion. He is a close associate of Baba Ramdev.
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Wiki/Biography
Balkrishna Suvedi (real name of Acharya Balkrishna) was born on Friday, 4 August 1972 (age 51 years; as of 2023) in Syangja, Gandaki Pradesh, Nepal. His father, Jai Vallabh Subedi, was a security guard at an ‘ashram’ in Uttarakhand, India. To get education, he took admission in Kalava Gurukul, Haryana. After receiving education, he traveled extensively throughout India to study plants and their medicinal properties.
An early image of Acharya Balakrishna
In the early 1990s, he first met Baba Ramdev (yoga guru) at Tripura Yoga Ashram, Kankhal, Haridwar. Soon after, they got along well. In 1993, Balakrishna and Baba Ramdev went to the Himalayas near Gangotri in Uttarakhand, where Ramdev focused on yoga and Balakrishna studied Ayurveda. When he came to Haridwar again, he started selling ‘Chyawanprash’ in the city. In those days, both could be easily seen on the streets of Haridwar.
Acharya Balkrishna and Baba Ramdev selling products on bicycle
Physical Appearance
Family
He was born in a Nepali family to Jai Vallabh Subedi and Sumitra Devi. Information about his siblings is not known. He is unmarried.
Story and success
He has great knowledge of herbs and Ayurveda. Therefore, people started requesting him to tell them about some medicines and Ayurveda. At that time, he became a local doctor. In 1995, he established a trust, “Patanjali Divya Yoga Mandir”, along with Baba Ramdev. He also established “Divya Pharmacy”, a unit for manufacturing Ayurvedic medicines.
Main gate of Patanjali Yogpeeth
On October 2004, during a yoga camp at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Balakrishna was awarded a certificate and citation by the then President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.
Acharya Balakrishna and Baba Ramdev with APJ Abdul Kalam
In 2006, he co-founded a consumer goods company with Baba Ramdev, Patanjali Ayurveda LimitedWhich is considered to be the biggest center of Ayurveda and Yoga. The company became the fastest growing FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) company in the 2010s. Now, he holds 98% stake in Patanjali Ayurveda. The company spent Rs. Hurun entered the India Rich List 2017 with a remarkable amount of Rs. 25,600 crores. The Hurun India Rich List of 2017 ranked Acharya Balkrishna at 8th place in the list of richest people in India. In 2017, Forbes magazine ranked him 19th among the richest people in India. They have $6.55 billion in 2017.
On 25 May 2019, he was named among the 10 most influential people in the world by the United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG). He was also awarded the UNSDG Healthcare Award in Geneva, Switzerland.
Balkrishna honored with Healthcare Award
controversies
- His educational qualification and Indian citizenship have been under doubt for a long time. In 2011, he came under the radar of CBI when he was accused of possessing fake degree and citizenship.
- The same year, the CBI registered a case against Balakrishna and detained him on charges of forgery and cheating. According to CBI, his passport was issued on fake high school and graduation certificates. The CBI also alleged that he had a pistol without legal permission.
- In 2012, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had registered a case against Balakrishna under criminal provisions of money laundering. However, he was later given a clean chit as the ED found no evidence of wrongdoing.
- During the COVID-19 pandemic, Balakrishna along with Ramdev launched an Ayurvedic medicine “Coronil”; It is being claimed that this will cure the patients infected with the virus. After the launch of the drug in June 2020, the Central Government and the Uttarakhand Government distanced themselves from their claims. The AYUSH ministry also distanced itself and questioned the therapeutic effects of the drug. Later, an FIR was lodged in Jaipur against Balakrishna, Ramdev and three others for making misleading claims of curing COVID-19 after clinical trials.
Acharya Balakrishna and Ramdev at the launch of Coronil
- In November 2023, controversy surrounded Ramdev over an advertisement titled “Misconceptions spread by Allopathy: Save yourself and the country from misconceptions spread by the pharma and medical industry” published on 10 July 2022. Several state units of the Indian Medical Association accused Patanjali Ayurved. Waging a “slander campaign” and making false claims against evidence-based medicine. On 21 November 2023, the Supreme Court of India warned Patanjali Ayurved of a fine of Rs 1 crore. A fine of Rs 1 crore for each false claim in its advertisements. Additionally, the court directed the company to stop criticizing modern medicine and creating misleading advertisements. On 27 February 2024, Patanjali Ayurved and Acharya Balkrishna received a contempt notice from the Supreme Court for violating the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954 and its rules. On March 19, 2024, the Supreme Court gave another warning to Baba Ramdev and asked him why action should not be taken against him for the advertisements. The court called Ramdev and Balkrishna to come to the court and explain about the advertisements.
car collection
He has only one car, Range Rover.
Acharya Balkrishna with his Range Rover (rear)
net worth
He holds 98% shares of Patanjali Ayurveda Limited. According to Forbes 2019, his net worth is more than $4.7 billion.
fact
- In 2007, the Government of Nepal honored him for his work in Ayurveda, Himalayan herbs and culture.
- In 2012, he was awarded the Sujana Shri Award by Veeranjaneya Foundation for his amazing contribution to Yoga and Ayurveda.
- On 23 February 2014, he was honored by the then Chief Minister of Gujarat (later, Prime Minister of India), Narendra Modi, at an Ayurveda summit held in Gujarat.
Acharya Balkrishna with Baba Ramdev and Narendra Modi
- As of 2016, he has been awarded 13 awards/titles by various organizations around the world. Some of them are- Honor by Canada India Network Society, Bloomberg Special Recognition Award, Honor in the Cabinet of Nepal, Bharat Gaurav Award, and many others.
- His birthday is celebrated as “Jaadibooti Divas” (Jaadibooti Diwas) by his supporters.
- Despite being the MD and CEO of Patanjali Ayurveda Limited, he does not take any salary.
- Balakrishna also serves as the chief editor of “Yoga Sandesh”, a magazine promoting Ayurveda and Yoga. Along with his co-authors, he has written more than 40 research papers. All these are related to Yoga and Ayurveda.
Cover page of the magazine, Yoga Sandesh, edited by Balakrishna
- In August 2019, he complained of chest pain and dizziness, after which he was admitted to AIIMS in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand. However, he was later discharged and made a full recovery.
Acharya Balkrishna was admitted to AIIMS
- His hobbies are reading, writing, traveling etc.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn