Acharya Balkrishna is the CEO and Managing Director of Patanjali Ayurveda Ltd. According to Forbes, he is one of India’s richest men, with an estimated net worth of around $5 billion. He was a close aide of Baba Ramdev.
Wiki/Biography
Balkrishna Suvedi (real name Acharya Balkrishna) was born on Friday, August 4, 1972 in Syangja, Gandaki State, Nepal (age 51; as of 2023). His father, Jay Vallabh Subedi, was a security guard at an “ashram” (hermitage) in Uttarakhand, India. For his education, he studied at Gurukul School, Karava, Haryana. After his education, he traveled throughout India studying plants and their medicinal properties.
Early images of Acharya Balkrishna
He first met Baba Ramdev (yoga guru) at the Tripura Yoga Ashram in Kankhal, Haridwar in the early 1990s. After a while, they got along very well. In 1993, Balkrishna and Baba Ramdev went to the Himalayas near Gangotri in Uttarakhand, where Ramdev concentrated on yoga and Balkrishna studied Ayurveda Tuo. When they came to Haridwar again, they started selling “Chyawanprash” in the city. Both were easily seen on the streets of Haridwar at that time.
Acharya Balkrishna and Baba Ramdev sell products on bicycle
appearance
family
He was born in Nepal to Jay Vallabh Subedi and Sumitra Devi. Information about his siblings is unknown. He is unmarried.
Stories and success
He has vast knowledge of herbal medicine and Ayurveda. So people started asking 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. They also set up ‘Divya Pharmacy’, a unit to manufacture Ayurvedic medicines.
Patanjali Yogpis main entrance
In October 2004, the then President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, presented a certificate and a letter of thanks to Balkrishna during a yoga camp held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Acharya Balkrishna and Baba Ramdev with APJ Abdul Kalam
In 2006, he founded a consumer products company with Baba Ramdev, Patanjali Ayurveda Ltd.considered to be the largest center of Ayurveda and Yoga. The company became the fastest growing FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) company in the 2010s. He now owns 98% of Patanjali Ayurved. The company entered the Hurun India Rich List 2017 with a staggering Rs. 256 billion rupees. Acharya Balkrishna was ranked eighth among India’s richest people in the 2017 Hurun India Rich List. In 2017, Forbes magazine ranked him as the 19th richest man in India. As of 2017, his net worth is $6.55 billion.
On May 25, 2019, he was selected as one of the top ten influential people in the world by the United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG). He also received the UNSDG Healthcare Award in Geneva, Switzerland.
Balker Hill wins healthcare award
dispute
- His academic qualifications and Indian citizenship have long been questioned. In 2011, he came to the attention of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after he was accused of possessing false degrees and citizenship.
- In the same year, India’s Central Bureau of Investigation registered a case against Balkrishna and detained him on charges of forgery and cheating. According to the CBI, his passport was issued with forged high school and graduation certificates. The CBI also alleged that he was in possession of a pistol without legal permission.
- In 2012, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) registered a case against Balkrishna under criminal provisions of money laundering. However, he was later cleared because the ED could not find any evidence of wrongdoing.
- Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Balkrishna along with Ramdev launched Ayurvedic drug ‘Coronil’; claiming it can cure patients infected with the virus. After the drug became available in June 2020, the central and Uttarakhand governments distanced themselves from their claims. The AYUSH ministry has also distanced itself from the drug and questioned its therapeutic efficacy. Later, Jaipur lodged an FIR against Balkrishna, Ramdev and three others for making misleading claims of a cure for COVID-19 following clinical trials.
Acharya Balkrishna and Ramdev at the launch of Coronil
- In November 2023, Ramdev stirred controversy with an advertisement titled “Misconceptions spread by allopathic medicine: Save yourself and the country from misconceptions spread by the pharmaceutical and medical industry” released on July 10, 2022. Several state units of the Indian Medical Association have accused Patanjali Ayurved of running a “smear campaign” and making false claims about evidence-based medicine. On November 21, 2023, the Supreme Court of India warned Patanjali Ayurved to be fined Rs 1 Crore for each false claim in its advertisements. Additionally, the court directed the company to stop criticizing modern medicine and producing misleading advertising. On February 27, 2024, Patanjali Ayurved and Acharya Balkrishna were issued contempt notices by the Supreme Court for violation of the Drugs and Magical Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954 and its rules. On March 19, 2024, the Supreme Court once again issued a warning to Baba Ramdev and asked him why action should not be taken against him for these advertisements. The court summoned Ramdev and Balkrishna to appear before the court to explain themselves over the advertisements. On April 10, 2024, Ramdev and Balkrishna appeared in the Supreme Court and offered an unconditional apology; however, the court did not accept their apology and said that Ramdev deliberately and intentionally violated the commitments made. On April 23, 2024, the Supreme Court asked them to provide the original copy of the newspaper, claiming that in a previous hearing the court had asked them to issue a public apology within a week. The court also accused the Center of quashing Rule 70 which banned objectionable advertisements. On April 24, 2024, Patanjali Ayurvede once again issued an unconditional public apology in multiple newspapers, this time on a larger scale than the previous one.
Patanjali Ayurved published a public apology in various newspapers on April 24, 2024
car collection
He only has one car, a Range Rover.
Acharya Balkrishna and his Range Rover (back)
net worth
He owns 98% of Patanjali Ayurveda Ltd. According to 2019 data from Forbes, his net worth is more than $4.7 billion.
fact
- In 2007, the Nepali government honored him for his work in Ayurveda, Himalayan herbal medicine and culture.
- In 2012, he was awarded the Sujana Shri Award by the Veeranjaneya Foundation in recognition of his outstanding contribution to Yoga and Ayurveda.
- On February 23, 2014, he was honored by Narendra Modi, then Chief Minister of Gujarat (later Prime Minister of India) at the Ayurveda Summit 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. These include congratulations from the Canada-India Network Association, Bloomberg Special Recognition Award, congratulations from the Nepal Cabinet, Bharat Gaurav Award and many more.
- His birthday is celebrated as ‘Jadi Booti Diwas’ (Vanilla Day) by his supporters.
- Although he is the Managing Director and CEO of Patanjali Ayurveda Ltd., he does not take any salary.
- Balkrishna also serves as the editor-in-chief of Yog Sandesh magazine, which promotes Ayurveda and yoga. He has co-authored more than 40 research papers. All these are related to Yoga and Ayurveda.
Yog Sandesh magazine cover edited by Balkrishna
- In August 2019, he complained of chest pain and dizziness, after which he was admitted to AIIMS Hospital in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand. But he was later discharged from the hospital and made a full recovery.
Acharya Balkrishan hospitalized at AIIMS
- His hobbies are reading, writing, traveling, etc.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education