Ramdev says people may criticise his ideology but cannot deny he created a brand

Baba Ramdev. Pic/Ruhi Khan

Baba Ramdev has a new home and it's Madame Tussauds in London, a city the swadeshi icon believes is a "wonderful place with lovely people" and one he is "very comfortable in because of the love he gets every time" he is on English soil. mid-day spoke exclusively to the yoga guru on Friday evening at the Grand Royale hotel in Hyde Park on being immortalised in wax, breaking world records, his leadership junoon and being (what he calls) "a secular sanyasi"."

Ramdev is in the UK to conduct a series of yoga sessions in London, Coventry and Glasgow. But, before that he met a select audience of young students and achievers to discuss leadership - balancing mind, body and soul at an event organised by National Indian Student and Alumni Association (NISAA) where he was awarded an honorary fellowship by Virendra Sharma,a Member of Parliament of Indian origin in the UK.

A deep laughter echoed from Ramdev when mid-day congratulated him on his new address at Madame Tussauds. The wax Baba, clad in his trademark saffron sanyasi attire, will be a symbolic representation of the "knowledge of Indian yogis on a global platform". Ramdev stressed on the importance of this knowledge being "both scientific and secular". "I am a secular sanyasi," he said, claiming that he has "never insulted a Muslim or a Christian".

He believes secularism is an often misunderstood word. "If people do not respect themselves, they cannot respect others. This is secularism", he stressed adding that politicians either do not know this definition or they do not want to say it. Acknowledging that "minor differences exist in religions", Ramdev admits that he chooses not to talk about them but only talk about "the common ground".

"In India, there are some words that are very popular today - national and patriotism - but there is also venom surrounding them," he said. He added that these words are different for different groups whether the Sanghis, BJP, Congress, Muslims and Hindus but "everyone is competing to call themselves the greatest nationalist and the most patriot". However, this leads to them "constantly fighting with each other" and indulge in "dangerous sloganeering".

Ramdev's prescription to be a powerful leader comes from the zeal to succeed which is a potent blend of "the power of mind and money". With "school education under a sheesham tree" and "college education under a peepal tree," the Gurukul student now wants to expand his Pantanjali University to the UK, beat Unilever in three years to be the largest FMCG brand and offer employment to scores of Indians. "The ultimate success comes from converting your knowledge, internal and external resources and waste into wealth - social, political and spiritual," said the rather unconventional poster boy of business.

"People criticise my ideology, but they cannot ignore that I have developed a brand," he said nonchalantly. With over 24 crore followers on social media and television, Ramdev Baba would be a man hard to ignore. "I never thought I would be a world celebrity," said Ramdev whose penchant for world records saw him break or create 100 new ones in the past week alone. On International Yoga day, the swami led a yoga session with over one lakh followers in Rajasthan making it the largest yoga session in the world. "I do it to inspire children," he said.

With a 'prosperity for charity' philosophy, Ramdev has a tall order to fulfil to make India great again. "I will give R1 lakh crore to charity, I will train one lakh students, I will live for 100 years and in 2040-2050 I will make India a world economic and spiritual power. I will myself work towards it and train hundred thousand more to do it," said Ramdev. But his mantra for travelling great distances is simple - it all starts with baby steps.