The Indian gurus, apart from spreading spirituality and yoga, are fast pitching in the retailing and education business in India. The gurus, who have made a mass following for themselves in the country on the basis of meditation and yoga techniques, are proving adept even at running businesses, fast emerging as a new trend of spirituality combined with capitalism.
The gurus who sell spirituality to the western world have nimbly adapted to the changing times and are now even competing with the multi-national companies.
A living example of a flourishing ayurveda-health-cosmetics conglomerate is Patanjali, which is expected to clock sales of Rs 20,000 crore by 2019-20 and claims to overtake almost all FMCG companies in a few years. Forbes magazine has even termed Ramdev promoted Patanajali as "Indian version of Body Shop".
According to domestic brokerage IIFL, Patanjali, which sells honey, health drinks, fruit juices, sweets, cookies, spices, tea, flour, muesli, pickles, soap, balms, shampoos and also noodles, is rising exponentially every year from a turnover of Rs 2,000 crore in 2014-15.
Encouraged by the success of Patanjali, controversial guru Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is now foraying into the retail business with the launch of his version of noodles, apart from pickles, honey and bottled water.
What makes it easy for the gurus to turn to retail?
The gurus already have a mass following and find a readymade market for their retail products. The Indian household has been deeply entrenched in the cycle of health to medicine to cosmetics, which combined with faith, ayurveda and organic products, makes it in alignment with the country's ancient heritage and thus calls for an easy marketing.
Down in south, Sri Sri Ravishankar, who promotes Art of Living, has a range of ayurvedic medicines, toothpaste, protein shampoos, herbal tea, anti-diabetic tablets, balms and syrups. Another guru in South, Sri Satya Sai Baba has left behind an empire of hospitals, clinics and universities behind him, after he passed away in 2011.
Country's most famous female guru Mata Amritanandamayi runs hospitals, a TV channel, engineering colleges and business schools.
The trend of gurus excelling in retail and other sectors is likely to continue as of now and may even see an upward growth in the times to come.