Acharya Balkrishna is chairman and CEO of the consumer goods company Patanjali Ayurved. He is the right-hand man to yoga guru Baba Ramdev. He derives his fortune from consumer goods giant Patanjali Ayurved. The billionaire owns the bulk of the privately held Patanjali.
Acharya Balkrishna’s life and education
Born on August 4, 1972, in Haridwar to Nepalese immigrants, Sumitra Devi and Jay Vallabh Subedi, Acharya Balkrishna spent his childhood in Nepal. After returning to India, he studied at Khanpur Gurukul in Haryana, where he met Ramdev.
Acharya Balkrishna’s career
Acharya Balkrishna, Baba Ramdev, and Acharya Karamveer founded Divya Yoga Mandir Trust on January 5, 1995. It was set up at Haridwar’s Kripalu Bagh Ashram. In 2006, the three established Patanjali Ayurved. It was with the help of Baba Ramdev’s followers – Sunita and Sarwan Poddar and their loan that the company became a hit. Later in 2012, Patanjali Ayurved managed to earn a turnover of Rs 4.5 billion. It went up to Rs 50 billion in 2015–2016. By March 31, 2020, Patanjali Ayurved’s revenue from operations increased marginally to Rs 9,022.71 crore.
For the unversed, Baba Ramdev has no stake in Patanjali Ayurved. However, he is the face of the company. Acharya Balkrishna owns 94 per cent of Patanjali Ayurved.
Acharya Balkrishna’s net worth
Acharya Balkrishna has an estimated net worth of $3.4 billion, Forbes reported.
