Who are Sarwan and Sunita Poddar? The NRI Couple That Lended Baba Ramdev Millions To Launch Patanjali

Patanjali: Little Cumbrae, an island of around 900 acres, was purchased for two million pounds by Scottish citizens Sarwan "Sam" Poddar and his wife Sunita, and given to Ramdev in 2009. The uninhabited island, which has the remains of a former castle, houses a retreat complex for yoga and ayurveda.

Baba Ramdev Patanjali: The Patanjali Ayurved business, owned by yoga guru Baba Ramdev, once had debt but now enjoys an annual revenue of around Rs 40,000 crore. A personal debt worth between Rs 50-60 crore was taken out when Baba Ramdev and his close friend, 'Billionaire Baba' Acharya Balkrishna launched the business in 2006. At the time, he had no banking experience and no bank account. He had received such a big loan even after this, though. The NRI pair Sunita and Sarwan Poddar, who are devotees of Baba Ramdev, were the ones who actually provided this money.

Gifted An Island

In addition to providing the loan to launch the business, both of them also hold a 3% ownership stake in the organisation, according to media reports. The Scottish NRI couple who gave Baba Ramdev an island also own a sizable portion of one of the largest businesses in the multi-billion dollar yoga guru's empire. Little Cumbrae, an island of around 900 acres, was purchased for two million pounds by Scottish citizens Sarwan "Sam" Poddar and his wife Sunita, and given to Ramdev in 2009.The uninhabited island, which has the remains of a former castle, houses a retreat complex for yoga and ayurveda.

Second-Largest Shareholder

The Poddars own 12.46 lakh shares in the company, according to documents filed by Patanjali Ayurved Ltd with the Registrar of Companies. Total shares allotted by the firm are 3.47 crore. As a result, the Poddar pair owns 7.2% of the business that manufactures the majority of the Ramdev empire's goods.The Poddar pair is Patanjali Ayurved's second-largest shareholder after Acharya Balkrishna. The Poddar pair had previously informed the media that Sunita insisted they purchase the island since she had significantly reduced her weight after embracing Ramdev's yoga.

Companies with corporate cultures have long been interested in Patanjali Ayurveda's success. Every employee at the organisation greets one another by saying "Om," which adds to its distinctive work culture. Employees are not permitted to consume non-vegetarian meals on corporate grounds, per business policy. Additionally, it is not authorized to consume alcohol or smoke on Patanjali property. Acharya Balkrishna asserts that Patanjali strongly promotes gender equality, with a 70:30 division between males and females. Let's say Patanjali Ayurveda has expanded tremendously during the last 14 years. The group also purchased Ruchi Soya in the latter half of the previous year.