After a profitable business in his own brand of consumer products, yoga exponent Ramdev now has his eyes on jeans, women's and office wear.
"We will make men's and women's wear, not just traditional Indian clothing but also modern wear like jeans for example. Just because I am a baba does not mean we cannot marry modernity with spirituality, we can make, let's say desi jeans," Ramdev told the Telegraph.
With his own apparel brand, Paridhan, Ramdev told the paper he plans to launch factories in Bangladesh and Africa. He also has plans to market in Nepal before taking on multinationals in Europe and US.
Last year, Ramdev's Patanjali Ayurved launched his own brand of "healthy instant noodles" to compete with Nestle's Maggi, a household name in India. Priced at Rs 15, the 70-gram packet was said to be cheaper by Rs 10 from competitors. However, the Indian Express reported in November that the noodles brand did not have the mandatory approvals from the Food Safety and Regulatory Authority of India.
Ramdev's business empire has the staggering target of reaching Rs 10,000 crore in net sales in the year to next March.
He told Sounak Mitra of the Mint in May this year: "People trust us, and that's what is making Patanjali big... we are not into small things. Whatever we do, we multiply—be it yoga, be it ayurveda and now business."
The concept of swadeshi jeans obviously found resonance among folks on Twitter looking for a weekend laugh.