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Journalism of Courage
Shark Tank India judge and Emcure Pharmaceuticals executive director Namita Thapar has criticised yoga guru Baba Ramdev for his recent comments linking soft drinks to religion. Sharing a post featuring Ramdev’s remarks alongside an official statement from Hamdard, a Rooh Afza brand, Thapar tagged the approach as “hate marketing”.
The controversy began when Ramdev, while promoting Patanjali’s line of juices, claimed that rival beverage brands are contributing to the construction of mosques and madrasas, referring to this as part of a “sharbat jihad”. In a video shared on April 3 by the official Facebook page of “Patanjali Products,” Ramdev compared popular soft drinks to “toilet cleaners” and suggested that their proceeds funded religious institutions.
“In the name of quenching thirst during summers, people drink cold beverages that are basically toilet cleaners,” Ramdev said in Hindi. “On one side, there’s the attack of toilet-cleaner-like poison, and on the other, there’s a company selling sharbat, which uses the money earned from it to build mosques and madrasas. That’s fine, it’s their religion,” he said.
He also said, “But if you drink that sharbat, it supports the construction of mosques and madrasas. On the other hand, if you drink Patanjali’s rose sharbat, it supports the setting up of Gurukuls, Acharyakulam, Patanjali University, and the Bharatiya Shiksha Board. That’s why I say, just like there is love jihad and vote jihad, there is also sharbat jihad. So, you must protect yourself from this sharbat jihad.”
Responding to the remarks, Thapar wrote, “Hate marketing vs a class act. What is the India we want to create for our kids?”
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Thapar’s response to Ramdev’s statements quickly gained traction, evoking numerous reactions. “No one can replace Rooh Afza for the next 200 years at least. Not with hate at least,” a user wrote. “Ethical businesses run according to rules of the land should never be allowed to be targeted this way. It is wrong,” another user commented.
“So true Namita! If we lose our values and hate wins, the next generation is gonna face worst, people build city’s and businesses and not religion and languages!!” a third user said.
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday ordered Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali to immediately take down all advertisements that allegedly refer to Hamdard’s Rooh Afza as part of a so-called “Sharbat Jihad,” stating that the content “shocked the conscience of the court.”
“I couldn’t believe my eyes and ears,” Justice Amit Bansal said while referring to Patanjali’s videos.
