As ayurveda begins to gain popularity world over, Indian ayurveda providers are directing all their efforts in endorsing the practice. Ayushakti, a leading AYUSH practising company, has been on a constant endeavour to put ayurveda on the global map. Chiranjeev Shrivastava, CEO, Ayushakti Ayurved shares the company’s future plans and expectations, with Raelene Kambli
What is the current size of the Ayurveda industry in India?
The total size of the Indian ayurvedic market is Rs 50 billion and it is growing substantially at a rate between 10-15 per cent, with the same growth rate targetted for the next 10 years.
What is the size of the company?
Ayushakti Ayurved is a Rs 42 crores company with a growth rate of 30 per cent p. a.
How many centres do you have across India?
We have 10 Ayushakti centres across India and two franchise centres.
What are your plans in the coming years?
We are planning for the launch 50 more centres in Maharashtra in the next three years. In the next five years we are planning for an IPO.
You are planning an IPO. Tell us more about it?
We are looking at exponential growth in Ayushakti Ayurved. Currently, ayurveda is also being endorsed by our respected PM. I believe in our ancient tradition of treating illness and today more than Indians, the Westerners believe in our ayurveda. I believe that it is time for Ayurveda to reach every corner of the globe, for which we need the support of our people and hence, the IPO, to initiate this vision.
What are your immediate goals for 2015? How are you going to achieve them?
Our immediate goal for 2015 is to make ayurveda accessible to the masses; we want to widen our presence in Maharashtra with 10 new Ayushakti franchise centres. We are also launching a DeTox mobile van in Mumbai this year, this will be a pilot followed by five more Mobile DeTox Vans in Mumbai. Patients who cannot reach our centres can avail of this facility. We have also developed a software called Satya in the international market. It is a software system which helps to follow Ayushakti’s authentic ayurveda practice.
What are your projections for the industry in 2015?
Ayurveda is the future; most of the Western people have already started following ayurveda/ alternative medicine. For e.g., our own patient Dr Garner, a Medical Director from KWA Rottal has installed an ayurveda clinic in his neurological hospital. Very soon, every hospital will have ayurveda as its additional arm to address diseases and chronic illnesses which cannot be cured with Western medicine or are only suppressed by Western medicine.
I foresee ayurveda emerging as one of the biggest industries in health and wellness. In short, ayurveda is the future, people are moving back to nature.
What is your opinion about Ayurveda practitioners prescribing allopathic medicines? What are the developments in this arena?
In foreign countries, we have seen allopathic doctors inclined towards ayurveda/ alternative medicine. For some reason, post independence, India has only followed the Western culture and therefore it will not be easy to change the attitude and the beliefs which currently people have towards ayurveda.
I believe when our people will see Western doctors practising ayurveda, the revolution will begin in India.