PM Modi Becomes India’s top Health Influencer, Akshay Kumar Follows; Dhoni Makes Debut

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has turned out to be an inspiration for many in politics as he beat incumbency and steered the BJP to a historic win in the 16th Lok Sabha elections. In public life, too, the 68-year-old politician, with his yoga videos, meditation images and fitness initiatives, has appealed to a pectrum.

A report by home-grown wearable devices maker, GOQii, released on Tuesday, sees the PM retain the top spot as the most influential personality in the health domain, for the second consecutive time. Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, who recently invested in the fitness brand, comes at the second spot, while yoga guru Baba Ramdev is at the third position.

The ‘Top 30 Health Influencers for 2019’ report also had former Team India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Ranveer Singh, Kareena Kapoor, Tiger Shroff and Priyanka Chopra making their debut in the top-10 this year. Others who joined the A-list celebrities included Team India skipper Virat Kohli and actress Deepika Padukone.

In a statement, GOQii founder & CEO, Vishal Gondal, said that the Prime Minister has managed to set a good example of staying fit despite his hectic schedule, and his actions would have a bearing on a large section of the country’s population who follow Modi on social media.

“Modi was instrumental in instituting the International Day of Yoga 2015, which is now observed globally. He is not only keen on improving India but keen on improving the health and fitness of Indians as well. Despite all the tasks at hand, the 68-year-old still manages to stay fit,” the GOQii report went on to say.

Akshay Kumar, who had interviewed the PM about his life away from politics in the run-up to the Lok Sabha Elections in April, has been vocal in raising awareness about physical fitness and activity. Known to be one of India’s fittest celebrities, the 51-year-old Khiladi Kumar has trained in martial arts, and also has a black belt in Taekwondo.

“Even with his hectic life, Akshay Kumar manages to maintain his work-out regime, occasionally adding new exercises to avoid boredom. He believes that one should devote their body to exercise for one hour in order to be fit,” the report mentioned.

Ramdev, who has bagged the third position, has been a part of the Indian consciousness with yoga. He has also become a part of everyday India, thanks to Patanjali Ayurved that produces consumer goods.

“Ramdev’s brand (Patanjali) is now a popular name in India and is giving MNC FMCG companies a run for their money. As of May 19, his company is the third-largest FMCG company in India,” the report noted.

The top 30 health influencers, selected from a list of 100, were assessed by their follower count on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. They were also judged by the number of Google news mentions and an estimate of how much each person’s career focuses on fitness and health. The data was collected the January-March period.

Source: ET

Image Courtesy: ORF