answered: Exactly how much did this old man who continued to live as simply as before Ramdev's meteoric rise borrow that he could not repay the sum? Why did he borrow it? When had he taken the loan? And from whom? More importantly - why did Ramdev, sitting atop an empire worth at least Rs 100 crore, not repay the loan on his behalf? Why did Shankar Dev not ask him for help? Or had he? Even though Karamveer had left the organization, Shankar Dev, who missed him dearly, often called him - sometimes for financial help. ‗I used to send whatever little I could so he could get by,' says Karamveer. Vipin Pradhan, a former aide and Karamveer's nephew, says, 'By then, the trust was being run by ... relatives of Ramdev who had come in from outside and had no intention, of serving any interest other than their own. They treated Shankar Dev badly and he was very unhappy.'' Kararhveer says that once when he was visiting Haridwar and staying with an old friend in Tripura Ashram, 'Shankar Dev came to meet me. They had sent two people after him to do his CID {that is, to spy on him]. They waited at the gates while we met. I'm not sure why... they [Ramdev and Balkrishna] had doubts [about Shankar Dev] in their minds at the time... who knows what doubt… what they were thinking at the time. It must have been a very difficult situation for Shankar Dev.' But it is Radhika Nagrath's appraisal of the situation that is most damning. Remember, Nagrath is the one who designed Divya Pharmacy's website in its early days. She is still associated with Patanjali and has an obvious soft spot for Ramdev, whom she speaks of with affection, though she is unhesitatingly honest. She says, 'Shankar Dev was a real saint - a very gentle guy. He felt ousted in his own home. He did not get any compassion because these people were in a race for something else. It was once his home, his shelter. He CS (OS) 27/2019 Page 27 of 76