Meet Rishabh Malhotra, founder of ‘Tagda Raho’, lauded by PM Modi in Mann Ki Baat

In the latest episode of his radio show ‘Mann Ki Baat’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned the ‘Tagda Raho’ startup.
This Bengaluru-based fitness startup involves exercises with Gada (mace) and Mugdar (Indian club). Prime Minister Modi, also 36 years old, praised Rishabh Malhotra, the founder of this startup for promoting fitness through traditional Indian exercise methods.
This fitness startup came into the headlines this year when former Indian team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni showed interest and invested in it.

Malhotra, while telling about the idea behind the name of the startup, stated, ‘Tagda Raho’ is used as a salutation in the Assam Regiment, similar to how officers and soldiers greet each other in that unit. Instead of saying hello or namaste, they say ‘Tagda Raho’ to each other when they meet. This concept comes from there.
“I am trying to bring out the concept of our traditional exercises through the ‘Tagda Raho’ startup, which has been ongoing in the country’s akhadas, in a modern way so that people in the cities can adopt them,” Malhotra added.
Outlining the benefits his fitness startup could provide people, Malhotra said, “The first thing that happens when all your weight is on one side is that your posture improves and you open up. And when your posture opens up, your breathing improves. We are hunching so much that we don’t realise the significant impact it’s having on our lungs; our breathing is decreasing. So, this not only gives you strength and power, but it also brings a lot of change in your posture and your breathing.”
Showing gratitude to PM Modi for bringing the nation’s focus to his fitness startup, Malhotra said, “I am grateful that I got the opportunity to reach the nation through ‘Mann Ki Baat’ and introduce the ‘Tagda Raho’ startup.”
Emphasising the importance of embracing our traditional methods of exercising, ‘Tagda Raho’s founder stated, There’s nothing wrong with going to the gym but what we have is better. The global fitness industry is not more than 150 years old. In India, the oldest gym that is still running is already 200 years old.
“There’s nothing wrong with going to the gym, but before we blindly pick up things from everywhere, it’s essential to see what resources we already have. If we don’t recognise what we have, we’ll end up circling back to the same things, waiting for someone from outside to tell us. Our country has such a large youth population that if we start accepting our things, we won’t need to pick up anything from outside. It’s not that what’s happening outside is wrong, but what we have is better. The global fitness industry is not more than 150 years old. In India, the oldest gym that is still running is already 200 years old,” Tagda Raho’s founder, Malhotra, told ANI