Talking to Business Standard, Srinivas Suresh Kamal, founder & creator of Kryogaworld, a division of MKS Yoga and Fitness (P) Ltd, said his Planet Yoga brand is considering the Indian foray by 2009.
Kamal said Planet Yoga is looking at entering the country via a metro, most probably Mumbai. Kamal has been personal yoga trainer to big names like Cindy Crawford and Magic Johnson.
Hong Kong and Bangkok's most famous yoga brand, Planet Yoga, operates a chain of six yoga studios (yoga training centres). "Each of our studios has been built on an investment of $1.5 million.
We propose to take the number to 12, which would include a mega Planet Yoga studio in Hong Kong to be constructed at an investment of $1.8 million", Kamal said.
The Vishakhapatnam-born Kamal, who made it big in southeast Asia after having moved to Hong Kong in the early stage of his career, said he is now looking at an Indian foray as a thanksgiving gesture to the country considered as yoga's birth place.
Detailing the expansion plans of Kryogaworld, he said his firm is now on a recruiting spree in India and are looking at picking yoga teachers who would teach the art to students in Hong Kong and Bangkok .
Offering about Rs 80,000 plus furnished accommodation to each yoga teacher, Kryogaworld is also set to break into the career scene where big money really counts.
"We understand that yoga teachers in India who have premium students get paid around Rs 12,000 a month and those who teach affluent families draw around Rs 15,000. We offer Rs 80,000 and accommodation to the best teacher. Every recruit will also undergo a training schedule before he gets on with his 8-hour, six-days job," added Sethu Madhavan, who looks after Indian operations and recruitment division of Kryogaworld.
However, when the India foray happens, the salaries of the yoga teachers at the Indian studios may be a bit lower than the Rs 80,000-mark.
The USP of Kryoga (Kamal's Rhythmic Yoga) is that it is the only yoga centre in the world that brings together all existing yoga schools under a single umbrella.
This apart, Kamal is exploring the possibilities of blending art forms like Kuchipudi and martial arts such as Kalaripayattu in its schedules.
Kryogaworld is also mulling over securing television slots in India and abroad for teaching Planet Yoga routines. It also has lined up interactive home videos in a bid to lure enthusiasts to try out yoga routines at home.
