When Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari talks about highways, fuel innovation or infrastructure, he is usually in full command of numbers and deadlines. But in a recent podcast on social media, he spoke about illness, discipline and a hard-earned reset of priorities.
Gadkari revealed that he lost 46 kilograms after Covid, dropping from 135 kg to 89 kg, a transformation he described not as cosmetic but existential. The pandemic, he said, forced him to confront years of neglecting his own well-being in the pursuit of work.
“I had a very unplanned, undisciplined life. Undisciplined? Absolutely,” he said, adding that post-COVID, exercise has become non-negotiable. “Now I exercise for two to two-and-a-half hours daily.”
The shift, according to the minister, was triggered by personal loss. Friends he had worked closely with did not survive the pandemic. “During Covid, my friends who were with me passed away. Then I felt I had to change,” he said, calling it the inflection point that altered his routine and outlook permanently.
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For Gadkari, the weight loss is incidental to a larger philosophy. “Health is wealth,” he said bluntly, adding that professional success or public position means little if the body gives way. It is a sentiment he returned to repeatedly, particularly while addressing students, many of whom, he cautioned, are already slipping into the same trap of postponing health for ambition.
“Give the first priority to your health. I made a mistake. It is very necessary." He recalled advice from his mother that stayed with him over decades of public life: Are you going to solve all the problems of the world? First, look at yourself. The line, delivered with characteristic candour, landed as both confession and counsel.
When asked about the specifics of his routine, Gadkari avoided grand claims. There were no miracle diets or crash regimes, only consistency. He spoke about pranayam, stretching, strengthening exercises, and working with a trained instructor. When the host remarked that he looked “not above 50”, Gadkari laughed it off, attributing the change to discipline rather than genetics or luck.
“People tell me you are becoming younger day by day. It is because of the pranayam and exercise I do.”
In a country grappling with rising obesity, lifestyle diseases and post-Covid health complications, Gadkari’s remarks echoed a wider reckoning, especially among those who equate endurance with neglecting the body.
