I am writing this post mainly with an eye on my friends in the university who rarely look beyond the politicians while lamenting the country’s plight. Next time they talk to me about these luminaries, I’ll ask them to read this post.
Most of what I have written is widely available on the internet. Please note that I am merely quoting what is popularly available. The stories mentioned here are stale (3-4 years old) but you’ll find it very fresh and palatable if you have not heard of it before!
I have a list of people I dislike. In that, Shiv Khera, Arindam Chaudhuri and A.K. Mishra (a ‘self-styled success guru’ for UPSC Civil Services Exam) jostle for the top slot. For the uninitiated, Shiv Khera is “an Indian motivational speaker, author of self-help books, business consultant, activist and politician,” to quote Wikipedia. More on him, in a minute.
UPDATE: JUNE 2011—Caravan Magazine article by Siddhartha Deb
The Caravan Magazine published “Sweet Smell of Success: How Arindam Chaudhuri Made a Fortune Off the Aspirations—and Insecurities—of India’s Middle Classes”, was written by Siddhartha Deb, a contributing editor at The Caravan and an accomplished writer and university professor based in New York (Adapted from The Beautiful and the Damned: A Portrait of the New India, forthcoming from Viking Penguin in June).
As expected, IIPM has sued the Caravan magazine; Read the Caravan’s response here.
Click here to read the full article published by some blogger. The article is about 10,000 words. 
Read about it on Medianama
“Professor Arindam Chaudhuri”
according to his own website is a “management guru, economist and philosopher.” His business school, Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM), is one of the most advertised items in India. His clarion call “dare to think beyond the IIMs” is taken not with a pinch of salt but with a handful of salt, to coin a phrase.
However, in my circle, I still find people who are not aware of how this institute was vehemently exposed in the year 2005 by its own student(s), by Rashmi Bansal (IIM-A alumnus, editor of a popular youth mag JAM, and a popular blogger) and by the blogging community!
Those who are interested in knowing the nuts and bolts of the exposé should visit this Wikipedia entry and follow all the hyperlinks there. Also, do not forget to visit this OJR story and this Desipundit link: IIPM Blog Wars Redux.
Also click here to read how in June 2009, Careers 360 an Outlook magazine venture has proved that IIPM and Arindam = Fraud!
In the year 2008 the UGC had put IIPM in its list of ‘fake universities’. IIPM’s honour was of course restored with legal intervention! In late August 2010, UGC published notices in all major papers informing IIPM is not recognised by the UGC.
Back to Shiv Khera
To begin with, let me give the devil his due! He recently caught the public imagination as a crusader against the indiscriminate reservation, period.
I am posting here a popular critique of Shiv Khera with some of my own observations. So, don’t expect bouquets; you’ll find them aplenty on the internet.
I have not read Shiv Khera and neither do I intend to. I, however, have seen his book ‘You can win’ and it is a mosaic built from a fine cut paste job! It is a best-seller, just the same (and freely available for download on Scribd or eSnips).
I have seen his quotes with the TM (trademark) signs. He publishes his own quotes as ads in newspapers like the Indian Express and Pioneer exhorting the public to change the politicians and whatnot. In campus lingo, such self-promotion is called IC (Identity Crisis)!
In the JNU campus in the past, his quotation ads have defaced the electricity boxes near Godavari bus stop, the notice boards of Kaveri hostel and other public places.
I recall once I had even written him a letter on how his sticker ads (election campaign) were defacing the cover page of my newspapers and therefore “he was a part of the problem” for me and others!
When his ‘CountryFirst’ was launched, it was on the front page of the Hindu newspaper! Never heard of it since!
He loves to be in the limelight and does not miss any chance to grab it and is aware of his criticisms(“pompous fraud”). He uses his oratorical (demagoguery) skills to his full advantage.
He has visited the JNU campus on many occasions and addressed public gatherings thanks to his association with the popular Youth For Equality (hereafter YFE).
When he was visiting the JNU campus, I was under the impression that his infamy will reach JNU before he will and the left-wing student bodies will cover the campus with posters and quotes of his intellectual misdeeds.
I, however, was surprised to find that not many people even knew of the most popular criticism against him (discussed below). I had even suggested my friends in the YFE not to get a man like him aboard who would do more harm than good to the cause.
Now the most damning indictment of Shiv Khera. Shiv Khera is a plagiarist, a cheat; he used another person’s work and passed it as his own. The matter was settled in “25 Lakh Rupees” (Kaavya Vishwanathan was not so lucky!). Read below to know:
I am quoting here from the article ‘You Can Steal And Win’ published in the Outlook magazine in July 2004 (visit the website to read the full story):
____________________________________________________________
“It was a flattering offer for the retired railway official and author of two small forgotten books when management guru and million-copies-selling author Shiv Khera invited him to work together last month.
Just what he meant by “working together” struck 70-year-old Amrit Lal only when he was out of Khera’s posh condominium in Singapore.
Flicking through the book Khera had given him as a parting gift, Freedom is Not Free, Lal discovered sentence after sentence lifted from his own book, India-Enough is Enough, published nine years ago. “It was like seeing a priest coming out of a whorehouse,” is how Lal decribes his sense of outrage at the “lift and shift robbery”….
All night, Lal scoured through the 223-page book Khera had gifted him with a personal inscription “To Mr Amrit Lal-Let’s together make the country proud.” He discovered, to his rage, at least 34 instances where sentences and even paragraphs from his own book-a 177-page crusade against corruption-had been lifted almost verbatim.
What shocked Lal was Khera’s negligence about readapting the material he had pinched. References to Americanisms like prairie chicken, Hudson River, Calgary Towers, Harvard University studies pop up at regular intervals, and at one place, as Lal points out, Khera even refers to America as “our nation.”
“Even an acronym I had coined, RNI, he has stolen as a subtitle. I had used a verse by Iqbal in my book which Khushwant Singh translated specially for me into English. Khera passes it off as his own…
“Even in his bestselling You Can Win, it’s 73 per cent anectodes and jokes (82 anecdotes, almost all of them unacknowledged, in 290 pages). The rest is quotes (90) and one-liners and poems (13) of which five are not acknowledged.”
_____________________________________________________
I’ll conclude by quoting from some comments on the said Outlook article by the readers:
- “People like Khera are a shame to India. They are the wolves in a sheep’s clothing. They know how to mint money by fooling people…” M.S. Sodhi, Singapore
- Khera is a cheap type person who steals original literary works of other, lesser-known authors and presents them his own. He is best suited to be a politician in India….SKDONWEB, Bangalore
- I had the chance to listen to Khera in Bhopal once. We got in after much jostling and pushing to hear the wise man. I came back feeling cheated. He pranced on the stage all evening, repeating one-liners he had memorised to mesmerise people. He turned out to be nothing more than a conman. Manju Dhall
Phew! That was almost 1500 words!
You are free to agree or disagree with this post. Hit the comment link.
Photo courtesy: Arindam Chaudhuri’s website,Outlook Magazine, Shiv Khera’s website
Oh really! I didn’t know, Shiv Khera asks for money for what he says. Moreover more shocking is the fact that jnu community didn’t pay heed to this profesional attitude of this self styled guru. Thanks to your blog, I came to know the other side of his face.
@Sanjay Kumar
He is a motivational speaker. Making money from it is part of his job. His corporate workshops (advertised in major newspapers) are available for business executives who could pay thousands of Rupees. His motivation seminars are also held in smaller cities and towns!
Now his services are available on one to one basis. If you don’t have money, he accepts bits and pieces, debris, detritus, dreck, dregs, dross, filth, junk, muck, odds and ends, offal, rubbish, rubble, scrap, scrapings, sewage, slop, sweepings, swill, trash, waste.
Even I writing a post on Arindam and IIPM
and incidentally I too dislike Shiv khera, Robin Sharma and the league
@ Amit,
We are good people and therefore on the same wavelength!:)
Cheers!
Hey Vikas…..
To start with i would say every coin has 2 sides.
Maybe what you saying has some some amount of truth in it but thats not the complete truth.
Nice post. I despise Khera and company as well. And Arindam, well the less said about him, the better.
@Karan
Thanks for visiting Karan! Will soon frequent your blog (kinda like-minded we are).
ridiculous . this post has revealed it all
i didnt know that this person was so damn fake from top to bottom
nice you did it on your blog vikas .
honestly speaking, you wouldnt believe …..when i approached this person who copied my entire thing ( not to mention with a polite message to delete it asap ……)this as**** hurled abuses at me …i was too shocked i blocked him right then and gave his crap back to him ( with a good dose )
people can be so uncreative, i can hardly imagine
and adding you to my blogroll ……please go ahead with more exposes of plagiarists
i would love to read them all
in btw….are you studying in JNU ?
@Arpit,
Thanks Arpit. The Shiv Khera story is so old but people including in my campus are blissfully unaware of it!
Yes, I am a Ph.D. student with JNU.
good site!
shiv is best, he is a person who break the diamond without even a single touch. he is a persons who have a strong will power & i admire him very much for his valuable thought.
gadha hai tu
Thank you very much for exposing these two “worthies”.
I think our nation is in for bad times ahead, if such men are going to “lead” it intellectually. They are nothing but psuedo-intellectuals at best.
I wonder when will this massive conspiracy of silence shall end!!!!!
I DISLIKE BOTH OF THEM… THEY ARE A BLOT ON MANAGEMENT FRATERNITY…
LOVED THIS POST … (NOTHING IN COMPARISON WITH THE RTI ?NNAIRE.. tHOUGH)… BUT I JUST DESPISE BOTH THE JOKERS….
I WAS JUST KIDDING… YEAH MAY BE RANCHI KA HAWA IN MY OFFICE……….
I have read “you can win” and i should tell you that i helps one to get clear concept about success but on the same hand book is confusing& misleading.
Once it got a question why people who are actually great (corporate giants,great players )don’t write motivational books its simple because they want to hide their success receipe.Lastly i now beleive that Hardwork is only key to success.
Such authors book are like a father telling his child “Ja beta aam todke k aa!”
Mr Vikas Gupta, its easy to right such things on a blogspot but i wonder how much you know about Mr arindam chaudhari.I am not his supporter but i also firmly believe that he is the man who is the most hyped management guy in india. Even the IIMites dont stand in front of his brand value. His Indian dream foundatation is working for the masses for so long.With IIMites facing the brain drain IIPM/ICFAI has been good in maintaining the flow of management grads in india.
Well Mr Vikas am sure you can shout and speak in blogspots, noone even recognises you in Corporate community.
Finally i would say we indians are good in pulling leg but never can appreciate if someone does good. Probably you woul have liked arindam and shiv khera if they have gone through a rat race called CAT and have passed from IIM. Might be you are a frustrated soul a trainer most probably who faces stiff competition from a non management guy called shiv khera and a intellect like arindam.
Reality,
Thank you for your comment.
I really do not know much about Arindam Chaudhauri except what is popular in the public domain (some of which is mentioned above). I do not have knowledge or expertise enough to attribute all the good things that you have to Arindam Chaudhuri.
FYI, I am not shouting here for recognition etc. I have nothing personal against him. Follow all the links and you will find that from the Outlook to other bloggers, everyone has criticised him with proof and whatnot! Feel free to call in question everybody.
I am not in competition with anybody for your information. I am just a student. You are free to like and adore both Arindam and Shiv Khera. All the best.
arindam chaudhari intellect????he flunked graduation..and hey reality, the brand you are talking about called IIPM was actually build by his father who was an IIM prof. it’s his brainchild…
arindam ch. lives in my area……only thing he’s good at is looting people and racing he’s jaguars and bentley’s( conti gt and fly spur(i like that though))
i compltly agree with Vikas, way to go bro
Yeah u r all absolutely right these gurus are just washing the mind of innocent students….by showing them the big visions and doing the major promises.Even Arindhum bought Bentley by hypnotized our friends…..as you can watch him near Asola farms in South Delhi with foreign beauties………..Hope you all can aware now and support Mr Vikas Gupta…..
hello friends can u teell me the life of shiv khera
i+ mean how+ he deci+de to become a motivati++ve writer
Ankur,
I have no idea on that. You can send him an email from his website etc.
csrees 360 said that iipm degree is illegl wat do want to say on this
Priyanka,
I have read that story. Ask the IIPM maybe or read the comments on that page http://www.careers360.com/news_3832-IIPM-s-offering-of-MBA-BBA-degrees-is-illegal-and-students-using-the-titles-can-be-prosecuted
Arindam Chaudhuri is a person who isn’t well educated. He is popular because he is the son of an affluent man. His father has established a university and he’s eating the money created by the university. He is a leech. A great leech!!!!!
Respected Sir Gupta
Can you let us know so far what you have written or done for the welfare of even one person also. Please don’t mind Khera & Chaudhuri whether wolf or… they are making some difference in the society. At least by reading their books if a person change his/her attitude or life is there anything wrong.
Khera and Chaudhuri earning their livelihood by giving some service to the society. What about the politicians, corrupt govt. employees.
It’s easy to criticize and complain. If you are really a successful person like them you will never have time to write such things as I’m writing for you.
He says in one of his trademark style phrase “own autobiography”.It is totally incorrect as autobiography is written by the same person.He stays in US for 11 months in a year and talks about changing India.The self styled cheater haas fooled a million of people.He can not do anything but uses his oral skills to impress.Don’t listen to him,don’t read his book.
All these person who claim themselves to be management guru or personality trainers are person who can persuade a crowd. Any of the management training except on the job training is bad. I hate training sessions as they speak and go just like that . They dont give any solution.
hey vikas thnx 4 dis
i ws nt knwin dat dis person is so fake
i ws lik 2 join IIPM as soon as i complete my 12th
thnx a lot buddy
Presently I am in US and I will like to contact you on return if you kindly favour me with your contact number Regards Amrit Lal
seems that you have some personal issue’s with shiv khera (by the way, m nt his fan)…….
everuthng negative…?? strange…!!! if he is that bad…how could he be that intellectual personality..i too had listened him…..
Hi,
I am not sure how much is true in what you said. But if Shiv Khera took money from students, I feel its wrong. You hate Shiv Khera, its a different issue, but you should have read his book ‘You can Win’ to understand his thoughts and contributions to the society. I personally don’t know Shiv Khera but after reading his book I did had a great change in my attitute. Assuming that he is cunning, fake or a thief, but still, his messages are useful for the society, they make great sense…does it matter if personally he is good or bad, if he is doing good for the society…Believe me, Indians are not fools and we can easily identify if he spills his ulterior motive…but as of now, he is a hero for all his good deeds and must be supported!!!
Ya, you’re right. Personally i don’t know if he had done this or that things. For me too, the book ‘You Can Win’ had a great effect on myself. You Can Win was the first book i’ve read and it changed me a lot. For all the commentators out there, quote this quote: Change your focus Look for the positive. Thank You
you r cheater.shame on u.why do u not say anything abt Prime minister,president and many more.u r showing ur CRAB mentality.F@?$
What the fuck have u written…It of course makes no sense…None of them compel u to pursue their thoughts or them,its all upon you how u take it…why are you so jealous of them…because they are liked by youth???
People like u exist in this world who always complain that the glass is HALF EMPTY not seeing that the glass is HALF FULL too….they are veteran of their field,instead of criticizing them you should try to uplift urself… None OF THEM HAS DONE cut-copy-paste job but u r trying to do so ,bounded by envy for these persons..Iam fan of none of the above but the way u have tried to spit on them seems shameful and awkward…..
may god bless u with pious thoughts about others and beef up ur personality….because writing ill about others is a bit too simple….
as a famous hindi DOHA says-
BURA JO DEKHAN MEI CHALA BURA NA MILIYO KOI…
I Think its our Job to Take Good thinking or bad thinking.Any Leader may be Hitler , Napoleon, Shivaji Raje, Ravan, Saddam , Gandhiji, Nathuram
all are the Leaders of their Thinking or Thoughts, their wisdom, there Desire and their Goals.
U should Take what u DESERVE if u not Deserve their thinking don’t take, Go with ur DESIRE ,Prove It. Then others will follow ur Desire or Thoughts.
hey stupid..
you are aware of Mrs. Shiv Kheda..that’s why u r saying like this…
I think u r a frog of a well that’s why u r thinking that whatever u hav seen is almost everything…change ur views duffer..and about Arindham Choudhari..he is really a con man….a fake man…..
its not that these b****ds are fooling people..
its a matter of “so many people,for so much time,are being fooled by”…(IM NOT CLAIMING ITS MY OWN ONE LINER Mr. Khera) .
one use copy paste and narration ……..
another use media,movie stars and with money….
to cheat innocent students and youths…..
AND HIS OWN IIPM SHOWROOM TO GET GOLD MEDAL……
BUT HOW TO PREVENT THEM?
HOW TO STOP THEM???????
I heard somewhere that “A WISE MAN (USE CHEATER HERE) CAN’T DIE HUNGARY,WHEN SO MANY STUPIDS ARE AROUND.”
AND THESE SO CALLED MANAGEMENT GURUS ARE JUST MAKING A LIVING…A GREAT LIVING JUST ON THAT………
heyyyy bud.listen i really feel sorry for you ……….
I only know one fact that Mr Khera’s books and speeches are really inspiring n helps me to motivate myself…….
and by the way you should not be a part of a problem rather than a part of solution……
Focus on positive things and don’t mislead people………..
Look for gold when digging, not on the dirt. You’re right
shiv khera’s quote “you can win” where he says “winners don’t do different things they do things differently” is taken from the best known American success book writer William James.
if people would read his books “whatever the man can conceive and believe it can achieve”
ONE WILL KNOW WHO SHIV KHERA IS!
THANKS FOR LETTING PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT THE REAL DIRT IN SOCIETY.
THE BLOG EMPOWERS INDIAN MIDDLE CLASS.
wish you could write some about more crooks for the so called elite poeple.
he is mota waste speaker
very bad speaker
very very baddddddd speaker
baaaaaaddddddddddd boooookkksssss
foolish
Hello guys…
As there is freedom of speech so let me say one thing. No doubt, Shive khera and Arindam chaudhry r acadmic men. You take out which is beneficial for u. The thing which u like most other will not like at all. It is human being nature.
Smitha, I wonder what will become of you when you will see the complete 140 pages of the RTI ?nnaire!! You will probably roll in laughter! I am not getting motivation for writing or else I would finish my book in no time and then make an exhaustive blog on CSE! You know Taurus is motivated by immediate money/reward; I have written long essays in 2-3 hours when there was some monetary prize! I badly need to change myself on this….
Smitha, I wonder what will become of you when you will see the complete 140 pages of the RTI ?nnaire!! You will probably roll in laughter! I am not getting motivation for writing or else I would finish my book in no time and then make an exhaustive blog on CSE! You know Taurus is motivated by immediate money/reward; I have written long essays in 2-3 hours when there was some monetary prize! I badly need to change myself on this
these people are making money by people’s money ……………………………we should not admire these things .
one man is who is looting people on the name of iipm which he thinks is better than iims ………….if it bis true then why they are calling me every 2 day to take admisssion despite getting only 50% in cat why not any good college calling me for that , they just want to make money nothing else………after this they are not guaranting placement. they now clearly mentions that they provide certificates not degrees despite that attract people by showing ad to let the fish trap in their net..
now about that idiot shiv khera who describes himself a humanitarian , motivational author ……..if he has sufficient knowledge about india and its history then why he is against reservations ,,,,,, most people from general category does not know why is resrvation in our constitution and this fake person is taking advantage of this and playing a divide and rule game he has a fan following of those people who are against reservation,,,,,,,and thereby gaining popularity.
ek bat thande dimag se socho agar kisi college me sirf 100 seat hain or unme se 50 seat general k lie ha 27 obc k liye , 15 sc k lie , 4 st k lie……to ye to samaj k har varg ki progress k lie acha hai
ab is bat pe general category wale kahte hain ki hume kam seat mil rahi ha……
ab agar seats double ho jati ha college me 200, now general ki 100 obc ki 54 sc ki 30 st ki 8 …..abhi bhi yahi rona ha ki seat kam ha ………….to bhai logo kehne ka matlab yae ha ki apni akal lagao yr apas me kyo jhagad rahe ho ,,,,,,,,,,ye neta or corrupt log to yahi chate ha ki sab divide rahe or ye rule karte rahe
please is bat ko gaur se samajhne ki koshis karna …bye
For perfect and balance lifestyle PLEASE visit the following website:www.manawdharm.blogspot.com.Its a book written on Human Religion and remedy on Population control.Please Send this website worldwide by doing E-mails and messages to remove poverty and maintain peace throughout the world.
I am amazed when people are not aware about the facts and they keep blurting around.
I personally dont know any of them but in my opinion these guys are making a change in the society. I would not be able to comment on Mr Arindham chaudhri as i dont know much about him, but Mr khera………… Has way to go.
About earning…. Yes the author is earning a very decent amt. after giving motivational lectures. Corrupt politicians n many socialites have several ac’s in swiss bank.. And earn…. whereas this guy use his brain n voice to convince and encourage people. Beleive me there are so many people who are thankfull to him.
I have myself attended his seminars which were for charitable purpose and many others which were never publicized.
Its my opinion! Lets make the change inour society and appreciate people who are making an effort for this society.
Take care, god bless
Hello Nidhi,
Every coin has two sides indeed! It is just that some people hide the darker side!
Every letter that I have written in the post in truth and nothing but the truth. I have only mentioned their critique and made in clear in the post. The internet is full of their admiration. The complete picture would definitely take both faces in account. A lot of people like these luminaries (these people probably like themselves more than anyone else) and I wrote to help people know the complete picture!
Thanks for visiting. You may like my latest post “A list of my follies” wherein I have criticised myself!
Thanks once again.
Rohit,
Sorry for the delayed reply to your comment; it had gone to the spam queue and I was away for some time. I stand by my criticism of Shiv Khera. He is only fooling everybody!
A complete picture only emerges when the same article discusses both facets of the person: the good and the bad!
Hence your article can only be termed as onesided without giving the attacked person the right to respond
It is an article on how the two frauds are cheating this country Ms Neerja and not a biography of these people. The Career 360, an Outlook venture, in its recent publications has even exposed Arindam afresh! And what is meant by giving the attacked person a right to respond! Anyone is free to read this article including the two! Feel free to argue against the article in the comments!
The debate between me and Neerja continued on email too.
Neerja: personally dont like arindam but shiv khera even if he has lifted material is trying to motivate: if he gets even some Indians(us) to change and think for the country: its a job well done
regards
neerja
Vikas: He had not lifted just “some material:” it was a major case of plagiarism and was settled out of court in 25 Lac Rupees and had ditched his close friend!
His motivation book as well is nothing but cut paste work; a motivator who wants people to do good should do some good himself for the sake for ethics.
He only thinks for his own welfare and nothing else. Public welfare is tangential to his personal aims. He needs change more than anyone else.
Smitha, Only fools can like them! I am glad there are people who do not think like Shahrukh Khan!
Smitha, I wonder what will become of you when you will see the complete 140 pages of the RTI ?nnaire!! You will probably roll in laughter! I am not getting motivation for writing or else I would finish my book in no time and then make an exhaustive blog on CSE! You know Taurus is motivated by immediate money/reward; I have written long essays in 2-3 hours when there was some monetary prize! I badly need to change myself on this!
GO TO A PUBLISHER……… BUT THAT CAN RUIN YOUR CHANCES WITH 314-323 FOR EVER…
WELL ITS NOT JUST TAURUS THAT’S MONEY MINDED.. CANCER, PISCES, CAPRICORN ARE OTHERS… HMMM…MAYBE/NOT… SOME THING SHOULD MOTIVATE FOR AN OUTCOME TO MANIFEST… GUESS YOURS IS MONEY…
I MAY DIE OF LAUGHTER MAY BE…………..READING YOUR RTI ?NNAIRE
VIRGO IS ANOTHER… EARTH SIGNS ARE MOTIVATED BY MONEY…
What is 314-323?! I am applying my brains like anything and am still clueless! My humour has abandoned me! How am I not able to decipher it?!!!
314-323… Articles of constitution pertaining to public service commissions
LOL! I was almost there! I was guessing that it means that UPSC will teach me a lesson and never give me marks in the range 314 to 323! I like euphemisms and your humour!
ohh thanks!!! ranchi ka ex-hero (now that he’s married… fuh-get him) taught me this wicked and weird ways of putting up things…
Ohkk! So this wisdom originated in my own backyard LOL!
NOW ….THAT IS NOT FAIR!!!! IT ORIGINATED A FEW YARDS AWAY FROM ME …. AT MY WORK STATION…:p
Okay , you win!
Thanks for the insightful comment Swapnil.
his books r just waste of money
shivvvvvvv