Friday, October 14, 2005
The IIPM-J.A.M-Gaurav Sabnis imbroglio
I have been out of circulation the past couple of weeks. So, I have not been following this story too closely and I didn't know much more than barebones details until I got back to New York. I do remember seeing IIPM ads in the newspapers while I was in India and thinking to myself what planet Arindam Chaudhuri came from. Anyone who needs to proclaim himself to be a 'noted economist' and a 'management guru' because noone else in the academic community will, reeks of loserdom. Without question, his fame is closely linked to the mainstream Indian media's inability to verify facts and run with any trash they find.
Anyways, if you haven't been on Mars, you know about this controversy and have been following it. IIPM puts out silly ads touting its credentials as the best mgmt school ever run by a father-son duo, where the son's major academic credential is that he received a medal from an institute that daddy founded. J.A.M outs IIPM's fake claims. Gaurav Sabnis picks up on the J.A.M story. IIPM gets pissed. Threatens Sabnis's employer with laptop immolation. Threatens Sabnis with lawsuit (and also Rashmi Bansal of JAM), never mind that the supposed lawsuit is so silly it shows up without a digital signature, as required by Indian law. Sabnis resigns from IBM to avoid embarassing Big Blue. IIPM begins to get slammed by the blogosphere. IIPM groupies get abusive towards Rashmi and others. Makes things worse for themselves. More investigation from the blogosphere reveals how shady IIPM really is. As always, the best places to follow this story are India Uncut and DesiPundit.
In some ways, there is nothing left for me to say except to add a personal note. I have been noticing in the comments on Rashmi's blog that attacks have been getting very personal. Gaurav doesn't need the ad hominem attacks either. Now, I don't know Gaurav personally, but he is a co-blogger of mine at the Indian Economy Blog, and most of our common friends have the highest regard for him. I applaud him for standing firm on what is fundamentally a freedom of speech issue and not be cowed down by IIPM's pathetic insults and threats.
Rashmi was a very good friend of mine when I lived in Bombay, and it annoyed me no end to see the crap that was posted on her blog. By way of full disclosure, yes, I also played a small part in starting J.A.M back in '95. For whatever it's worth, from someone who knew Rashmi very well, I should place it on record that the trash being propagated about her is just that! J.A.M has been around for 10 years now. Rashmi has been in the publishing business since she graduated from IIM-A in 1993, and is a well-known face/name in media circles. So, to those of you launching the ad-hominem attacks without ever having met her or knowing anything about her, get a life! Your attacks on Rashmi/Gaurav says more about you than it does about them.
I do think that one very effective way to counter IIPM/Arindam and to disseminate more information about its third-rate lies is to set up a Google bomb. That way, anyone drawn in by IIPM's advertising will find some transparency and clarity the minute they google the institute or AC. Sure, lots of people have been screwed over already, but if you can prevent more innocents falling for IIPM's fake claims, I think this entire fracas would have served some purpose.
PS: Does anyone know where IIPM gets the money to advertise so heavily? Is it a money-laundering outfit, by come chance?
UPDATE: Meanwhile, Kiruba has been creating some means for all of us in the blogging community to show support to Rashmi and Gaurav.
Anyways, if you haven't been on Mars, you know about this controversy and have been following it. IIPM puts out silly ads touting its credentials as the best mgmt school ever run by a father-son duo, where the son's major academic credential is that he received a medal from an institute that daddy founded. J.A.M outs IIPM's fake claims. Gaurav Sabnis picks up on the J.A.M story. IIPM gets pissed. Threatens Sabnis's employer with laptop immolation. Threatens Sabnis with lawsuit (and also Rashmi Bansal of JAM), never mind that the supposed lawsuit is so silly it shows up without a digital signature, as required by Indian law. Sabnis resigns from IBM to avoid embarassing Big Blue. IIPM begins to get slammed by the blogosphere. IIPM groupies get abusive towards Rashmi and others. Makes things worse for themselves. More investigation from the blogosphere reveals how shady IIPM really is. As always, the best places to follow this story are India Uncut and DesiPundit.
In some ways, there is nothing left for me to say except to add a personal note. I have been noticing in the comments on Rashmi's blog that attacks have been getting very personal. Gaurav doesn't need the ad hominem attacks either. Now, I don't know Gaurav personally, but he is a co-blogger of mine at the Indian Economy Blog, and most of our common friends have the highest regard for him. I applaud him for standing firm on what is fundamentally a freedom of speech issue and not be cowed down by IIPM's pathetic insults and threats.
Rashmi was a very good friend of mine when I lived in Bombay, and it annoyed me no end to see the crap that was posted on her blog. By way of full disclosure, yes, I also played a small part in starting J.A.M back in '95. For whatever it's worth, from someone who knew Rashmi very well, I should place it on record that the trash being propagated about her is just that! J.A.M has been around for 10 years now. Rashmi has been in the publishing business since she graduated from IIM-A in 1993, and is a well-known face/name in media circles. So, to those of you launching the ad-hominem attacks without ever having met her or knowing anything about her, get a life! Your attacks on Rashmi/Gaurav says more about you than it does about them.
I do think that one very effective way to counter IIPM/Arindam and to disseminate more information about its third-rate lies is to set up a Google bomb. That way, anyone drawn in by IIPM's advertising will find some transparency and clarity the minute they google the institute or AC. Sure, lots of people have been screwed over already, but if you can prevent more innocents falling for IIPM's fake claims, I think this entire fracas would have served some purpose.
PS: Does anyone know where IIPM gets the money to advertise so heavily? Is it a money-laundering outfit, by come chance?
UPDATE: Meanwhile, Kiruba has been creating some means for all of us in the blogging community to show support to Rashmi and Gaurav.
