Nikhil Chandwani — My Journey with Citations — A Final Rebuttal

Month after month, I receive messages from people who blame me for making unsubstantial claims, and threaten me to write ‘long-form exposes’ on medium & different other platforms and tarnish my image. I have been subjected to apparent blackmail, accusations, abuses, and what not.

However, there is nothing to hide, and nothing in the world can silence me, no matter what ‘threats’ I receive, and so I am writing ‘my journey’ in order to clear everything out once and for all.

Before I start, let me give you a small insight on what triggered me to write this article.

Yesterday, while strolling on my terrace, I received a DM on my Twitter handle. I don’t normally use twitter, and stick to writing articles on Instagram & my media platform NYK Daily, and so receiving a text was a surprise.

What shocked me more was someone claiming to be a ‘fan’ telling me that there are rumors about me and some false media reports about me, and a few journalists are working on an article against me and some of the things that I’ve done in my life. I was appalled and normally enquired who those ‘people’ are. The ‘fake ID’ claimed he is informing me that my ‘achievements’ are a subject of witch-hunt .I then received a response saying, ‘they’ll ensure you harm yourself, and they’re willing to cross every limit possible for the same.

The guy cleverly deleted all the texts he shared, and immediately deleted his twitter after sending me a ‘heads up’ of this potential threat. I took a screenshot a few hours later.

I tried asking my friends to check this ID but he had already deleted it.

I couldn’t sleep the night, since this was perhaps the first time someone told me on my face that ‘they will ensure you harm yourself.”

I am not an escapist, as I am pretty sure there is nothing ‘wrong’ I’ve done in any phase of my life, and rather than escaping the threats, here is my journey with ‘citations’ to every ‘claim’ made on media reports.

Ya, it sounds so absurd trying to ‘justify’ media reports and ‘social media posts,’ but I guess this is the world are living in. So, let’s begin.

I have been a writer, a storyteller all my life. I started aggressively at a tender age of 17; alone, a little lost yet ambitious. I took up electronics engineering because of my inclination towards science but things started to change real quick once I realised I am not made for it!

I dropped out from engineering and life began!

I took a pen and a paper and my journey as a writer started. I published my debut novel at the age of 18, I wrote 10 more books and handled a few columns, scripted few shows and produced a feature film.

I even taught skill development in colleges, ran a couple of education startups and later took up social entrepreneurship with Writers’ Rescue Center.I also co founded my media platform, NYK Daily.

Some awards were bestowed about me but I wanted to make a difference through social entrepreneurship and so, I took a long pause from personal ambitions and started focusing on developing a Gurukul (mentorship) system for storytellers. I maintain my finances via my media platform (source of income), and spend my remaining time either writing articles/poems/stories on my Instagram and/or guiding new writers/aspiring poets in this wonderful field of writing. So, let’s begin.

1. BOOK WRITING

My debut book, I wrote Your Name in the Sky, was launched in March 2011 and we did a surprisingly big launch event in Nagpur in 2012 celebrating one year of the book! Back in the day, the book was mostly sold at bookstores and rarely at online platforms. The bookselling relied heavily on libraries, railway stations and the bestseller tag, back in the day, really did need a proper kick from the publisher. I self-published the novel and then sold the rights of the same to a traditional publisher. The book sucked to be honest (critics rightfully hated it).

• I wrote your name in the sky
• Unsung Words (a Poetic Novel)
• Inked With Love (Poetry Book)
• Coded Conspiracy (Crime Fiction) Tales of an Unconscious Mind (Spiritual/Self help)
• Thirsty Pilgrims (Life)
• Strange Tides on Broken Rhymes (Poetry)
• Illusions of a Starry, Starry Night (Collection of Letters)
• The Modern Day Hindu
• Taj Mahal Review (Contribution-Analogy)
• The Waves Come Calling

2. ENTREPRENEURSHIP JOURNEY

2. Walnut Discoveries Pvt. Ltd:

I produced a Hindi Feature Film under my Walnut Discoveries Banner. Hindi Feature Film titled “Nadi Ki Beti Sundari” (We titled it She but changed it because of copyright issues) with a run time of 92:25 mins and 101min with A Certificate issued to the film in 2016!

Censor Certificate signed by then Chairperson of CBFC (Pahlaj Nihalani)- Hindi Feature Film

It was recently released on MX Player: https://www.mxplayer.in/movie/watch-nadi-ki-beti-sundari-movie-online-383a18c4ad3ead1993a5f0477f6b3acb

I was a producer at 20 years of age (Jan 14) and so, I was bestowed with “youngest” tags because of that. Movie is out for everyone to see on MX Player, and you can check it out anytime.

3. EDU-TECH FIRMS/ENTREPRENEURSHIP JOURNEY

Iclass Online (2016)

Iclassonline launched in India: An online help portal for GRE, GATE, UPSC candidates

I started I class online ( iclassonline.net ) in January of 2016 and we offered Mock Question Papers, Skype Sessions, interview preparation, SWOT analysis at Rs. 600–1,500/- per candidate. Most of our students were “TRAINED ON SKYPE. The startup has 177 students till November of 2016 when I realised the need to switch to offline medium to sustain in the market. The startup ran from January to November of 2016 completing two batches. I had a team of twelve experts who taught online. The firm got acquired.

The Walnut School of Ideas (2016–18)

My Cousin Dinesh Chandwani and I, started Walnut School of Ideas in Vijayawada, and Nagpur where we took up traditional training in the fields of competitive exams like GRE, UPSC, GATE etc. The startup saw over 250+ admissions in variety of fields both online and offline. Walnut school of Ideas was both an online as well as offline platform that brought together the creative minds and the technical trainees under one roof. It had innovations and manpower but the interest to take up book writing as my main source of social entrepreneurship drew me closer to Writers’ Rescue Center. WSI ran from 2016–18 and later got acquired. We also ran workshops and we have had our working offices in Andhra Pradesh and Nagpur.

4. SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Writers’ Rescue Center (2016- Current)

When you talk about the Writers’ Rescue Center, we work on healing people and giving them a voice by training the depressed, the suicidal, the differently abled, cancer survivors and people with identity crisis in the field of storytelling. We run a Gurukul System where individuals irrespective of the age, caste, or problems, are provided with one to one mentorship. We help them grow confidence, we give them the required space and trust to open up about their issues, we push them a pen and a paper, and write their own life story. Once they’re emotionally equipped, we guide them in book writing. It takes anywhere between one month to 1 year for the individual to complete their manuscript. The book, once it is ready, is shared with numerous publishing units and now we’ve started our own publishing house “WRC Publishers” as an imprint to Raindrop Publishers INC. Already 211 writers between the age group of 16–72 have been groomed into book publishing and 30+ of them have reached the best seller status.

Total Published Authors: 211

Age Group: 16–72

Location: India, Australia, Germany, Mexico

Here are some of the Before & After Stories of Writers.

Rajyavardhan Singh came to me confused and depressed. He was suicidal and wasn’t able to find proper direction in his life. He wanted to run away from the university where he was studying and his parents were worried, and everything was chaotic. When we both spoke to each other, Raj shared his interest in writing poetry and music. We did daily WhatsApp calls for proper three to five months and now: He is a published author with a decent amount of readers. A Public Speaker followed by quite a few youngsters. Stable and no more depressed. He has the listening audience, reading the audience and he earns much more than an average engineering because of his writings. His parents are happy seeing their child reach the pinnacle of success and that’s the best thing ever. I recently got a text from his father congratulating me for his son’s success! Rajyavardhan is merely 3 years younger to me.

46-year-old Dr Shakila ma’am was able to publish her first book, Odyssey of Spirit last year. “I have written before, but lacked the confidence to put it out there. Nikhil helped me believe in myself and my abilities,” says Dr Shakila, who has been in the teaching profession for 24 years and currently teaches Biological Science at Shadan Institutes. When we express our surprise at the age gap between her and her mentor, she says that it is the experience one has that counts, not the age. Dr. Shakila ma’am after her book got published became Global Goodwill Ambassador and now is the Chair for Global Goodwill Ambassador (India) and she is one of the most followed individuals from Linkedin India.

Our foundation has been running with almost no funds and yet helping young and old writers find listeners and readers. We are surviving happily with offices in Nagpur, Hyderabad, and Vizag through the support of our ex-students and investors.

My student Siddharth Roy with Hon. minister Shri Nitin Gadkari.

5. CONTENT WRITING/EDITORIAL ARTICLE WRITING.

Spiritual Articles

My motto in my life, other than training fellow storytellers, is to link science, spirituality and ancient Vedic Knowledge.

The Speaking Tree! Here is my link of the article which comes under editorial: https://www.speakingtree.in/article/quantum-interactions

I have written spiritual articles for The Speaking Tree Print Edition and other platforms

• Elephant Journal: https://www.elephantjournal.com/2017/06/why-is-there-free-will-in-life-but-not-in-death/
• Aaduna (Florida): http://aaduna.org/winter20172018/nonfiction/nikhil-chandwani/
• The Underground Voices: http://www.undergroundvoices.com/UVChandwaniNikhil1.htm

Entrepreneurship/Business Articles

I have written articles on entrepreneurship, mainly focusing on the personal problem faced by the Startup Founders, on various platforms.

• Entrepreneur Magazine: https://www.entrepreneur.com/author/nikhil-chandwani
• YourStory: https://yourstory.com/mystory/896c1bcd54-but-who-says-a-quitter-cannot-be-a-winner

Politics/Policy Making

I was the guest writer on Times of India (Indore edition).

I mostly cover the government initiatives and schemes through my articles. The real development news is lost in the opinion based articles over newspapers and so, I wish to redirect attention of the reading audience towards the schemes that have been brought in for them through these columns. I believe, as mentioned in the article, “no agenda in our nation can become a national agenda if it is not a pastoral community affair and yet, whenever there is a plan of National Development, there comes the constant bias to weigh it in some glowing bits in our townships and cities.

I have also contributed as a writer for Times of Israel. My Times of Israel Column: https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/author/nikhil-chandwani/

6. PUBLIC SPEAKING/TED(X) TALKS/JOSH TALKS AND PROFESSORSHIP ROLE

I love to interact with the students and impart my experience with them. My topics have varied. Total of 11+ TED(x), 1 Josh Talk and 120+ Guest Lectures delivered.

Curbing Identity Crisis/Motivation

I have delivered four TED(x) in Jaipur, Gwalior, Vapi and Hyderabad on Identity Crisis. I have also spoken about it at JNTU (Hyderabad) and few other platforms across Asia. My talk revolves around the role of Social Media in damaging our freewill through fake perfection. The long wait for a blue tick on a Whatsapp Screen that develops anxieties and destroys our dreams. The solutions to this crisis through a modern method of meditation- driving as far as we could and letting all our five senses enjoy the nature. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-Ck1W3JvWY

Freelance Entrepreneurship

I have spoken at JoshTalks (Nagpur) and I have taken sessions at VIT University (Vellore), IIT Roorkee, IIT Madras, XLRI Jamshedpur and various other universities on Freelance Entrepreneurship as a Speaker/Visiting Professor. The session revolves around developing a career in freelancing through various modern methods. The career options and the scope. It also revolves around the knowledge of sales, client retention, personal branding, and individual mentorship. The session has reached over 25,000+ freelancers in a span of three years including various open programs in different cities of India. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJxhp1Bv8eY

Politics and Geopolitics

I have recently been a part of debates/discussions and talks on the current political scenario of India. I love to spread my voice and opinion supporting the Pro-Nationalist policies of the government. The talk on geopolitics and the research has been one of my favourite field of interest.

Trainer

I have undertaken Visiting speaker role with Chowgule College, Goa, GITAM University, Vizag and IIT Roorkee.

7. RESEARCH/SCRIPT WRITING AND TRAVEL WRITING.

I have extensively researched on the crisis in the Middle East and independently documented/scripted the effect of geopolitical shift in the region on India. I also spoke about the issues in the middle east and how it can effect India on few platforms.

I have tried to answer the following through my research.

1. Why Gaddafi’s killing was a mistake?
2. Who benefits from the war in Syria?
3. Why should Rohingyas be sent back from India?

As a script writer, I wrote and directed Escape From Kenya and Amazing Amazon Adventures that was telecasted in three countries which includes India, USA and Canada: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3947564/

Signed contracts available if needed.

I provided ghost writing support for various East African and South American non fiction documentaries that revolved around conserving wildlife and the natives of those lands. Travel writing was something very close to my heart and I did that between 2012–13 but I was lost in the shuffle due to the injuries that I had to suffer while staying in the wild.

8. AWARDS/RECOGNITION.

Genius Indian of the year in Education/Social Entrepreneurship from Genius Indian Society, Ahmedabad.

I received this award in the year 2017 and 2018

Awarded By: https://www.facebook.com/geniusfoundationindia/

http://www.geniusfoundation.org.in/

Media: https://www.deccanherald.com/content/445846/author-director-wins-global-indian.html

For: Writers’ Rescue Center

Global Nagpur Award: Global Indian of the Year 2014 from Nagpur First (Global Nagpur Summit) in Arts and Culture Category

Awarded By: http://nagpurfirst.org/

The Award was given by Sanjay Kirloskar (CEO- Kirloskar Group)

For: Poetry Books Inked with Love, Poetic Novel Unsung Words and Travel Writing Profile

For: Walnut School of Ideas

I also received Rashtriya Gaurav Award Last Year. Link: https://www.goldeneraevents.com/rashtriya-gaurav-award-2019/

I was granted a P.h.D (granted, I didn’t study for it), and now I am pursuing my education officially from IGNOU (Indira Gandhi National Open University)

9. Our News Platform — Mediapreneur Role — NYK Daily

News, Nostalgia, Gadgets, Health, Planet Earth (sometimes even the universe), people (and A.I.) and Politics! Think about it, when last did you tune in to top news websites or TV station and hear something positive? The mainstream media is wired to report only the negative news, which portrays the evil side of humanity. NYK Daily was born out of the necessity to provide you with an alternative to the depressing news. We, at NYK Daily, want to be the change the world desperately needs. Our goal at NYK Daily is to provide you with positive news in different areas from around the world. We focus on happenings in World of Business, Lifestyle, World News, Science and Innovation, technology, history, health and inspiring stories from different unsung heroes. in such a way that would help you build optimistic spirit and challenge you to be positive in all your doings.

I co founded this with Arushi Sana

Website link: https://nykdaily.com

30 Under 30: https://highereducationplus.com/edging-young-writers-nikhil-chandwani/

Few folks think my claims have no substance and so, I am compelled to write this. I hope the citations above will clear the air.

Everything I’ve mentioned is properly cited, none of my ‘claims’ are unsubstantial, if you want to tarnish my name, you’re free to do so. But, the threats/violence will fetch nothing. Pandemic is going on, use your time to help/serve others.

Citations-

1. My movie on MXPlayer: https://www.mxplayer.in/movie/watch-nadi-ki-beti-sundari-movie-online-383a18c4ad3ead1993a5f0477f6b3acb
2. Award by Genius Indian Society: http://www.geniusfoundation.org.in/
3. Award by Nagpur First: https://www.nagpurfirst.org/
4. Latest Book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.in/Waves-Come-Calling-Nikhil-Chandwani-ebook/dp/B08W9F9GLP/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Nikhil+Chandwani&qid=1613057431&sr=8-1
5. Writers’ Rescue Center with Student’s Journeys: https://www.edexlive.com/people/2018/jul/21/the-write-help-eager-to-publish-a-book-turn-to-nikhil-chandwanis-writers-rescue-centre-3462.html

Phew! I still can’t believe I have to justify everything, and I still can’t believe people are still threatening me for some press releases. Yup, I am an engineering dropout, but an author who won awards and was invited by people to deliver motivational lectures, and a researcher. Yes, I might not be a good writer. I may not be a good person. I may not be someone who comes as an outgoing, overfriendly writer. I am very introverted for many years but not arrogant.

Does this make me illegitimate.

Take this as my final answer to everyone, and if someone wants to ‘blackmail’ again, nothing would stop me from pursuing it aggressively legally.

Let’s peace it out.