Maharishi Group
Encyclopedia
The Maharishi Group is a non-profit conglomerate or benevolent society based in India. It was established by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
in the 1960s. His nephews, Anand Shrivastava and his brother Ajay Prakash Shrivastava, are the chairmen and managing directors of different organizations under Maharishi Group. The group was reported in 1999 to be worth $700 million and to have operations in over 120 countries.
The Maharishi Group has been called "India’s leading International group with diversified interests". According to one of the group's entities, it is active in "Education, Housing Finance, Solar Energy, Ayurvedic Products, Printing and Publishing, Granite, Software Development and Systems Integration, Aviation, Gems, Gold and Diamond Jewellery, IT turn key projects, Digital Animation, Clothing and many more areas." Another entity says that the group "covers most aspects of modern human needs" and is based on the Maharishi's vision of "ridding the Society from sufferings ... by re-enlivening the body's intelligence through connecting it to the bountiful and perpetual reservoir of Nature's Intelligence".
In 2007, the Maharishi Group was credited with helping a 12-year old girl who had been abused while working as a domestic get back to her family.
compliant. It markets over 900 products to 37 countries; exports which account for 60% of its output.
Maharishi Ayurveda Products Pvt Ltd. (MAPPL), also run by Anand Srivastava, announced in a 2010 press release that it had been in business for three decades, that it operated 13 clinic in India, and that it was seeking the advice of a franchise company regarding further expansion A 2011 press release, announcing franchise opportunities, says it markets over 1500 products. MAPPL was sued in 2008 by a resident of Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa
when she discovered that she had received lead poisoning after using their products. One herbal supplement was tested and reported to contain 3% lead by weight.
, and is a core producer of the multicrystalline silicon wafers used to make them. In 2009 it announced an agreement with Abengoa Solar Inc
for the production of solar thermal collectors that use parabolic trough
mirrors to produce steam. MST said that it would invest Rs
300 crore
to acquire the technology and to build a factory in Noida
to make the collectors. Maharishi Renewable Energy Ltd (MREL) announced a plan to invest Rs 70 crore in a solar thermal electric generating plant in Rajasthan
to be completed in 2011.
is an educational system with 148 branches in 118 cities. The chairman is Ajay Prakash Shrivastava.
Picasso Digital Media, headquartered in Delhi, provides education in digital animation in conjunction with Toronto's Centennial College. Picasso Animation College
held its first convocation at its Hyderabad campus in 2010, hosted by its director general, O. P. Sharma.
Other educational franchises include the Cosmic Institution of Neo Entertainment, Media and Arts (C.I.N.E.M.A.) and the Cosmic Business School (CBS). Many CBS graduates are hired directly into Maharishi Groups businesses or are recruited by other business partners. Started in 2004, its president is Ajay Prakash Shrivastava and the director general is O.P Sharma. Cosmic Academy, affiliated with Manipal University, offered the first-ever MBA in Business Process Outsourcing
in 2004.
was initiated in 1999, and the negotiations continued through 2003. In 2009 it was announced that Religare Enterprises
was planning to acquire a majority stake in MHDFC.
Companies located there include Star Granites, Maharishi Vidyapeeth-Transcendental Meditation Centre, Maharishi Ayurveda Products Pvt. Ltd., Maharishi Solar Technology, Maharishi Veda Vision, Age Of Enlightenment New Services, Maharishi Housing Development Finance Corporation, Maharishi Prakashan, Maharishi Orchards, and Cosmic Software.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi , born Mahesh Prasad Varma , developed the Transcendental Meditation technique and was the leader and guru of the TM movement, characterised as a new religious movement and also as non-religious...
in the 1960s. His nephews, Anand Shrivastava and his brother Ajay Prakash Shrivastava, are the chairmen and managing directors of different organizations under Maharishi Group. The group was reported in 1999 to be worth $700 million and to have operations in over 120 countries.
The Maharishi Group has been called "India’s leading International group with diversified interests". According to one of the group's entities, it is active in "Education, Housing Finance, Solar Energy, Ayurvedic Products, Printing and Publishing, Granite, Software Development and Systems Integration, Aviation, Gems, Gold and Diamond Jewellery, IT turn key projects, Digital Animation, Clothing and many more areas." Another entity says that the group "covers most aspects of modern human needs" and is based on the Maharishi's vision of "ridding the Society from sufferings ... by re-enlivening the body's intelligence through connecting it to the bountiful and perpetual reservoir of Nature's Intelligence".
In 2007, the Maharishi Group was credited with helping a 12-year old girl who had been abused while working as a domestic get back to her family.
Health products
Anand Shrivastava is president of Maharishi Ayurveda Corporation. It was founded in 1987 and is ISO 9000ISO 9000
The ISO 9000 family of standards relates to quality management systems and is designed to help organizations ensure they meet the needs of customers and other stakeholders . The standards are published by ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, and available through National...
compliant. It markets over 900 products to 37 countries; exports which account for 60% of its output.
Maharishi Ayurveda Products Pvt Ltd. (MAPPL), also run by Anand Srivastava, announced in a 2010 press release that it had been in business for three decades, that it operated 13 clinic in India, and that it was seeking the advice of a franchise company regarding further expansion A 2011 press release, announcing franchise opportunities, says it markets over 1500 products. MAPPL was sued in 2008 by a resident of Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa
Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa
Maharishi Vedic City is a city in Jefferson County, Iowa, United States. The city was first incorporated in 2001 as "Vedic City" but then officially changed its name to "Maharishi Vedic City" five months later. It was the first city to incorporate in Iowa since 1982...
when she discovered that she had received lead poisoning after using their products. One herbal supplement was tested and reported to contain 3% lead by weight.
Solar energy
The group includes Maharishi Solar Technology (MST), an ISO 9001:2000 accredited company which produces solar water heaters for home and industrial use. MST is run by Ajay Prakash Shrivastava brother of Anand Shrivastava. Prakash Shrivastava is also the 2009-2010 president of the Solar Energy Society of India and the Vice-President of International Solar Society. MST has a vertically integrated facility for producing photovoltaic panels at Kalahasti in Andhra PradeshAndhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
, and is a core producer of the multicrystalline silicon wafers used to make them. In 2009 it announced an agreement with Abengoa Solar Inc
Abengoa
Abengoa is a Spanish multinational corporation, which includes companies in the domains of energy, telecommunications, transportation, and the environment...
for the production of solar thermal collectors that use parabolic trough
Parabolic trough
A parabolic trough is a type of solar thermal energy collector. It is constructed as a long parabolic mirror with a Dewar tube running its length at the focal point. Sunlight is reflected by the mirror and concentrated on the Dewar tube...
mirrors to produce steam. MST said that it would invest Rs
Rupee
The rupee is the common name for the monetary unit of account in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Mauritius, Seychelles, Maldives, and formerly in Burma, and Afghanistan. Historically, the first currency called "rupee" was introduced in the 16th century...
300 crore
Crore
A crore is a unit in the Indian number system equal to ten million , or 100 lakhs. It is widely used in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan....
to acquire the technology and to build a factory in Noida
Noida
Noida , short for the New Okhla Industrial Development Area, is an area in India under the management of the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority . Noida came into administrative existence on 17 April 1976 and celebrates 17 April as "Noida Day". It was set up as part of an urbanization...
to make the collectors. Maharishi Renewable Energy Ltd (MREL) announced a plan to invest Rs 70 crore in a solar thermal electric generating plant in Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
to be completed in 2011.
Education
Maharishi Vidya Mandir SchoolsMaharishi Vidya Mandir Schools
Maharishi Vidya Mandir Schools is an educational school system founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and established in 16 Indian states. MVMS is managed by a registered educational society called the "Maharishi Shiksha Sansthan". MVMS is also affiliated with the New Delhi Central Board of Secondary...
is an educational system with 148 branches in 118 cities. The chairman is Ajay Prakash Shrivastava.
Picasso Digital Media, headquartered in Delhi, provides education in digital animation in conjunction with Toronto's Centennial College. Picasso Animation College
Picasso Animation College
Picasso Animation College is an animation college in India headquartered in New Delhi, India. It runs in collaboration with Centennial College, Canada. It is part of the Maharishi Group, a conglomerate founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.-About:...
held its first convocation at its Hyderabad campus in 2010, hosted by its director general, O. P. Sharma.
Other educational franchises include the Cosmic Institution of Neo Entertainment, Media and Arts (C.I.N.E.M.A.) and the Cosmic Business School (CBS). Many CBS graduates are hired directly into Maharishi Groups businesses or are recruited by other business partners. Started in 2004, its president is Ajay Prakash Shrivastava and the director general is O.P Sharma. Cosmic Academy, affiliated with Manipal University, offered the first-ever MBA in Business Process Outsourcing
Business process outsourcing
Business process outsourcing is a subset of outsourcing that involves the contracting of the operations and responsibilities of specific business functions to a third-party service provider. Originally, this was associated with manufacturing firms, such as Coca Cola that outsourced large segments...
in 2004.
Software
Maharishi Information Technology Pvt. Ltd. (MITPL) was founded in 1999. Cosmic Softech Limited is a software development company in New Delhi, one division of which is Cosmic Integrated Technology Services (CITeS). Founded in 2000, it seeks to provide "comprehensive e-commerce solutions, web based technologies, enterprise business solutions designed around multi-tier architecture and telecommunications software development."Finance
The Maharishi Housing Development Finance Corporation (MHDFC) was established in 1993 in New Delhi. By 2000 it offered seven and 15-year loans and proposed a plan for 40-year mortgages. By 2003 it had 15 branches across India, a loan portfolio of Rs104 crore, and the Maharishi University of Management of UK was listed as a promoter. The sale of the controlling interest to ICICI BankICICI Bank
ICICI Bank Ltd. is India's second largest financial services company headquartered in Mumbai, India. It offers a wide range of banking products and financial services to corporate and retail customers through a variety of delivery channels and through its specialised subsidiaries in the areas of...
was initiated in 1999, and the negotiations continued through 2003. In 2009 it was announced that Religare Enterprises
Religare Technova
Religare Technova Limited is the holding company of the IT businesses of a large diversified Indian transnational promoter group, with business interests in Financial Services, Health Care, Wellness, Pharmaceuticals, Aviation and Travel...
was planning to acquire a majority stake in MHDFC.
Other
According to websites of member companies, the Maharishi Group also includes:- Age of Enlightenment Publications, a printer of books such as Celebrating Total Knowledge in Every Girl through Maharishi's Vedic Education: First Textbook of Ideal Girls’ Schools around the World, and Maharishi's Absolute Theory of Defence: sovereignty in invincibility
- Global Diamonds
- Maharishi Channel, a satellite television channel, the first 24-hour religious channel in India.
- Maharishi Orchards, a grower with certified-organicOrganic certificationOrganic certification is a certification process for producers of organic food and other organic agricultural products. In general, any business directly involved in food production can be certified, including seed suppliers, farmers, [food] processors, retailers and restaurants.Requirements vary...
orchards in Uttarakhand and Delhi It grows apples, walnuts, vegetables, and Ayurvedic herbs. - Maharishi TM Centers
- Maharishi University of ManagementMaharishi University of ManagementMaharishi University of Management , formerly known as Maharishi International University, is a non-profit, American university, located in Fairfield, Iowa. It was founded in 1973 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and features a "consciousness-based education" system that includes the practice of the...
, an accredited university in Fairfield, IowaFairfield, IowaFairfield is a city and the county seat of Jefferson County, Iowa, United States. The population was 9,464 in the 2010 census, a decline from 9,509 in the 2000 census. - History :... - Maharishi Vedic Construction, a construction company headed by Anand Shrivastava. It took over a troubled plantation near KamshetKamshetKamshet is located in the state of Maharashtra, India, 110 km from Mumbai City, and 85 km from Pune in Pune district. It is 11 km from the twin-hill stations of Khandala and Lonavala, and is accessible by road and rail from Mumbai and Pune...
in PunePunePune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
, Golden Glades, which had difficulty repaying investors. - Ram Rajya Clothing, a manufacturer of organic clothing
- Star Granites, a producer of graniteGraniteGranite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
products in Andhra PradeshAndhra PradeshAndhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
which exports to Europe and America - Trans Bharat Aviation, a non-scheduled operator of propeller-driven airplanes and helicopters
- Several broadcast channels in Holland
Headquarters
Several members of the Maharishi Group have offices at:- Maharishi House
- A-14, Mohan Co-Operative Industrial Estate
- Mathura Road, New Delhi, Delhi 110044, India
Companies located there include Star Granites, Maharishi Vidyapeeth-Transcendental Meditation Centre, Maharishi Ayurveda Products Pvt. Ltd., Maharishi Solar Technology, Maharishi Veda Vision, Age Of Enlightenment New Services, Maharishi Housing Development Finance Corporation, Maharishi Prakashan, Maharishi Orchards, and Cosmic Software.