Shah Rukh Khan copied JK Rowling’s Harvard speech?

Zee Media Bureau/Resham Sengar

New Delhi: We have heard Shah Rukh Khan tell his struggle tales several times in the past. But what makes his speech at the All India Management Association (AIMA) conference held in September is the fact that it resembles famous author JK Rowling’s speech at Harvard University in 2008. The author of the `Harry Potter` series and the bestselling novel ‘The Cuckoo`s Calling’, JK Rowling, too had had her share of miseries such as poverty, broken marriage, failure and her tryst with success later in life which she spoke about during the speech given by the novelist at the Harvard. Bangalore-based social media consultant Agratha Dinakaran was the first one to notice and report the apparent plagiarism of Rowling’s speech by Shah Rukh in his blog (mercurialpurple.blogspot.com). In her speech, Rowling said that poverty was not an `ennobling experience`. She further said, "Poverty entails fear, and stress, and sometimes depression; it means a thousand petty humiliations and hardships." Now what really raises the eyebrows, are these words, courtesy – Shah Rukh Khan: "Let me tell you, poverty is not an ennobling experience at all. Poverty entails fear and stress and sometimes, depression. I`ve seen my parents go through it many times - it means a thousand petty humiliations and hardships." JK Rowling further said, "Happiness lies in knowing that life is not a check-list of acquisition or achievement. Your qualifications, your CV, are not your life, though you will meet many people of my age and older who confuse the two. Life is difficult, and complicated, and beyond anyone`s total control, and the humility to know that will enable you to survive its vicissitudes." Taking a cue from the above lines, Shah Rukh Khan said: "I`d like to tell you all that life is not just a checklist of acquisitions, attainments and fulfilments. Your qualifications and CVs don`t matter, your jobs don`t matter. Instead, life is difficult and complicated and beyond your control, and to know that with humility, respecting your failures will help you survive its vicissitudes." Now we wonder who to blame for the blatant plagiarism – SRK or the one who really wrote the speech for him!