MURWhether it be the field of politics, self-development, life skills, communication skills, self-confidence, positive thinking, leadership skills or sales skills – India has produced motivational speakers that have inspired people and transformed audiences through their pep talks.
Presenting a list of the top 25 motivational speakers in India, who are exemplary role models, and have inspired millions of people, from all walks of life:
1. Jaggi Vasudev
There is probably no other motivational speaker who has become as popular as Jaggi Vasudev, better known as Sadhguru, during the lockdown period. Combining wit, sarcasm, and creativity with his spiritual knowledge – he has inspired people to practice and perfect the art of staying calm, to stay away from negative emotions like irritability and be more productive. He has also released several Insightful nuggets of such videos across various social media platforms.
His different take, a fresh perspective on life – to be an observer, rather than a participant in difficult situations, has made him hugely popular with the millennials and have made his live YouTube sessions go viral! They showcase him having very interesting and inspiring discussions on various topics; and are sought after by the old and young alike!
2. Deepak Chopra
Described as “America’s most prominent spokesman for Ayurveda”, Deepak Chopra is a trained doctor, who became involved in the ‘Transcendental Meditation movement’ after coming under the influence of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Gaining popularity after being interviewed about his books on ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’, his treatments advocate the ‘placebo effect.’ He has impacted the lives of millions of people, who have benefitted from his ideas, seminars, and books and have been rejuvenated and de-stressed at his holistic healing centres and popular retreats.
3. Yogesh Chabria
Founder of ‘The Happionaire Way’, Yogesh grew up the really hard way selling toys at the age of five, comics and clothes in school and engaging in door to door selling at the age of sixteen. His motto of bouncing back from difficult situations – “Every time you fall, you can either stay down or get up stronger”– has made him the most sought-after motivational speaker who people in over 1000 corporations trust, with their seminars, long term training programs, consulting and leadership development initiatives.
4. Shiv Khera
Born in a business family that operated coal mines, he has in his early years, worked as a car washer, a life insurance agent, and a franchise operator before becoming a motivational speaker. Having started the Bharatiya Rashtravadi Samanata Party in 2008, he has been actively involved with organisations that strive to raise awareness about various political issues. He is also the author of the popular book, ”You can win“ and currently lives in New Delhi. He travels all over the world to deliver motivational seminars.
You can order his book on Amazon
5. Robin Sharma
Robin Sharma quit his job as a lawyer to become a motivational speaker and a leadership coach. He is of Indian origin, though presently based out of Canada. He rose to popularity with his book, ”The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari,” about a lawyer who finds meaning in life after embarking on a spiritual journey. Presently working with big companies to train them in leadership and sales, his other books like – “The 5 AM Club,” “Mega Living,” and “Who Will Cry When You Die?“ have also been received well.
6. Dr Ujjwal Patni
‘If you are not upgrading, you are downgrading’,
Dr.Ujjwal is a motivational speaker who largely delivers all his speeches in Hindi and has been felicitated by 15 prestigious awards including the Best Corporate Trainer of India, and Kamal Patra among many others.
His “Ujjwal Patni Show” based on life and business is watched by more than one million Indians every week, across 75 countries on YouTube & Facebook.
7. Dr Vivek Bindra
Dr.Vivek is an Internationally Renowned Motivational Speaker, a Leadership Consultant & CEO Coach. He was also awarded with the ‘Best Leadership Trainer in Asia’ Award by Marshall Goldsmith at World HRD Congress. A master in the art of empowering people, he has helped thousands of people realise their true potential.
Author of 10 extremely powerfulMotivational Books, he is a much talked-about expert when it comes creating amazing content on Leadership Development.
8. Dr Sudha Murthy
The first thing that strikes you about motivational speaker, Sudha Murthy is her simplicity. Despite being the chairperson of the Infosys foundation, it is her simple demeanour, understated elegance and genuine smile that will endear her to you. A celebrated author, she is married to the renowned Mr Narayan Murthy. Wherever and whenever invited to give motivational speeches- she epitomizes the concept of simplicity and austereness in her approach to life, always appealing to people to be generous and empathetic to fellow citizens and inspiring people with strategies to win and succeed.
9. PM Narendra Modi
Keeping politics aside, there is perhaps no speaker in India with the charisma, intrigue and exceptional speaking skills like our PM Modi. His style of delivering engaging speeches has won him a huge fan base.
Be it is making use of tone variations, bringing the native languages to the surface, maintaining reassuring eye-contact or unique hand gestures, he manages to motivate masses every time. With a strong sense of optimism, he is a man who knows how to connect with his audiences and keep them engaged and interested.
10. Sneh Desai
“Your mind is like a bank. You can only withdraw what you deposit.”
– Sneh Desai
Sneh Desai, Founder & Director of Sneh World, which conducts seminars and workshops on self -development, started training people at the tender age of 9. Today at 23, he is an Expert Motivator, Inspirational Coach & Leader for every age group. His audience range from housewives to business leaders! He helps people change their thought patterns and experience less stress, through spiritual thinking, positive mindset and improved communication.
11. T S Madaan
Born to a well-settled and educated Punjabi family in Amritsar, Punjab – his fans find him compelling, polished in his mannerism and very smart. Madaan is a prominent comedian and actor, who conducts his sessions in Hinglish. (A mixture of Hindi and English). With over 39 years of experience in the field of motivational speaking, he specialises in life skills, communication skills, self-confidence, positive thinking, anger management, time management, leadership skills and sales skills. With a penchant for cooking, his awards include Udyog Rattan from IES, the President of India Medal and Certificate of Excellence in Management and Innovation from Govt. and Non-Govt. organisations.
12. Priya Kumar
Born in Chandigarh, Priya started writing at an early age and won several accolades for essay writing contests in school. A regular columnist for many magazines, she started motivational speaking after the demise of her mentor, Dr Niranjan Patel, for whom she would help organise work-shops for the youth, on anti-nicotine and anti-tobacco addiction. Known for her fire-walking sessions, she is also a best-selling author of several books.
13. Diana Hayden
Diana is an Indian actress who won the Miss World pageant in 1997, at the age of 23. After her win at Miss World, she has been associated with various charities including Child Rights and You (CRY), Greenpeace, PETA and the Spastics Society of India. She has supported several causes to spread awareness about cancer and HIV/AIDS. Her book – A Beautiful Truth, is an encyclopaedia on grooming and also deals with personality development and confidence building.
An accomplished keynote motivational speaker, she has delivered several lectures on various topics like – “Diana Hayden – the rags to riches story”, “Communication” and “Overcoming obstacles.”
14. Ram G Vallath
“When the going gets tough, the tough get humorous”
– RamG Vallath
Ramgopal Vallath (aka RamG Vallath) is the most positive individual he has ever met in his life. RamG has had an extraordinary life-journey. A man with the most humble of beginnings, he had to struggle hard to carve his own identity. His early years found him struggling with a fixed mindset until he finally tapped into his inner compass and discovered the path of growth mindset! The effect was immediate and RamG’s career took off like a rocket.
By the age of 34, he had already become the youngest circle head in India’s telecom history and later even went on to become a director in Dell and also HP. And, when life struck him down with a crippling autoimmune disorder, it was growth mindset that came to his aid again and helped him discover a little-known clinical trial that helped him improve his health. The power of this revolutionary thought process has also helped him reinvent his life as a best selling author (of a humorous yet inspiring autobiography — From Ouch to Oops), motivational speaker, startup cofounder, and science editor. RamG is one of the most qualified persons to help develop growth mindset through real life experiences and practical action-plans that work.
Discover more about his Masterclass with us, here.
15.Arunima Sinha
Arunima a volleyball player, was also a mountaineer and a sportswoman. Keen on joining the paramilitary forces, she was on her way to Delhi by train, when she got pushed out of the train by some robbers, for resisting an attempted robbery. She suffered severe pelvic and leg injuries and as a result, doctors had to amputate one of her legs to save her life. Not one to be disheartened by the extent of her injuries and claiming to be inspired by Yuvraj Singh and Swami Vivekananda, she trained and excelled in basic mountaineering skills, and succeeded in climbing Mt Everest with a prosthetic leg.
Her book, “Born again on the mountain” is a very inspiring read and she is one of the most popular motivational speakers in India.
16. Gul Panag
Actor, activist, aviator, adventurer, entrepreneur & fitness Icon – she is a thought leader with many hats!
A respected actor and producer, she has attained critical acclaim for each of her roles, winning awards, nominations and adulation. An icon for women’s fitness, Gul is a serial half-marathoner and in the process of writing a book on fitness. She is also passionate about all things technology and is on the jury of a plethora of forums that evaluate the best in class for each. Furthermore, Gul was blessed with marksmen genes and is a keen shot herself! She is also very good with handling guns and often shoots with and trains under her brother Sherbir who was a member of the Indian national team.
A frontline advocate and activist, she regularly engages and facilitates dialogue and debate on critical issues of gender equality & justice, environmental issues, fundamental rights, secularism, corruption, and socio-political accountability. An inspiration for women and men alike, she is one of India’s most powerful opinion makers and thought leaders.
17. Indranil Chakraborty (IC)
The author of the National Bestseller – Stories At Work – Unlock the Secret to Business Storytelling, Indranil is also an ICF certified executive coach who has worked with senior leaders from multiple industries. Revered across organisations for his ability to help leaders harness the natural power of stories to make key messages like vision, value, strategy, and change communication stick with their employees, he is a master storyteller!
Other powerful uses he puts business storytelling to, are in diverse areas like employee engagement, knowledge management and behavior change. Two of his flagships programs – Story Powered Leadership and Story Powered Sales – have also been adapted for Virtual Instructor-Led Program delivery. Other programs include Story Powered Presentations, Story Powered Data and Story Powered Conversations.
A sought after keynote speaker, he has spoken around the world on topics like – Stories At Work, Managing Change Through Stories, Story Powered Strategy, Building an Employer Brand a Story At a Time, Managing Knowledge Through Stories. We are delighted to have him on-board our ‘Masterclass’ program. You can discover more about his masterclass for leaders with us, here.
18. Prakash Iyer
The author of three best- selling books – The Habit of Winning, The Secret of Leadership, and You Too Can, Prakash Iyer is a man who needs no introduction! Apart from coaching CEOs, advising leadership teams and speaking to – and inspiring – large teams, Prakash also serves as an advisor to Multiples – a billion dollar PE fund. He is also a Director on the board of Xerox India Limited and has worked with the cricket franchise Mumbai Indians in their title winning campaign in 2015.
A trained, CFI-certified leadership coach, Prakash has throughout his career combined strong strategic and execution skills with excellent people management capabilities to consistently build passionate, high-performance, winning teams. Prakash speaks, writes, and conducts workshops on leadership, teamwork, execution, storytelling and winning. He also writes a fortnightly column on leadership in Business World – PI Talkies.
19. Ashish Vidyarthi
An Indian film actor and motivational speaker, Ashish was born in Tellicherry, Kerala. He is a national Award-winning actor, thinker and speaker and founder of AVID MINER conversations. They are interactive modules which allow the participants to view their life and commitments at work in a completely new perspective.
Having worked in nearly 200 films in 12 languages over the last 25 years, Ashish has had a rich life-experience across varied cultures, languages, and geographical locations. He has faced in numerous challenges through the course of his life-journey. His speeches which are highly motivating, engaging and interactive in nature are called “Conversations.” They aim at addressing real life -issues with high positivity.
20. Deeya Bajaj
“The strongest people are not those who show strength in front of us, but those who win battles we know nothing about.”
For someone this young and gentle, the strength of Deeya’s personality can only be felt through her story. Deeya Bajaj has made adventure a mission in her life – achieving feats that dreams are made of. Deeya is a proficient downhill and cross country skier, a keen white-water and sea kayaker, a PADI certified rescue diver and a Taekwondo Black belt. A modern-day explorer and adventurer, she is a living example of how to not just survive but enjoy challenges and pressures.
In her talk “Higher than Everest” masterclass with us, Deeya delivers messages about leadership and teamwork, women’s empowerment as well as sustainability and environmental concerns. Having travelled the most tough terrains of the world, she talks about how to think, take decisions, lead and be a team player in times of adversity.
21. Lt General Raymond Noronha
An army veteran with 40 years of experience, Lt General Raymond Noronha has extensive operational experience on the Indo-Pak & Indo-China borders. He also has worked for Counter Terrorism Operations in J&K and NE India, thereby truly earning all his stripes!
Having risen to the rank of a Lt General (3 Star) and being the person who built India’s first Mountain Strike Corps {40,000(+)Troops}, a specialized offensive force for the Northern Border, he truly is a man of action! Being an operational soldier with experience of leading in challenging situations at various levels over his complete service of 40 years, General Noronha makes for a compelling speaker on topics that revolve around leadership during crises.
22. Ankur Warikoo
Ankur Warikoo is thE CEO and co-founder of Nearbuy.com – India’s No.1 discovery and transaction platform. Ankur’s remarkable journey stands in testimony to his entrepreneurial spirit and unrelenting passion. From an aspiring physicist and astronaut to life as a management consultant, and then a serial entrepreneur – he has been there, done that! Named one of India’s Forbes 40 Under 40. He is an active inspirational speaker and makes time to speak to an audience at least once every week.
Furthermore, his LinkedIn profile has become something of a virtual sensation! It’s a virtual bouquet of heartfelt posts to insightful and engaging videos. His ability to employ vulnerability to establish connection with an audience speaks fo this leadership acumen.
23. Shalini Saraswathi
A brave heart Quad amputee blade runner, motivational speaker – Shalini lost both legs, and hands, to a rare bacterial infection has defied all odds to become an audacious prize-winning athlete. She tried to get back on her feet with the help of prosthetic legs and after fighting through it all, Shalini was finally able to walk for the first time in December 2014.
Soon after taking her first few steps again, Shalini began training under coach BP Aiyappa at a local sports facility within Bengaluru. She has since then, participated in multiple marathons and also enjoys running as a leisure activity. Shalini uses her painful journey towards recovery to inspire people and give them hope. She urges her audience to dig deep and find their inner willpower. She stands in testimony to the impossible feats sheer discipline and determination are capable of achieving!
24. Sandeep Maheshwari
“If you have more than you need, simply share it with those who need it the most.”
Sandeep Maheshwari as a name has become synonymous with the unyielding spirit of a true leader. His journey represents the story of every single person who has struggled, failed and yet, surged ahead in search of success, happiness and contentment.
With over 13 million subscribers on YouTube, Sandeep‘s story clearly continues to resonate with his audience. Early on in his career, He realised that the models in India are exploited. In order to bring about a reform and help the newcomers find their footing, he founded ImagesBaazar which has the world’s biggest collection of Indian images. His encouraging words, charm, and engaging videos have made him one of India’s most sought after motivational speakers.
25. Naina Lal Kidwai
One of India’s most Prominent Indian Women leaders – Naina is the Chairman, Max Financial Services and Advent Private Equity. She is also the former CEO of HSBC India. A Chartered Accountant by profession, she comes from a family of high achievers. However, she herself has had many firsts to her name!
She was the first Indian woman to get an MBA from Harvard in 1982. She then went on to become one of the first three women to be chosen as articled clerk back in 1977 by the company now known as PwC when she was studying chartered accountancy. She also happens to be the first woman to head a foreign bank in India. And to add yet another unbelievable feather to her cap, she went on to become the first woman president of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. With such an illustrated career to her name along with innumerable others, she now spends her time working for causes closer to her heart: environment, sanitation, access to water and women’s empowerment, to name a few.
A Padma Shree awardee, she speaks at elected conventions and has also authored many a best selling books on various topics. Her life truly does stand in testimony to her favourite quote –
“You see things; and you say, ‘Why?’
But I dream things that never were; and I say, ‘Why not?’”
– George Bernard Shaw
This brings us to the end of this extensive list. However, we would love to hear from you! Do drop in and let us know – Who are your top 3 motivational speakers from this list? Also, do let us know if you think there is someone good we might have missed?
