We Must Fight Narrative Colonization, Write Our Own Story: Gautam Adani

Jharkhand: IIT ISM Dhanbad is not just an institution; it's a symbol of hope and energy emanating from the soil of India. On December 9, 2025, when Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani arrived for the centenary celebrations, the entire auditorium was filled with enthusiasm and pride. Every face was excited, and the glow of future dreams shone in every eye.

'Thank you for your very warm welcome to the IIT (ISM) Dhanbad. It is not every day that one is invited to speak at the 100th anniversary of any institute, and when that celebration belongs to IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, it is far more than an invitation. It is a once-in-a-lifetime historic opportunity to stand on the very grounds from which so many of our nation’s custodians of the core have come from.' Mr. Gautam Adani Said.

'I find it staggering that, over a century ago, even when under the weight of the British flag, the Indian National Congress recommended the setting up of this institution to meet Bharat’s urgent need for mining and geology experts. Even in those challenging times, they understood a fundamental truth.' Mr. Adani Said. 'A nation cannot rise to greatness unless she first masters the language of the earth under her feet. And so, this celebration is not just an opportunity to reflect where you have come from. It is also a moment to define where you must go and chart the future that must be created, And it is on these aspects that I will speak today.' he said.

'To begin, let us first confront a sobering truth. The age of collaborative global trade and supply chains is collapsing. We are all seeing nations, once bound by strong alliances, retreating into the shadows of self-preservation. The battles for rare earths, semiconductors, tariffs, and the collapse of trade treaties are now the new normal —and not the exception, And in this environment, even the most prominent global institutions, such as NATO, the WTO, and the UN are being forced to reconsider their established frameworks and rules of engagement.' he said.

 'My dear friends, Sovereignty is defined as the ability to govern oneself without external influence and control. And, in this era, where self-preservation dominates the global order, two pillars will be necessary to shape our sovereignty. First, master the resources below our feet, for he who commands his earth commands his sovereignty. Second, master the energy that fuels our rise, for she who owns her fire, owns her sovereignty. And it is no coincidence that our ancient Vedas had articulated these truths long before modern geopolitics discovered them.' he added.

'Sovereignty belongs to those who command their earth. And those who command their earth, command their energy. And that is why our history must be our mirror. For whenever we have failed to recognise our own image, others have stepped in to paint it for us and define our destiny. And destiny, my young friends, is never gifted. It is the prize of the fight to stay sovereign. Let us validate this with a familiar story. Once upon a time, as you know, about a hundred kilometres from here, stood the world’s greatest seat of learning—Nalanda.'

'Nalanda was not just a university — it was the command centre of Bharat’s knowledge. It was Bharat’s dignity — proof that learning was our civilisational identity. It was Bharat’s destiny — for in its halls, the future was authored before it was experienced.' 'Its libraries housed manuscripts on mining, metallurgy, energy, astronomy, governance and many other sciences — knowledge so advanced that seekers crossed oceans and deserts just to learn from Bharat, and then carried the wisdom home.'

Therefore, when Bakhtiyar Khilji burned Nalanda, his aim was not just to destroy structures or set manuscripts on fire. His true target was our civilizational confidence, our knowledge systems and our ability to think independently, free from foreign influence. And we should never forget this, because a civilisation that forgets how it was broken, forgets how to rise. Centuries later, when the British arrived in a Bharat already weakened, they did not burn knowledge — they replaced it. They engineered an education system designed to produce clerks, not thinkers, and in doing so, erased the stories, wisdom, and imagination that once united Bharat. Where Khilji used fire, the British used curriculum. Where Khilji destroyed manuscripts, the British destroyed memory.' he said.

'My young friends — Why do I tell you this? Because the day we forget these stories, is the day our unity begins to fracture. For if we let these stories fade, we risk losing the very glue that binds our generations and anchors Bharat in a turbulent world. A turbulent world, where …No geopolitical alliance is clean. No geopolitical alliance is permanent. Every geopolitical alliance is conditional. Every geopolitical alliance is transactional. Interdependency with alliances one day becomes influence, and influence one day becomes power. And the first thing that power takes control of is the narrative. So, my young friends, what you learn here and what you build and implement when you walk out of these gates will decide whether our future sovereignty remains dependent on others or rises to stand on its own strength.'

'And now, with this historical context, let us look at a contemporary example of what I mean — an example that is relevant to all of you. We live in an era of Narrative Colonization, where the very nations that plundered resources, enslaved continents, and burned fossil fuels for two centuries, now stand on moral platforms in foreign capitals. Many of them now want to dictate the pace and style of Bharat’s development. It is quite a paradox that those who heated the planet now want to set the rules for how we must cool the planet. This is the modern narrative. And so, if we do not control our own narrative, our growth will be criminalized, our aspirations de-legitimized, and our right to improve our standard of living showcased as a global offence.' He added.

'And this weaponised narrative surfaced at the 2025 COP-30, where a report downgraded Bharat’s sustainability ranking, arguing that our nation lacks a coal-exit timeline and continues to auction coal blocks. So, let us examine some data points. Yes, Bharat is the world’s third-largest electricity consumer. But on a per-person basis, we consume less than 1,400 kWh a year. That is less than half the global average, one-tenth of America, and a fifth of Europe. Yes, we rank third in total CO2 emitted. But, on a per capita basis, our 1.4 billion people emit under 2 tons, compared to 14 tons in the US, 9 tons in China and 6 tons in Europe. And if we speak of history, the numbers reveal even more. In 200 years of industrial activity, Bharat has contributed just 4% of cumulative global emissions, against 13% from Europe, 19% from the US and 20% from China. I share these statistics with you because, this is what the battle for the narrative is. Many current ESG models are designed to penalise the developing world. My challenge to you IIT-ians is … ' he said.

'Build the models that mathematically account for the energy dignity of our countrymen. Build the algorithms that value the life of a villager getting electricity for the first time as highly as a carbon credit traded in Europe.' Mr. Adani said. 'My dear students, Bharat did not heat this planet. Yet, much of the developed world now expects Bharat to cool the earth. And, very remarkably, we are indeed doing that. Earlier this year, Bharat reached a milestone. Over 50% of its installed electricitygeneration capacity came from non-fossil sources, hitting an important globally agreed number a full five years before its target. Under the Paris Agreement adopted in 2015 that 195 countries had signed, no other major nation has been able to change its energy mix in such a dramatic fashion.' he said.

'And so, recognising that energy poverty is a deep injustice, Bharat will need to expand base-load fossil power to secure its energy dignity. At the same time, as I described, Bharat, with one of the lowest CO2 emits per-capita, is also driving the fastest energy transition in human history. And yet, my young friends, the battle of narrative is relentless.'

'Let me tell you how, through the example of Adani's Carmichael mining project in Queensland, Australia. When we went to Australia, it was not that Bharat lacked coal. What Bharat lacked was quality coal. The Carmichael mine was born out of this necessity to substitute our local coal with better-grade imported coal. But little did we know that our Carmichael mine would become one of the most contested energy projects of this century. Global environmental lobbies mobilised against us. Protests were staged across continents, banks withdrew lending across businesses — we were vilified in the international media, debated in foreign parliaments and dragged through courtrooms. Every signal was Back down. Retreat. Give-up the project. But we did not. Because our Carmichael mine was never a commercial bet. It was a commitment to our nation’s energy security. And today, the very same Carmichael mine powers cleaner industrial growth in Bharat, and sustains thousands of livelihoods in Australia.' he said.

'That is the paradox of nation-building. You may be resisted, ridiculed, and punished long before you are acknowledged. Yet history has a way of settling its accounts. For in the end, they may write the headlines, but we will write the history. But, my young friends, this is only half the story — because the critics even today, continue to debate the Carmichael project. They conveniently forget another fact. The fact that we have invested to become one of the world's fastest-growing renewable energy companies.'

'We are also building the world’s largest renewable energy park, at Khavda in Gujarat, spread over 520 square kilometres. At full capacity by 2030, this park will generate 30 GW of green energy. At an average India house-hold consumption, this would be equivalent to powering over 60 million national homes per year. And today, with the first 10 GW already commissioned, we are on track to deliver the world’s lowest-cost green electron, thereby setting a global benchmark in energy transition. This, my young friends, is the asymmetry of storytelling. When we build coal for responsibility and dignity of our countrymen, we are criticized. When we build renewables at a global scale, our success becomes invisible.' he said.

'And I say this because false narratives destroy confidence. They make a nation doubt its own people and its own enterprises. But a nation with confidence tells its own story. It recognises its builders, protects its institutions, and defends its aspirations. My dear young friends, Let me now switch gears and speak about the decades ahead. As you graduate, you step into a moment of extraordinary promise, where the global green energy transition is emerging as the largest industry of our time, worth several trillion dollars over the coming decades. It will fuel the rise of electricity-based manufacturing, green steel, green fertilisers, hydrogen ecosystems, and the critical infrastructure that AI and digital economies depend on. Which is also why we are investing over USD 75 billion in the space of energy transition over the next five years. And your discipline sits at the heart of this transition. Because here is the paradox of our age: To clean the skies, humanity must go under the earth. And the new periodic table of progress is now dependent on:'

'Rare earths, without which, no magnet turns and no wind turbine spins. Lithium, without which, batteries remain empty and EVs remain stationary. Copper, without which, electrons lose their highways, Silicon, without which, sunlight cannot be harvested, and Uranium, without which, baseload for a net-zero civilisation is a dream And to me, the most stunning truth of our times is that every AI chip that computes, every hyperscale cloud that connects, and every neural engine that learns — all trace their origins back to the depths of Mother Earth.'

'People may call mining the “old economy.” But what I say is that, without you, there is no new economy. And this is why I firmly believe that mining, minerals, and earth sciences are now the new frontiers of sovereignty, sustainability, and Bharat's national capability.' he said.

'My dear friends, Besides being the largest infrastructure player in the country, the Adani Group is also the largest mining player in our nation. In the years ahead, our commitment to mining and materials will significantly expand from extracting various ores to making metals, alloys and finished products that power our economy, electrify mobility and enable our nation's green transition. And so, I am pleased to announce the launch of two landmark initiatives. The first initiative is the Adani Annual Internships at IIT Dhanbad. We will offer 50 paid internships every year to third year students meeting our merit and fitment criteria. Thereafter, a minimum of 25% of these interns will receive pre-employment offers to join us. We are not looking for just colleagues who follow manuals. We are looking for innovators who will rewrite them. We will bring you our toughest problems. We welcome you if you have the drive to solve problems that the world says cannot be solved but you are willing to take up.' he said.

'The second initiative is the Adani 3S Mining Excellence Centre, built with TEXMiN. This is not just a lab. It is an ecosystem, where responsible mining, innovation, and industry–academia collaboration intersect. From metaverse labs and drone fleets to seismic sensing and precision blasting, this centre is built to rewrite the future language of mining. Each year, the idea with the greatest potential to transform the sectors of mining, energy, and core infrastructure will be selected through a campus-wide hackathon challenge. And the Adani Group will support the winning idea it selects with funding, mentorship, and most importantly, real industry settings to prove the idea.' he added.

'As I begin to close, I want to leave you with a few words of personal advice, much of it from my own experiences and reflections. Remember, success is never granted. It is mined. It is extracted. As your ambitions expand, so will the world’s desire to narrate your identity. It will attempt to dictate your boundaries just as it tried to dictate mine. You will be told, just as I was, that to touch the earth is to harm the sky. But remember … to heal the sky, you must first master the earth.' Mr. Gautam Adani said.

'And that is why I say, this is our Second Freedom Struggle. The first was to give us political independence, and this second one is to give us economic and resource independence. And you, my young friends, are the next generation of Bharat's freedom fighters. And in this struggle … You are not just extracting resources, you are extracting sovereignty. You are not just mining minerals, you are mining dignity. And in doing so, you are helping build … A Bharat that is not asking others for sympathy. A Bharat that is not asking others for validation. A Bharat that is not asking others for permission. And so, when history looks back at the hundredth anniversary of the IIT-ISM, may it say: So, my young friends, Dream fearlessly, act relentlessly. And let us build the Bharat of our dreams ' he said.

Also read : Major Embarrassment For Mohsin Naqvi! Pak Minister's Car Searched By Police In London-VIDEO