Troubles manifest
Sir — Those who argue that the power of positive thinking can change the world will be overjoyed by Cambridge Dictionary’s word of the year, ‘manifest’. The dictionary had 1,30,000 searches for the word this year. That people turn to prayer in times of uncertainty is well established. The popularity of the word, ‘manifest’, is thus also a manifestation of the uncertainties plaguing the world — wars, a worsening climate, and rising inflation are just some such issues. Clearly, the 1,30,000 people who searched for the meaning of manifest have not been able to manifest better times for the planet.
Ritika Basu, Calcutta
Sense the gravity
Sir — The indictment of Gautam Adani, his nephew, Sagar Adani, and six others by a court in the United States of America in a bribery case has raised troubling questions about the Adani Group (“First Indian firm taken to US court”, Nov 22). The allegation is that bribes were offered to government officials to secure lucrative solar energy supply contracts with state distribution companies. Following the indictment, shares of the Adani Group tanked drastically and the company scrapped its $600-million bond offering. It is imperative that the allegations levelled against the group be investigated in a transparent and time-bound manner in India as well.
M. Jeyaram, Sholavandan, Tamil Nadu
Sir — It was conjectured that the Bharatiya Janata Party government had protected Gautam Adani and bailed him out when the American short seller, Hindenburg Research, accused his company of grievous misdemeanors and nefarious activities. The leaders of the Opposition and others who questioned the Adani Group were branded anti-nationals for seeking an inquiry into the allegations. He will surely be let off, once again.
Tharcius S. Fernando, Chennai
Sir — The recent claim by the Nationalist Congress Party leader, Ajit Pawar, that Gautam Adani was part of government formation talks between the BJP and the NCP five years ago only goes to prove the connection between the group and the current political establishment. In fact, underhand dealings by many members of Indian Inc. cannot be denied.
Gregory Fernandes, Mumbai
Sir — It is unclear whether the US president-elect, Donald Trump, will take any action against the Adani Group or go light on the businessman given his great friendship with Narendra Modi. Another point to ponder is whether Trump, who is a perpetual offender in the business world, will find anything wrong with Adani’s actions, especially as the latter has promised to invest more than $10 billion dollars and create around 15,000 jobs in the US.
M.C. Vijay Shankar, Chennai
Sir — It is worrying that Gautam Adani has been charged with fraud in the US, which has accused him of orchestrating a Rs 2,200-crore bribery scheme and concealing it to raise money in the US.
Jayanta Datta, Hooghly
Sir — There can be no smoke without a fire. The government and the regulatory agencies must take the indictment of the Adani Group seriously to sustain the trust of the public.
R. Narayanan, Navi Mumbai
Sir — The revelations against Gautam Adani by a US court have given ample fodder to the Opposition to take on the National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre. The Central government needs to investigate these allegations to bring the guilty to book. Even the Supreme Court must take suo motu cognisance of the matter and make sure the culprits are punished.
N. Mahadevan, Chennai