Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani on Monday called upon India’s youth to lead what he described as the country’s “second freedom struggle” — a fight for technological self-reliance and sovereignty. Addressing students and faculty at the Platinum Jubilee Session of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, Adani warned that India’s future independence would depend not on territorial control but on command over technology, data, and innovation.
“This is the freedom we must now fight for the freedom of self-reliance — the freedom of Atmanirbharta — if we are to be truly free,” Adani said, invoking the memory of freedom fighters once imprisoned at Hijli jail in Kharagpur.
‘Wars today fought with algorithms, not guns’
In his keynote address, Adani drew parallels between India’s struggle for political independence in 1947 and the challenges the nation faces in today’s rapidly shifting global landscape. He argued that while the country is politically independent, its heavy reliance on imported semiconductors, oil, and defence systems leaves it vulnerable.
“The wars we have to fight today are often invisible. They are fought in server farms, not trenches. The weapons are algorithms, not guns. Empires are built in data centres, not on land,” he said.
Adani highlighted that India imports 90 per cent of its semiconductors and 85 per cent of its crude oil, warning that “a single disruption or sanction can freeze our digital economy or restrict our growth.” He also flagged the risks of critical data crossing borders and foreign algorithms profiting from Indian information.
Adani Proposes Creating ‘Living Laboratories’
The Adani Group chairman emphasised the urgent need for stronger collaboration between educational institutions and corporates. “Universities must push the boundaries of research, and corporates must push the boundaries of execution. Together, we must create impact, not just in markets but in the fabric of Indian society,” he said.
Announcing new initiatives, Adani proposed the creation of “living laboratories” at IIT Kharagpur to work on sectors such as renewable energy, logistics, and airports. He also launched the annual Adani–IIT Platinum Jubilee Change Makers Fellowship, aimed at mobilising talent across IITs for projects of national importance.
Citing examples from Silicon Valley and the Boston–Cambridge biotech cluster, Adani underlined how deep partnerships between universities and businesses can accelerate breakthroughs. “If corporates do not step up, we will remain users of foreign breakthroughs and never be originators. This is a future we cannot accept,” he added.
‘Salary or legacy — you must choose’
Adani, who shared anecdotes from his entrepreneurial journey beginning as a teenager in Ahmedabad, urged students to embrace risk-taking and innovation as a national duty. Recalling his decision at the age of 16 to leave home for Mumbai with “a ticket to freedom,” he encouraged students to think beyond personal security and instead align their careers with India’s rise.
“One train takes you to a salary. The other takes you to a legacy. Only one train carries the pride of building Bharat,” he told the audience. Adani concluded with an appeal to students to see themselves as the “new freedom fighters of Bharat,” whose weapons would be ideas and innovation. “Build so strong that no fear can chain us. Stand so tall that no empire can bend us. Rise so high that no force can stop us. Our Bharat awaits you,” he said.
