New Delhi, June 20: Pranav Adani, Director of Adani Enterprises, addressed the ‘Chintan Research Foundation (CRF) Day’ event at ITC Maurya in New Delhi on Friday. He emphasized that stories are shaped by those who present evidence, provide context, and engage in global discussions. If India does not narrate its story with confidence and credibility, others will do it for us, often without fully grasping its complexities. This places a significant responsibility on India’s thinkers, as credibility stems from intellectual honesty.
Adani stated that CRF consistently brings together top policymakers, diplomats, academics, industrialists, and experts to discuss critical issues ranging from energy security to artificial intelligence, climate change, and digital public infrastructure. In his view, the success of a think tank like CRF is not measured by the number of reports published or events held, but by its ability to enhance the quality of national discussions.
He pointed out that nations need institutions capable of thinking beyond immediate headlines. Such entities should connect various aspects, generate ideas, scrutinize evidence, challenge assumptions, and assist decision-makers in navigating complexities. Nations require platforms that can unite diverse perspectives and present thoughtful, evidence-based analyses on issues shaping the future.
Adani noted that India is simultaneously increasing energy access, integrating millions into the formal economy, building infrastructure on an unprecedented scale, creating jobs, strengthening manufacturing, and pursuing one of the world’s most ambitious renewable energy transitions. However, facts alone do not create narratives. Stories are crafted by those who present evidence, provide context, and engage in global discussions.
He stressed the importance of think tanks connecting more deeply with India’s grassroots. With a rural population spread across the country, institutions like CRF should bridge knowledge and implementation, national priorities and local realities, as well as ambitious policies and practical outcomes. There is also a crucial international dimension to this.
Adani remarked that the challenges we face are becoming increasingly complex. Issues such as energy security, climate change, artificial intelligence, demographic shifts, urbanization, water crises, geopolitical competition, and social inclusion are no longer just discussions about future impacts. Their effects are already being felt in people’s lives and livelihoods. Historically, every successful nation has invested in physical infrastructure—roads, ports, airports, electrical systems, logistics, and networks.
On the occasion of CRF’s second anniversary, Adani acknowledged both an institutional achievement and the celebration of a concept. This concept is that as India grows in economic power and global influence, it must also invest in its capacity to think, question, forecast, and prepare. Over the past year, his confidence in India’s future has only strengthened, with the economy continuing to expand.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, during his address, remarked that CRF has emerged at a time when India needs institutions capable of clear thinking about a rapidly changing world, which is certainly faster than our traditional methods of understanding this change. By integrating practical industry insights into advocacy and governance, we ensure that policy is neither crafted in ideological vacuity nor left to the whims of short-term transactionalism.
He emphasized the need not only for the production of knowledge but also for the development of understanding. It is essential to exchange ideas and seek insights, especially in times when public discourse is often driven by speed rather than substance. In an era dominated by misinformation, such a commitment to reflection is timely and necessary, as the challenges we face are so broad and complex that simple solutions are not feasible.
Tharoor expressed his pleasure at being present for CRF’s second anniversary and extended heartfelt congratulations to everyone associated with the organization.
Former Norwegian Minister Erik Solheim also addressed the gathering, highlighting that they are fully powered by hydropower, which is more than one and a half times the entire grid of Bangladesh, a country of 180 million people. He noted that the Adani Group has established 3.3 megawatt-hours of battery capacity, making it the largest battery outside of China, with plans to expand to 14 gigawatt-hours this year, potentially becoming the largest battery in the world.
CRF President Shishir Priyadarshi thanked everyone for joining them on their second birthday. He noted that two years is a short time in any institution’s life, yet every organization reaches a point where it moves from mere imagination to creating real impact. At CRF, they have reached that milestone. They aim to create a platform rich in Indian perspectives, globally connected, and practically oriented.
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