"I have failed as an entrepreneur" V G Siddhartha in his letter to Cafe Coffee Day employees
Bengaluru: "I have failed as an entrepreneur," V G Siddhartha, who has gone missing, has said in a letter purportedly written to the Board of Directors and employees of Coffee Day Enterprises, he founded.
There was no immediate confirmation on whether the letter was written by him, though it was written in his letter head with signature.
"After 37 years, with strong commitment to hard work, having directly created 30,000 jobs in our companies and their subsidiaries, as well as 20,000 jobs in technology company where I have been a large shareholder since its founding, I have failed to create the right profitable business model despite my best efforts", he said.
"I would like to say I gave it my all. I am very sorry to let down all the people that have put their trust in me," he said in the letter, widely circulated in the social media.
Siddhartha said he fought for a long time but "today I gave up as I could not take any more pressure from one of the private equity partners forcing me to buy back shares, a transaction I had partially completed six months ago by borrowing a large sum of money from a friend".
"Tremendous pressure from other lenders lead to me succumbing to the situation", he said.
Siddhartha alleged in the letter that there was a lot of harassment from the previous DG Income Tax in the form of attaching "our shares on two separate occasions to block our Mindtree deal and then taking position of our Coffee Day shares, although revised returns have been filed by us".
"This was very unfair and has led to a serious liquidity crunch," he said.
"I sincerely request each of you to be strong and to continue running these businesses with a new management.I am solely responsible for all mistakes. Every financial transaction is my responsibility," Siddhartha said adding his team, auditors and senior management were "unaware" of his transactions.
Siddhartha said the law should hold him accountable, as he had withheld this information from everybody including his family.
Claiming that his intention was never to cheat or mislead anybody, he said, "I have failed as an entreprenuer. This is my sincere submission. I hope someday you will understand, forgive and pardon me".
Siddhartha said "...our assets outweigh our liabilities and can help repay everybody".
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Zakir Hussain in critical condition; Family issues clarification after reports of his demise
San Francisco: Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, renowned for his extraordinary talent, is in critical condition at a hospital in the United States due to severe heart-related ailments. His manager, Nirmala Bachani, confirmed his hospitalisation in San Francisco.
Amidst widespread reports of his demise, Hussain's family issued a clarification, stating that he is alive but critically ill. "He is still breathing, but very critical. Please pray for him," said his sister, Khurshid Aulia.
Earlier, several Union Ministers and Chief Ministers mistakenly paid tributes to the legendary percussionist on X (formerly Twitter). The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting also had to delete its condolence post after the clarification. Hussain’s nephew, Ameer Aulia, also appealed on X, urging people to avoid spreading misinformation and to pray for his recovery.
Born in Bombay as the eldest son of legendary tabla player Ustad Allah Rakha, Zakir Hussain began his illustrious career at the age of 13. Over the decades, he collaborated with global icons, blending Indian classical music with jazz through pioneering projects like Shakti in 1973.
The Padma Vibhushan awardee has enthralled audiences worldwide with his virtuosity and innovative artistry, earning a place among India’s most celebrated classical musicians.
