After Speak Asia's effective shutdown in May, senior panelists initiated a public relations campaign to curb information sharing among its members. This campaign used platforms like the Speak Asia Mobi club blog, the Speak Asia Powers Facebook page, and the All India Speak Asia Panelist Association.
Speak Asia management understands the promise of returning invested funds is their only remaining leverage with supporters. This promise ensures members continue to offer blind loyalty. Over the past week, a series of events have damaged these efforts.
Discrepancies emerged between the "all is well" narrative pushed by top panelists and the company's operational reality. Through these same panelists, Speak Asia has severely restricted the free exchange of information among its members.
The disappearance of Speak Asia's public management, Harendar Kaur, Manoj Kumar, and Tarak Bajpai, contributes to this information control.
Speak Asia Global CEO Harendar Kaur was last publicly seen in early 2011. She has not made an appearance since. While press releases occasionally bear her name, their authenticity remains unverified. Kaur reportedly lives in Singapore, funded by over $100 million siphoned from India in July.
Manoj Kumar has not appeared publicly since mid-May 2011. He fled overseas to Dubai shortly after. Kumar promised to return to Mumbai and lead panelists in an August video, following COO Tarak Bajpai's arrest. This promise proved false. Kumar has made no public appearances since May and remains in hiding. His last digital presence was a YouTube video published from an unofficial account in early October, containing a series of unfulfilled promises.
Many panelists turned to COO Tarak Bajpai after Manoj Kumar's pledge to return to India failed. Bajpai briefly acted as a Speak Asia figurehead before his arrest in late July. Following his arrest, Bajpai underwent immediate surgery and spent months in a hospital. Upon his discharge in late October, he immediately went into hiding again. He has not been seen or heard from since. Bajpai's current location, and whether he remains in India, is unknown.
