Language wars are heating up all across the country and more so in Tamil Nadu. Industrialists and business owners have spoken up about the importance of learning Hindi. Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu weighed in on the issue and emphasized its importance.
On his X handle, Vembu wrote, “As Zoho grows rapidly in India, we have rural engineers in Tamil Nadu working closely with customers in Mumbai and Delhi – so much of our business is driven from these cities and from Gujarat. Rural jobs in Tamil Nadu depend on us serving those customers well. Not knowing Hindi is often a serious handicap for us in Tamil Nadu. It is smart for us to learn Hindi. I have learned to read Hindi haltingly in the last 5 years and I can now understand about 20% of what is spoken. As India is a fast growing economy, engineers and entrepreneurs in Tamil Nadu will be smart to learn Hindi. Ignore the politics, let us learn the language! ஹிந்தி கற்றுக் கொள்வோம்! आइये हिंदी सीखें!”
As Zoho grows rapidly in India, we have rural engineers in Tamil Nadu working closely with customers in Mumbai and Delhi – so much of our business is driven form these cities and from Gujarat. Rural jobs in Tamil Nadu depend on us serving those customers well.
Not knowing Hindi…
— Sridhar Vembu (@svembu) February 25, 2025
Another business owner Deepan Shanmugasundaram, who spoke about his steel business also shared his thoughts on the issue. In a long thread on X, Shanmugasundaram discussed the business challenges in Tamil Nadu due to the language barrier, particularly in the steel wholesale sector. He highlighted how Jain and Patel businesses thrived by bridging the Hindi-Tamil gap. He stressed that language proficiency was crucial for business growth, citing his own struggles in hiring Hindi-speaking staff. He advocated for multilingual education, suggesting Tamil, English, and an additional language for broader opportunities. Reflecting on his missed chances in Japan and Italy due to language constraints, he supported NEP’s multilingual approach, urging Tamil Nadu to embrace practical language learning instead of rejecting it for political reasons.
One of my business is steel wholesale.
Most of the Jain or Patel businesses in TN exist just because we can’t communicate with north in Hindi and purchase goods from Raipur or Bhillai.
They come, learn our language and do distribution here in 1000s of crores.
(1/n)
— Deepan Shanmugasundaram (@deepan_civileng) February 25, 2025
Background
The controversy over Hindi imposition reignited after the Tamil Nadu government accused the Centre of withholding funds due to the state’s non-implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP). However, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan dismissed these allegations, asserting that the NEP does not enforce Hindi or any other language on Tamil Nadu students.
Speaking in Delhi, Pradhan emphasized that multilingual education—including Tamil, English, and other Indian languages—benefits students. He accused Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK of politicizing the issue, reaffirming the Centre’s commitment to nationwide NEP implementation while adhering to its stipulated conditions.
Taking the protests to an all-new low, DMK cadre indulged in defacing boards written in Hindi – these include railway station nameboards, Post office boards etc.
In December 2024, former Anna University Vice-Chancellor E. Balagurusamy urged Tamil Nadu to adopt a three-language policy, arguing that the current two-language system disadvantages underprivileged students while wealthier students gain multilingual skills. He emphasized that learning Hindi, India’s most widely spoken language, could enhance job prospects, foster national unity, and promote integration. Balagurusamy criticized political leaders for opposing the policy while their own children study Hindi. He cited C.N. Annadurai’s progressive mindset, suggesting he would have reconsidered the policy today. He urged Tamil Nadu to embrace linguistic diversity as an asset for social and economic progress rather than a political issue.
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