'Can I present in Hindi?': Kunal Bahl, cofounder of snapdeal, recalls investor's pitch
"It seemed strange that two people, who understand and speak the same native language fluently, are having to discuss whether they can have a business presentation in their own language, which they know best," Bahl wrote on X (formally twitter)
- Apr 22, 2024,
- Updated Apr 22, 2024 2:50 PM IST
Kunal Bahl, a prominent Indian entrepreneur and investor, recalled an incident and highlighted the importance of having confidence in speaking in one's mother tongue and not not suffer from a "colonial mindset".
Bahl, who co-founded Snapdeal and Titan Capital, wrote on X (formally twitter), "Getting your point across, the complete and authentic essence of it, is much more important than having a colonial mindset that if it's an important business presentation, it must be done in English."
In his post, Bahl said that a startup founder sheepishly asked whether he can walk him through his startup's presentation in Hindi because he would be more comfortable.
"Obviously I replied with a resounding "Yes, of course!," Bahl wrote. "It seemed strange that two people, who understand and speak the same native language fluently, are having to discuss whether they can have a business presentation in their own language, which they know best."
The snapdeal cofounder presumed that many founders may think investors expect them to be very suave and fluent in English. "At least from my standpoint, it absolutely doesn't matter. Zero," he said.
Earlier, former Shark Tank India judge Ashneer Grover had also batted for using Hindi for communicating. In an interview, Grover said that unlike English, which has a ‘musical tone’, Hindi is ‘dhande ki bhasha’ and has nuances that help the speaker get straight to the point.
He said that even in his office, he asks that everyone speak in Hindi, because he feels English isn’t direct enough. He said that he’s met countless investors in his time, and he used to get annoyed when they used to beat around the bush and ask for more ‘metrics’ instead of simply turning him down.
Kunal Bahl, a prominent Indian entrepreneur and investor, recalled an incident and highlighted the importance of having confidence in speaking in one's mother tongue and not not suffer from a "colonial mindset".
Bahl, who co-founded Snapdeal and Titan Capital, wrote on X (formally twitter), "Getting your point across, the complete and authentic essence of it, is much more important than having a colonial mindset that if it's an important business presentation, it must be done in English."
In his post, Bahl said that a startup founder sheepishly asked whether he can walk him through his startup's presentation in Hindi because he would be more comfortable.
"Obviously I replied with a resounding "Yes, of course!," Bahl wrote. "It seemed strange that two people, who understand and speak the same native language fluently, are having to discuss whether they can have a business presentation in their own language, which they know best."
The snapdeal cofounder presumed that many founders may think investors expect them to be very suave and fluent in English. "At least from my standpoint, it absolutely doesn't matter. Zero," he said.
Earlier, former Shark Tank India judge Ashneer Grover had also batted for using Hindi for communicating. In an interview, Grover said that unlike English, which has a ‘musical tone’, Hindi is ‘dhande ki bhasha’ and has nuances that help the speaker get straight to the point.
He said that even in his office, he asks that everyone speak in Hindi, because he feels English isn’t direct enough. He said that he’s met countless investors in his time, and he used to get annoyed when they used to beat around the bush and ask for more ‘metrics’ instead of simply turning him down.