Varunram Ganesh, a US-based professional of Indian descent, has incited controversy online by advising job hunters to bypass potential employers whose managers use a mix of Hindi and English during the hiring process.
Mr Ganesh wrote on X, "A lot of Indian friends are entering the job market, switching jobs, among other things. The biggest advice I have to avoid bad managers and companies is: pick a manager who speaks fully in English."
He added, "During interviews, pay attention to how your future boss is talking. If you notice one Hindi word or Hindi sentence (frequently to other colleagues), politely decline the job after the call. It will not be worth it. If a manager doesn't know English and only knows Hindi / Regional languages, that's totally fine. But if you get a language mixer, your life will be terrible and you will regret your decision."
See the post here:
This bold statement quickly caught the attention of social media users. Many users on X commented that Mr Ganesh was out of touch with the realities of the Indian job market and society.
A user wrote, "It really shows that you're disconnected from the bottom 90% of society. Work in Manufacturing or a Darshini for a month and your opinion will change."
Another user commented on X, "Bhai, mixing language is a normal trait for non-native English speakers ie 90%+ Indians."
Social media users also criticised Mr Ganesh for his perceived elitism and lack of inclusivity. "This is a non-inclusive privileged statement. Language has nothing to do with managerial skills," one response read.
Other users on X said that the issue is not limited to just Hindi speakers, "Yes, Hindi is catching strays (deservedly), but the transgressions happen equally from speakers of other languages too," said one user.
A user who stays in the US but also speaks Hindi shared their perspective, "I am Indian, have zero accent and grew up in the States, but can speak Hindi. I am in senior management and would never tolerate screening based on language. There are brilliant Indian engineers who need help with English."
Several users accused Mr Ganesh of linguistic chauvinism, "Are you a linguistic chauvinist or just disconnected from reality?"
"Judging bad managers because of their language ability is like judging the taste of a fish by their ability to talk," another user added.
