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He recognized the need to adhere to the concept of the program and maintain its integrity.
New Delhi:
Chennai-based entrepreneur Karthik Manikonda was reportedly denied the opportunity to present his startup on Shark Tank India due to the language barrier. Manikonda expressed concern about the popular TV show’s linguistic bias in a LinkedIn post.
Manikonda is the founder of The Mind and Company, a mental health focused company. He wrote about his experience in a March 7 post.
He said he was initially chosen to participate in the contest, but since he was not fluent in Hindi, he was denied presenting his entry to the judges.
Expressing his dismay, Manikonda stated that Shark Tank India has a policy of allowing only participants who are fluent in Hindi to present their business ideas. Despite proposing that he be allowed to present his idea in English, the show’s producers reportedly denied his request.
“I’m not fluent in Hindi. It’s a Hindi show. It’s a national show.” Manikonda said in his LinkedIn post, pointing out the challenges regional entrepreneurs face as a result of these language obstacles.
He acknowledged the need to adhere to the program’s concept and maintain its integrity, but continued to advocate for a way to ensure that regional businesses are not marginalized.
Manikonda proposed using artificial intelligence (AI) to translate text in real time as a possible way to overcome the language barrier.
He underlined the need to resolve this issue to ensure that talented entrepreneurs from non-Hindi speaking areas are not left out of opportunities like Shark Tank India.
Manikonda expressed optimism despite the setback, saying: “Disappointed, but not eliminated.”
The post sparked intense debate on the social media platform.
While some users suggested hiring a translator for Shark Tank India, other investors said they were willing to provide funding to their company.
“Maybe a good interpreter would have worked?” one user suggested.
Some commentators pointed out that Shark Tank India is intended for Hindi speakers, while others pointed out that the show is titled Shark Tank India rather than Shark Tank Hindi, implying that most of the country’s non-Hindi speaking people It will be difficult for them. to participate in the reality show.