Recently during my meeting with some local Business leaders in Gurugram, heard this amazing story from one of the senior business executive who works for a large MNC. He shared his recent experience while having a tea at a road side vendor, in the heart of the Gurugram’s bustling market, where he met this 16-year-old Raju, with only a Class 8 education, who runs a thriving tea stall. Selling tea at Rs 5 per cup, cheaper than the Rs 8-10 charged by competitors, Raju attracts 200 customers daily, from labourers to shopkeepers. He manages everything, brewing tea, sourcing supplies and balancing costs, all in his native Hindi.
This senior business executive who is an IIM MBA graduate, was intrigued by the low price and steady crowd and suggested to Raju, “Why not charge Rs 10 per cup? You would earn more profit per sale!”. Raju, with remarkable clarity, responded,
“Sir, at Rs 5, I sell 200 cups daily, earning Rs1,000. My cost per cup is Rs 2, so my profit is Rs 3 per cup, totalling Rs 600 a day. If I charge Rs 10, my customers, who can’t afford it, would go elsewhere. I would sell 50 cups at most, earning Rs 500, with only Rs 400 profit. Low prices mean more sales and keep my cash flowing. I use the daily earnings to buy tea leaves, sugar and milk for the next day without needing loans. My customers return every day because my tea is affordable.”
This business friend of mine stood amazed. Raju, without formal education or English fluency, intuitively understands pricing, cash flow management and customer loyalty, principles that rival corporate strategize. This encounter revealed a profound truth, entrepreneurial brilliance that thrives across India, often in local languages, untapped by formal business education.
India, with a population of over 1.4 billion, is home to millions of non-English speakers like Raju. According to the 2011 Census, only 10.6% of Indians speak English as a first, second or third language, leaving nearly 90%, over 1.2 billion people, relying on Hindi, Bengali, Gujrati, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Kashmiri, Punjabi and other regional languages. Many of these individuals, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas, run small businesses or aspire to entrepreneurship, displaying innate business acumen. Yet, they lack access to quality business education, which is predominantly offered in English.
Introducing Business Administration (BA) programs in local languages could transform this landscape. Such programs would democratize access to concepts like marketing, financial literacy, operations, and customer retention, empowering non-English speakers to not only become entrepreneurs and employers but also become skilled employees.
For instance, individuals like Raju could scale their ventures, optimize pricing strategiesand manage inventory more effectively, creating jobs in their communities. With formal training in their native language, they could navigate legal frameworks, access credit and compete in larger markets. By the way, who knows, there may be a potential “Chayos” startup awaiting. Also, non-English-speaking individuals could gain skills in teamwork, time management and workplace communication, making them valuable assets to small businesses, startups and corporations expanding into tier-2 and tier-3 cities.
The potential impact is immense. India’s MSME sector, which employs over 111 million people and contributes 30% to GDP (as per 2023 data), is largely driven by non-English-speaking entrepreneurs and workers. Local-language business education could enhance their efficiency, reduce financial risks, and boost innovation. Moreover, with 65% of India’s population under 35 years old, a youthful, multilingual workforce could drive economic growth if equipped with accessible education.
Local entrepreneurs, MSMEs, and startups are growing in every corner of India. But they need locally trained managers who understand regional markets, speak the local language, and can manage operations, logistics, and people effectively. An MBA in the local language builds a workforce rooted in the region, trained for regional challenges.
While urban India has benefitted from English-medium business education, rural and tier-2/tier-3 students often struggle despite having entrepreneurial talent. Introducing MBA programs in Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Marathi, Telugu, Malayalam, and other regional languages would make management education accessible to the majority, not just the English-speaking elite.
India’s Vocal for Local and Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives also demand business leaders who can work in their own communities, lead self-help groups, co-operatives, local supply chains and even rural enterprises. Many of these sectors operate in local languages. Teaching management in English alone alienates the very people we want to empower.
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 strongly advocates for education in the mother tongue or regional language, especially in early and higher education. It calls for the promotion of Indian languages as mediums of instruction to strengthen cognitive ability, cultural identity and inclusive access.
Contrary to the belief that English is the only gateway to global management, many developed nations have robust business education systems in their native languages. Germany offers many MBA and business programs in German, catering to domestic industry needs.Strong dual-education model where management is linked with local SMEs, often in regional dialects.
In Japan, business schools’ function in Japanese with content deeply embedded in Japanese work culture that focuses on long-term employment philosophy, relevant to Japanese values.France has most management schools use French, especially in public institutions.
While China has some international MBA programs in English, most domestic business education occurs in Mandarin.This has enabled China to grow a massive base of home-grown entrepreneurs and managers.These countries prove that a nation can be globally competitive and locally rooted at the same time, without abandoning its linguistic heritage.
In the evolving landscape of global and local economies, the relevance of management education has never been more critical. Yet in India, a nation of linguistic richness and regional diversity, management education, particularly MBA programs, remains largely limited to the English language. This linguistic barrier unintentionally sidelines a large segment of the population, especially students from rural and semi-urban backgrounds who have the potential, ideasand local insight, but lack fluency in English.
Raju’s story is a clarion call. India’s economic future lies in empowering its non-English-speaking talent. By offering Business Administration programs in local languages, we can unlock the potential of millions, fostering not just entrepreneurs and employers but nation-builders who fuel India’s growth in every market, from Gurugram’s tea stalls to global stages.
India needs to translate global case studies, textbooks, and journals into regional languages besides creating its own content and curriculum that suits to its local market needs. Use AI and national translation missions for scale.Higher Education Institutions need to train and encourage teachers to deliver management education in local languages without compromising rigor.
India needs to encourage regional B-Schools, State universities, Rural universities and Skill universities, to take the lead in designing regional MBA curricula tailored to local economic needs and ensuring that regional MBA degrees are equally recognized by accreditation bodies and employers across India.There is also a need to create multilingual MOOCs and blended learning models that allow learners to switch languages based on comfort and proficiency.
India cannot become a Viksit Bharat (Developed India) by 2047 unless its management education becomes multilingual, inclusive and rooted in regional contexts. An MBA in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi, Bengali, and other Indian languages is not a step backward, it is a leap forward in social justice, local economic empowerment and cultural affirmation.
Let us build a new India where language is not a barrier to leadership, but a bridge to inclusive progress.
(The Author is Founding Vice Chancellor: Shri Vishwakarma Skill University and OSD to CM Haryana)
