‘Can you lift a buffalo?’: Thyrocare's Velumani explains how he mastered Hindi step by step

Thyrocare founder A Velumani on Thursday shared a video where he talked about how one can master Hindi through consistent learning. He used a unique buffalo analogy to illustrate his point. 

While delivering a talk, Velumani was asked how a Tamil speaker can survive in North India. He dismissed any notion of an "atmosphere difference", suggesting that language is the only barrier and that it can be overcome with regular practice.

"Can you lift a buffalo?" Velumani asked the boy, who asked him the question. When the boy replied "No, Sir", Velumani followed up: "Can you lift a newborn buffalo?" The boy answered "Yes." He continued: "If it’s one day old? Two days old?" Each time, the boy affirmed, "Yes." Velumani then concluded: "Don’t give a single-day break… on the 300th day, you are lifting an adult buffalo."

He related this to his own language-learning journey, explaining how he mastered Hindi after moving to Mumbai. "When I went to Mumbai, I knew I had to learn Hindi. I purchased a first-standard book, then a second-standard book, then third, then fourth. Fifth-standard Hindi—I mastered in one year. Today, I am telling punchlines on the stage."

Sharing the video on Instagram, Velumani captioned it: "This is how a weightlifter lifts 150 kgs. Start from basic. Add one by one. Do not give a break. You can do anything."

Velumani's remarks come amid the ongoing row over the Centre's three-language policy under the National Education Policy (NEP). Tamil Nadu has strongly opposed what it calls Hindi imposition. 

Zoho chief scientist Sridhar Vembu recently suggested that Tamil Nadu should learn from Andhra and Kerala, who don't politicise language. "Here is the AP Chief Minister, talking about the importance of Hindi. Andhra Pradesh is our neighbor and culturally very close to Tamil Nadu. They don't politicise language. Kerala does not politicise language either (and let's say they don't agree with the central government on many things). Something we should learn from our neighbouring states?" Vembu wrote on X.

Andhra Pradesh IT and Human Resources Development Minister Nara Lokesh has dismissed concerns about Hindi imposition, saying India's linguistic diversity would prevent any such move. "I don't believe impositions will happen in India. I believe every state is unique. When I met the Education Minister, he was more focused on promoting Telugu as the medium of instruction in the state," Lokesh said while speaking at the India Today Conclave 2025. 

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu recently defended the importance of learning multiple languages, calling Hindi a "national language" and encouraging students to embrace it for better communication. "I am telling this very clearly to you, language is not for hating. Here (in Andhra Pradesh) the mother tongue is Telugu. Hindi is the national language and the international language is English,” Naidu told the Assembly.