Harsh Goenka candidly admits to his hesitation in public speaking despite fluency in Hindi: ‘I think, feel in it. But….'

Industrialist Harsh Goenka candidly admitted to his hesitation in public speaking despite his deep comfort with Hindi language. The Chairman of RPG Group was recently honoured with an award.

Taking to X, Harsh Goenka wrote, “I speak fluent Hindi. I think in it. I feel in it. But when it comes to public speaking, I hesitate.” Sharing a 2-minute video of his Hindi acceptance speech, the 68-year-old entrepreneur added, “My feeble attempt on the occasion of getting an award.”

The business leader shared his experience of moving to Mumbai at the age of 24 and . Recalling his initial days in the “City of Dreams”, he said, “At the age of 24, when I visited Mumbai, I had dreams in my pocket nd my mind was full of energy. Even today, my dreams are as big as they were, but the power of my spectacles has increased.”

Harsh Goenka acknowledges ‘Spirit of Mumbai’

With Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis by his side, Harsh Goenka acknowledged the charismatic character of the city, In a heartfelt speech, he said, “Mumbai city offers two things — traffic and inspiration. The only difference is that one gets caught in traffic and inspiration motivates one to move ahead. This city's main strength is its passion as this is the place where people learn after multiple failures to rise again…. If we miss a train then we board another train,…this is what we call the “Spirit of Mumbai.””

Social media reaction

The post garnered over 1.28 lakh views, 2,000 likes and several comments. A user wrote, “Someone had once told me that I am not good at public speaking . I have his two videos and this third one says it all.” Another user remarked, “Great leaders are often humble & sometimes hesitant, but their clarity & focus are extraordinary and inspiring.”

A third comment read, “What you spoke is more valuable than how you spoke !” A fourth user stated, “Fluent in thought hesitant on stage its humility Harsh ji and your honest Hindi might have touched millions. True leaders speak from the heart not just the tongue.” A fifth user said, “You rocked it in Hindi. I had a similar experience and was so hesitant that time, but if you are fluent in the language it just starts to flow.”

A sixth user wrote, ““Feeble attempt”? Not at all! Your speech was heartfelt, confident, and truly impactful.”