The talents of India exodus in the United States have long dominated the debate on brain flight. But what happens if the real loss is not geographic? What if it is cultural – anchored in the prejudices that governs which is seen, heard and sustained? The risk capital Archana Jahagirdar returns the script with a daring criticism of the way India is undergoing its own potential, not because talent starts, but because it is often suffocated at home.
“The real leak of the brain of India is not for the United States. It is to our own prejudices,” wrote Archana Jahagirdar, founder and managing partner at Rukam Capital, in a LinkedIn article which now arouses conversation through the communities of startup and technology.
She criticized the tone of celebration which often accompanies the refusals of visa: “Whenever a high -level student is stuck in a visa disorder, Twitter applaudy. As if keeping them suddenly would repair the system. This is not the case. Because the real problem is not that the United States takes our brightest. It is that we do not appreciate those who choose to stay. ”
Jahagirdar challenged the story that the best minds always leave India, arguing that success abroad is often linked to open systems rather than the higher intellect: “It is not that America has a better brain. It’s just that they built a system with fewer gourmet. You don’t need to be from the right school. Or speak English a way you have a certain means. Or have a common connection from your father’s golf club. If you are good – they finance you.
By comparing the start-up environments, it has targeted the island ecosystem of India: “Here, we always measure the value of Iit-IIM labels. We build walls around opportunity, not doors. Just look at our start -up ecosystem. to start.”
Jahagirdar did not stop for criticism. She launched an appeal for action for Indian entrepreneurs and investors to rethink the way they see and support local talents: “If India wants to build an economy of $ 5 – we have to stop treating pedigree as a passport. We must treat talents as an infrastructure.
His post struck a sensitive string with a lot on social networks. A user wrote: “Brillyment articulated. As a person working in close collaboration with small and medium-sized enterprises, I see from first hand how many incredible founders are neglected simply because they did not come from the “expected” background.
Another added: “So agree with you – we really need more players in the start -up ecosystem and more opportunities for the talent we have.”
