Currently, the mood of the Kannada-speaking locals living in Bengaluru is volatile. The sentiment that people from North Indian states are migrating to Bengaluru in search of jobs, imposing the Hindi language on locals and ‘stealing’ the city’s identity is growing. The dank humour of North Indians isn’t helping either.
For example, a guy took to X to share a picture of two men wearing t-shirts on which it’s written, “Hindi National Language”, and wrote how it is the perfect t-shirt for a trip to Bengaluru.
Perfect tshirt for Bangalore trip? pic.twitter.com/XmEjVuEHzV
— Harshhh!!?️ (@lifexharsh) November 13, 2024
However, several people online, Kannada-speaking or not, didn’t find it funny. Many emphasised how people usually, when they go abroad, learn the basics of the language spoken in the place they’re visiting (French, Spanish, etc.) but when it comes to Indian states, they don’t show a similar kind of effort.
Others stressed how disrespectful it is to the city and its people and that Hindi, after all, is NOT our national language.
People won’t think for a minute before buying English to French, English to Spanish and English to Italian dictionaries while flying abroad but God forbid if you tell them to try and be courteous enough to learn a local language in India . There are folks who go on saying Kannada… https://t.co/NZYNb9a6f1
— Chandra R. Srikanth (@chandrarsrikant) November 14, 2024
I love it when people express their love towards Hindi in English ? https://t.co/ggWxUQOEju
— Kungfu Pasmanda (@KungfuPasmanda) November 14, 2024
>Disrespect locals
>provoke discrimination
>cry about it on sm
>get sympathy from national media— Wildflower (@happpie__) November 14, 2024
You can wear what you want in Bengaluru and be safe. No one will lynch you or abuse you.
But the fact remind you are uneducated about India- Hindi is not the national language.
Now imagine if someone wore Kannada TShirt in the Hindi speaking states . https://t.co/joNxGOe3xj
— Lavanya Ballal Jain (@LavanyaBallal) November 14, 2024
Bengaluru became IT capital only after welcoming all around the country. Locals even spoke broken Hindi to be friendly. It is then these kind of losers who started a nonsense by saying “To be an Indian, you SHOULD learn Hindi” and commenting shit on local languages. https://t.co/dDu0VVictX
— Vijeth Kumar (@Kuma50531Kumar) November 15, 2024
This is just uncalled for. You provoke and when they retaliate you play the victim.
Also fyi, Hindi is not anyone’s national language. India doesn’t have a national language. It is one of the official languages.
I respect all the languages. All languages are beautiful. My… https://t.co/ocEeOrk0iD
— Usha (@mauna_adiga) November 14, 2024
Hindi is NOT our national language. At most it is the official language of the Indian state. Such unnecessary flexing actually is problematic and creates tensions in society irking people who love their own language. Should be avoided at all costs. https://t.co/ey0wCiDxOQ
— Rahul Kaushik (@kaushkrahul) November 15, 2024
That Samosa gaadi vendor in my area who, while being from Bihar, can speak perfect Kannada as he packs delicious snacks seems so much mature now.
So do the Marwari kirana shop keepers who can speak 6 languages.
Of course it requires an open mind to learn a new language and… https://t.co/sqYDCNhdcd
— Saiswaroopa Iyer (@Sai_swaroopa) November 14, 2024
Although Kannada isn’t my mother tongue but this post is wrong & gross for various reasons.
Hindi isn’t the national language and hence I see it as absolute disrespect to Kannadigas who have been so good to us non-Kannada speaking people.
Not knowing a language isn’t a… https://t.co/0TJMXoqsMT
— Aabhas Maldahiyar ?? (@Aabhas24) November 15, 2024
Hindi imposition via English on an incorrect plank. https://t.co/xa1fG9veGa pic.twitter.com/uMadtzxOY0
— Abhishek Baxi (@baxiabhishek) November 14, 2024
No wonder the locals in Bengaluru are angry!