NEW DELHI: A viral video capturing a confrontation in Bengaluru between a local resident and a man who doesn’t speak Kannada has stirred a heated debate on social media.
In the video, shared on ‘X’ by user ‘ManjuKBye’ shows, a local man questioning another individual, who has been living and working in Karnataka for 12 years, on why he hasn’t learned Kannada.
The local implies that not learning Kannada is a sign of disrespect toward the local culture, stating, “You come here for a job and a salary, yet you ignore the language.”
He adds, “At least make an effort to learn Kannada, okay? This is Bengaluru, not Mumbai or Gujarat,” and concludes with, “This is our state, our India.”
In sharing the clip, the user wrote, “12 years in Karnataka and yet to understand and learn Kannada? That says only two things: zero curiosity and willingness to learn, arrogance towards local culture and language.”
Reacting to the video, a user said, “Why should he learn? Is forcing someone to learn a language now a requirement to move to a different state? The language enthusiasts just want to harass outsiders. Not everyone has the time to learn a new language due to other responsibilities.”
Another user countered, “Look at him, he’s getting everything from Karnataka, but no Kannada.”
5,000 posters
Meanwhile, in an effort to bridge the language gap, Bengaluru’s traffic police launched an initiative Friday to help non-Kannadigas learn basic Kannada.
Posters with simple Kannada phrases and their English translations were pasted on 5,000 autorickshaws, with plans to expand to 50,000 this month.