Bengaluru has recently been in the spotlight because of arguments about language. Many people from North India have moved to the city for jobs, and some locals feel that these newcomers should speak Kannada. They believe this will help protect the local language and culture. But not everyone agrees.
Some North Indians feel they shouldn’t be forced to speak Kannada and prefer using Hindi instead. Most don't seem to openly embrace being in Bengaluru like a Bengalurean. This situation brings to mind the old saying: "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."
A recent example of this language issue came from Arpit Bhayani, who shared his experience online. He claimed he was denied a parking spot just because he asked someone to make way in Hindi.
According to Bhayani, he spoke Hindi and the person refused to allow him park his vehicle in the city. He posted on X, saying, "Today, I was denied parking just because I asked the person to move aside in Hindi 🤦♂️ I'm okay with what happened..."
He also said that English should be the main language in cities instead of regional ones like Kannada or even Hindi.
He explained that younger people are often more comfortable speaking English, and this trend is becoming more common in cities and will soon spread to villages. He suggested that English could be a common language for everyone.
He ended his post by saying that if people thought his opinion was silly, then refusing to let him park just because he spoke Hindi was “just batshit crazy.”
Netizens react
His story received many responses online. Some users, noticing that he works at Google, joked that he could have simply used Google Translate to ask in Kannada.
One person wrote that language should be treated like a tool, just like programming languages such as C, Java, or Python — something you use when needed and learn when necessary.
Others were more critical.
"What’s the problem in learning the local language? When you go to the US, you try to speak with an American accent; in Paris, you take pride in using a few words of French. Same goes for Germany or Japan. But in Bengaluru, it becomes an ego issue to learn a few words of Kannada?", read a comment.
"The best thing to do is move out of Karnataka or any southern city. Come to dynamic cities like Noida or Lucknow. You’ll have complete freedom—speak whatever language you want, eat and live however you please", added another,
Let me know if you’d like this turned into a summary, article headline, or post!
