- By Shailvee Tiwari
- Fri, 23 May 2025 01:19 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
A Bengaluru man’s post has sparked a heated discussion online about language and local identity. He shared his frustration over a friend who has been living in the city for 18 years but still hasn’t learned Kannada. The post struck a chord with many, who shared similar experiences of people living in Karnataka without making an effort to understand or speak the local language. In a city like Bengaluru, where people from all over the country come to live and work, conversations around learning Kannada are becoming louder. Many believe that learning the local language is not just polite, but a necessary step toward truly belonging.
“After 18 years in Bangalore, my friend hasn't voted or learnt Kannada. My initial efforts to teach her conversational phrases didn't work out. Recently, she said Kannadigas are biased. By the way, our interactions are now limited,” Prajwal Bhat wrote on X.
His post quickly went viral, with users flooding the comments section. Some backed his view, while others highlighted how ignoring local culture can lead to misunderstandings and division.
Watch The Viral Post:
After 18 yrs in Bangalore, my friend hasn't voted or learnt Kannada. My initial efforts to teach her conversational phrases didn't work out. Recently, she said Kannadigas are biased. By the way, our interactions are now limited.#Bengaluru #KannadaLanguage
— Prajwal Bhat (@drprajwalbhat) May 22, 2025
The post shared on X (Formerly Twitter) yesterday, by the handle '@drprajwalbhat' received many comments from people online. One user wrote, "This is bad, even after living in one place for 18 years, someone doesn’t learn that the local language is really bad. Having said that, at the same time, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Kolkata are cosmopolitan cities. People are trying to convert them into small towns and villages. People from other cities come to big cities because of the other benefits they offer, we are trying to make these cities into small towns and villages."
"I had a similar situation, my friend from Tamil Nadu was a hardcore fanatic, he stayed in Bangalore for nearly 15 years and never learnt a single word of Kannada, he used to say What is the need to learn? I am able to manage without learning," a second user added. "South Indian goes to any North Indian state, they will learn Hindi or their local language in no time. But when Hindus come to South India, they are unwilling to learn the local language, and expect locals to serve them in Hindi. On top of it, they call Hindi as national language," added a third user.
"She's biased! If you stay anywhere for even 2 weeks, you can pick up a few phrases and test them on people and watch their face light up with friendship and sometimes amusement," added a fourth user. "I have someone who lived in Bengaluru for 35 years and has not bothered to learn Kannada. Funny part is he claims to be a liberal respecting other cultures and languages," added another user.