"Terrible PR For Bengaluru": Delhi Entrepreneur On Kannada Language Row
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A Delhi entrepreneur warned that ongoing language disputes harm Bengaluru's image. He emphasised communication over cultural battles and suggested that language learning should be organic.
A Delhi-based entrepreneur expressed concern that recurring incidents over the Kannada language were doing "terrible PR" for Bengaluru.
Abhijit Chakraborty, Founder Partner at Alphanumero Agency & Studio, said that people often figured out a "common way to communicate" in situations where they couldn't understand each other,
"Any language, in everyday life, is simply a means to communicate," Mr Chakraborty wrote in a LinkedIn post.
He gave an example of a person from Chennai trying to book an auto ride in Delhi, suggesting that if conversations ended up "being a culture war", the individual would never reach the desired location.
Next, Mr Chakraborty shared his experience of living in the national capital. Despite being fluent in Bengali, Hindi and English, he had to pick a fourth one (Punjabi) to speak with others "because it's everywhere in Delhi," he added.
Even though he was not fluent in Punjabi, Mr Chakraborty said he could understand it and try to respond with his "own version of the language."
Mr Chakraborty believed that "non-Kannadigas" in Bengaluru would learn the Kannada language if they stayed "long enough", and if they felt "an inclination towards it."
He noted that he started speaking Punjabi through random conversations and had a general interest in Sikh history and heritage.
"Shoving a language down someone's throat never works," he added.
In the comments section of the viral post, multiple people agreed with Mr Chakraborty's suggestion.
A woman said she can't speak "more than a couple of words in Kannada," despite being married to a "Kannadiga" for four years. She added that she started picking up the meaning of conversations with time.
"Language should be a bridge, not a battleground. These culture wars around language often just distract from the real issues," she added.
Another person said the "only way to make another person learn your language is to make it cool."
A third user wrote that this "aggressive" imposition of culture in the name of "promoting and safeguarding" shall "never ever" work.
Mr Chakraborty's post came days after a manager at the SBI branch in Bengaluru's Chandapura refused to speak with a customer in Kannada, saying, "This is India, I'll speak Hindi, not Kannada."
The viral video soon drew sharp criticism from activists of the language and political leaders.
Later, the manager was transferred, while both the bank and the person issued apologies.
In recent weeks, the advocates for the language suggested people learn it to respect the local culture. However, critics argued such an expectation was exclusionary, especially in a cosmopolitan city.
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