Bengaluru customer demands bank manager speak Kannada, she declines; video sparks debate: ‘This is India, I'll speak in Hindi'
The now-viral video shows the customer repeatedly urging the bank official to speak in Kannada, while the manager firmly refuses. The exchange quickly escalates, becoming a flashpoint in the ongoing debate around local language use in public services. 'Wait a second, this is Karnataka,' the customer says. 'You have not given me employment,' the bank manager responds.
The customer in question goes on to say, 'This is Karnataka, madam,' to which the bank manager replies, 'So? This is India.' As the video progresses, the customer goes on to say, 'Kannada first, madam.'
'I will not speak Kannada for you,' the bank manager says.
Despite the manager's refusal, the customer persists, 'So you will never speak in Kannada?' The bank manager says, 'No. I will speak Hindi.' The standoff continues for several minutes, with the conversation reduced to a back-and-forth, 'Hindi-Kannada'.
Frustrated, the customer reminds the official of existing rules. 'Madam, this is Karnataka, you should speak Kannada. It's not about the chairman. There is an RBI rule that in that particular state, you must speak the respective language,' he says.
'I will never speak Kannada,' the bank manager says. To this, the customer responds, 'Super, madam, super.'
Watch here:
I WILL NOT SPEAK KANNADA IN KARNATAKA, NEVER, SPEAK IN HINDI.
@TheOfficialSBI Branch manager SBI, surya nagara, anekal taluk KARNATAKA
Your Branch manager and staff disrespect the Kannada language, imposing hindi on people of karnataka, misbehaving with customers,on duty times… pic.twitter.com/drD7L6Dydb
— ಗುರುದೇವ್ ನಾರಾಯಣ್ 💛❤️ GURUDEV NARAYAN🌿 (@Gurudevnk16) May 20, 2025
The incident has fueled a debate over language, with many on social media slamming the customer for imposing the Kannada language on the bank manager. 'We are unnecessarily fighting Pakistan, we have enough reasons to get divided internally,' a user wrote. 'But let's be clear: you can't force someone to speak a particular language. If SBI transfers a Hindi-speaking employee to Bengaluru, that's not their fault. Expecting basic respect is fair — harassment and hate isn't,' another user commented.
'Services are to be served in local/customer understandable language. There's no substitute to that,' a third user said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Standard
28 minutes ago
- Business Standard
A weak dollar hasn't prevented rupee from trading near record lows
Despite the US dollar index weakening by 9.53 per cent in the current calendar year, the rupee is trading near its lowest against the greenback. The local currency has depreciated by 2.3 per cent in the current calendar year so far. The dollar index measures the value of the greenback relative to a basket of six currencies, including Euro, Yen, British Pound, Swiss Franc, Canadian dollar and Swedish Krona. Market participants said that the domestic currency has remained under pressure despite favourable conditions from a weaker dollar, as subdued capital inflows and external headwinds weighed on investor sentiment. The recent US tariff hikes on Indian exports to the world's largest economy, of up to 50 per cent, have heightened trade tensions, dampened investor confidence, and triggered foreign portfolio outflows. 'It is only the tariffs, which is a concern right now. Otherwise, we typically weaken by 1 per cent to 2 per cent in a year. So, whatever excess weakness has happened is because of tariffs. We are expecting FY26 to close at an average rate of 87 per dollar,' said Abhishek Goenka, chief executive officer at IFA Global. Higher US tariffs are believed to weigh on India's exports, leading to lower forex earnings for the country, and thus higher demand for the greenback in the domestic market. Additionally, a surprise 50-basis-point policy rate cut by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in June eroded carry trade appeal and lowered forward premiums, leaving the rupee more vulnerable to external shocks. Against other major currencies, Euro and British Pound, the rupee has witnessed 12 per cent and 7 per cent depreciation, respectively, so far. Analysts said that global investors are increasingly shifting capital towards developed markets, which are currently trading at record highs. Foreign portfolio investors have net sold Rs 10,147 crore worth of equities so far in August (till 11th). 'The dollar index has softened, which means the dollar has weakened against other currencies like Euro and Pound in the basket because of tariffs,' said the treasury head at a private bank. 'The rupee is under pressure because of the continuous outflow from equities,' he added. In early 2025, Europe's major currencies strengthened significantly against the US dollar as growing concerns over the US economic outlook prompted investors to shift portfolio allocations toward Europe and the UK. The rupee had touched its record low of 87.95 per dollar on February 10, 2025. Between March and early July, it regained some ground, appreciating about 2.5 per cent to trade near 85.59 per USdollar on the back of improved trade sentiment, foreign portfolio inflows, and reduced speculative positions. However, renewed concerns on US tariff hikes, persistent capital outflows, and weakening investor sentiment in August pushed the rupee back toward its lows, hovering in the 87.80–87.88 range. RBI interventions in the spot and non-deliverable forwards (NDF) markets have so far prevented a breach of the 88 mark, said market observers. On Monday, the rupee settled at 87.66 per dollar, flat against the previous close. Latest data by the RBI show that the Real Effective Exchange Rate (REER) of the rupee fell to 100.36 in June, down from 101.12 in May. The REER adjusts the Nominal Effective Exchange Rate (NEER) to account for inflation differentials between India and its major trading partners. A REER value above 100 indicates an appreciation of the rupee relative to the base year, potentially making Indian exports less competitive in global markets. On the other hand, the RBI's interventions in the NDF and spot forex markets to avoid the rupee's decline past 88 per dollar resulted in a significant depletion of foreign exchange reserves, marking the steepest decline of 2025. India's foreign exchange reserves fell by $9.3 billion to $688 billion in the week ended August 1, the highest weekly fall since the week ended November 15, 2024. The RBI sold around $6.9 billion in the spot market because the rupee was under pressure during the week, whereas, there was a revaluation loss of about $2.1 billion.
India.com
an hour ago
- India.com
'Decision does not fall under...': RBI Governor issues big statement after ICICI bank raises minimum account balance to Rs 50000
RBI governor Sanjay Malhotra New Delhi: In a significant statement after ICICI bank raised minimum account balance to Rs 50,000, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Sanjay Malhotra has said that the monthly minimum average balance requirement will be decided by banks as the decision does not fall under any regulatory jurisdiction. Here are all the details you need to know about what Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Sanjay Malhotra has said on the ICICI bank's action. What has ICICI bank said on monthly minimum average balance requirement? Asked on the sidelines of a financial inclusion programme in Gujarat about the RBI's response to ICICI Bank's new rules, Malhotra said the central bank has left it to the banks to decide the minimum average balance, as per a report carried by IANS news agency. He further said that some banks have fixed this limit at Rs 10,000, while some banks have kept this limit at Rs 2,000 for customers. However, there are many banks that have completely removed it for their customers. 'This decision does not fall under the regulatory domain,' he clarified. What are the new rules at monthly minimum average balance requirement? According to ICICI Bank, customers at metro and urban locations who opened their savings accounts on or after August 1 have to maintain Rs 50,000 monthly average balance to avoid penalties. The minimum average balance for older customers remains Rs 10,000. New customers in semi-urban locations will be required to maintain a minimum average balance of Rs 25,000, and rural customers will have to maintain Rs 10,000. Readers should note that the minimum average balance remains at Rs 5,000 a month for old customers in rural and semi-urban areas. Customers who do not maintain the minimum average balance will be levied a penalty at 6 per cent of the shortfall or Rs 500, whichever is lower. (With inputs from agencies)
Mint
2 hours ago
- Mint
Reforms undertaken to strengthen credit discipline in public sector banks, says government
NEW DELHI: The Centre has rolled out a series of banking reforms in recent years aimed at tightening credit discipline, improving governance, and accelerating technology adoption across the financial sector, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary told Parliament on Monday. In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Chaudhary said that both the Centre and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) have acted to strengthen co-operative banks and public-sector lenders. The moves range from enacting the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code and establishing the RBI's Central Repository of Information on Large Credits—allowing fraud and wilful default cases to be tracked and resolved more quickly—to deploying automated early-warning systems that flag potential bad loans. Market-based tools to manage stressed assets, along with time-bound workflows for corrective action, have helped curb slippages and reinforce stability, he said. Governance reforms at state-owned banks include arm's-length selection of top management through the Financial Services Institutions Bureau, appointing non-executive chairmen at nationalised lenders, widening the talent pool, and linking extensions for managing directors to performance. The Enhanced Access & Service Excellence (EASE) programme has benchmarked progress in governance, risk management, technology-driven banking, and human resources, the minister said. Bank mergers have delivered economies of scale and stronger balance sheets, while accelerated technology adoption has boosted financial inclusion, improved efficiency, and enabled real-time service delivery. Digital payments, propelled by Jan-Dhan–Aadhaar–Mobile (JAM) integration, interoperable banking correspondents, the Unified Payments Interface, and direct benefit transfers, have surged. The total volume of digital transactions jumped from 2.07 billion in FY18 to 22.83 billion in FY25, a compound annual growth rate of 41%. Transaction value rose from ₹ 196.2 trillion to ₹ 350.9 trillion over the same period. UPI has been the standout, growing from 920 million transactions in FY18 to 185.87 billion in FY25, a CAGR of 114%. Transaction value climbed from ₹ 1.1 trillion to ₹ 261 trillion. In July, UPI logged a record 1.95 billion transactions in a single month. The reforms, Chaudhary added, have also strengthened support for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises through measures such as the Mutual Credit Guarantee Scheme, Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme, a new credit-assessment model, and an expanded Credit Guarantee Fund Trust.
