‘Kannada row terrible PR for Bengaluru’: Delhi entrepreneur speaks against language imposition

A recent controversy at an SBI branch in Bengaluru, where a bank manager was transferred after she refused to speak in Kannada with a customer, sparked fresh debate over linguistic identity.

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Amid the ongoing tensions between Kannada speakers and non-Kannada speakers in Bengaluru, a Delhi-based entrepreneur has said that the issue was creating terrible PR for the city. Abhijit Chakraborty, Founder Partner at Alphanumero Agency & Studio, shared a social media post suggesting how to solve the problem.

“Here's how people solve language issues in every other city, including Delhi, Paris, Berlin, and even Kathmandu. When one doesn't know the local language, the speaker and the listener both figure out a common way to communicate,” he said.

Abhijit went on to indicate how even broken English could serve as a link language, by narrating an encounter with an auto-driver.

“Any language, in everyday life, is simply a means to communicate. If every conversation between people ends up being a culture war, Anna from Chennai will end up arguing with Sonu autowallah from Delhi and never reach Connaught Place,” the post read.

Abhijit added that he had learnt Punjabi since the language was “everywhere” in Delhi. Highlighting that he is not fluent at the language but knows just enough to respond when spoken to, Abhijit said non-Kannadigas would pick up the language if they stay long enough in the city and feel an inclination towards it.

“I picked up Punjabi on my own, through random conversations on the street, FM radio that often plays Punjabi songs, and a general interest in Sikh history and heritage. Shoving a language down someone's throat never works,” he stated.

What is the row over Kannada?

A recent controversy at an SBI branch in Bengaluru, where a bank manager was transferred after she refused to speak in Kannada with a customer, sparked fresh debate over linguistic identity and the ongoing tussle between regional pride and national language integration in Karnataka. “I only speak Hindi. I will not speak Kannada. Where is the rule that says I must speak Kannada?” Priyanka Singh, manager at the State Bank of India (SBI) branch in Chandapura, had asked. Later, she apologised for the incident.

In response, not only was she transferred but Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah criticised her for not respecting the dignity of the customer. He also suggested that language sensitisation programmes must be conducted for all central government employees. There are several such incidents in recent times that had caused a deep linguistic divide in Karnataka.