A Bengaluru resident, originally from Uttarakhand, took a step to protect local sanitation workers, known as “paurakarmikas”. Living in the city for over ten years, the non-Kannadiga individual used Google Translate to write warnings in Kannada.
They wrapped these translated messages around broken glass items to prevent the workers from getting injured while handling waste.
An X user shared this story online, emphasising the significance of respecting local languages in non-Hindi-speaking states. The user, Suchi SA, says that non-Hindi speakers do not expect people in other states to learn languages like Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Marathi or Bengali when they are in Hindi-speaking regions. However, they do seek mutual respect for their own languages.
"This is all I guess non Hindi speaking states are asking! Respect our language and treat it at par with yours. Non Hindi speakers don’t expect you to speak Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Marathi, Bengali when they visit, work, live in Hindi speaking states!," the user wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
The social media post addresses an ongoing debate on the use of Kannada in Bengaluru.
A patient's family member reportedly reprimanded a nurse working at Apollo Bannerghatta Hospital in Bengaluru because she did not speak Kannada, the local language of Karnataka.
According to a Reddit user who witnessed the incident, the patient's daughter scolded the nurse. She suggested that she return to her home state due to her inability to communicate in Kannada.
A post by a woman in Bengaluru on the social media platform X earlier stirred controversy. She criticised the food delivery service Swiggy because its delivery person did not understand or speak Kannada.
She questioned whether Bengaluru is in Karnataka or Pakistan, implying that residents should not be expected to know Hindi in their own state. She urged Swiggy to ensure their delivery personnel can communicate in Kannada and accused the company of imposing Hindi on local people.
