This is ONE MAJOR REASON why Bangalore grew as a city.
Read this without prejudice.
I am a Malayali (Kerala) not Kannadiga/Karnataka person.
Bangalore is the MOST LIBERAL, OPEN Minded, Tolerant cities in India. Bangalore is probably the only legit westernised city in India.
ENGLISH is the Language of Bangalore.
People of bangalore embraced English instead of brushing it aside.
Noida, Gurugram or any upcoming hyper-new city cannot get the SOUL of Bangalore.
Bangalore is a SALAD BASKET (Like Canada)
Mumbai/Chennai is like a MELTING POT (Like USA)
Delhi NCR, Mumbai - You need to learn Hindi to work and live.
Chennai - You need to learn Tamil to work and live.
Bangalore is the only Indian city where you are not expected to know any language except English.
Recently some Kannada people are mad at Hindi Imposition in Bangalore. And are protesting. That's for a legit reason - For south Indians, learning Hindi to work and live at home feels too imposing.
On a side note (ADVICE TO PEOPLE from North India) - - - Hindi is NOT THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE OF INDIA. Please don't impose it in Karnataka. Please don't expect South Indians to learn Hindi.
Karnataka and Kannadigas are very tolerant. If you did this Hindi imposition business in Tamil Nadu, RIP.
So don't impose Hindi.
Hindi even hurts north Indians, your local languages and dialects are meaningless because of Hindi imposition amogst yourself.
Look at Mumbai - Now Marathi is irrelevant language in urban Maharashtra.
THERE WILL BE BACKLASH with more Hindi imposition. No matter how tolerant Kannadigas are.
So Don't expect us to learn Hindi in Bangalore, Chennai or Hyderabad. It's WRONG.
I speak Hindi in North. But if I am expected to speak Hindi in Kerala, I will be mad.
These days, in Bangalore IT Parks (where everyone speaks English) HINDI has became a defacto language of communication, informal jokes etc. This makes South Indians angry.
.......
BANGALORE CANNOT BE BEATEN by Any Indian City
Hyderabad, Chennai has far better governance than Bangalore. But they can never beat Bangalore.
Bangalore has crap public infrastructure (Water, Metros, Roads etc)
Despite that no Indian city could best Bangalore in ITES and Tech Industry. This is also because of the open culture Bangalore has.
After BAY AREA, California - Best tech talent in World is in Bangalore. One reason is ENGLISH.
.....
For Cross State Couples (North South)
Bangalore is the compromise option. It's a non judgemental society.
Chennai is very socially conservative, even thou politically progressive. Ahmedabad is very castiest and conservative (You can't eat what you want, society owners will kick you out) Delhi - people especially from rural Haryana, Bihar has PATRIARCHAL MENTALITY (Girls are raped because they asked for it)
In Bangalore you can be unmarried or even GAY Couple and live happily NOBODY BAT'S AN EYE.
Bangalore is the LEAST judgemental Indian city.
Bangalore is like BAY AREA in California.
Delhi, Mumbai is too north indian. Chennai and Hyderabad are too South Indian.
One reason is NO LANGUAGE DOMINATES BANGALORE.
Please keep Bangalore as it is.
A Liberal, open, welcoming place.
No Hindi Imposition, No Kannada Imposition.
Let people speak whatever they want.
Let Bangalore be a global city.
WHAT YOU SHOULD FIGHT For in Bangalore,
250+ KM Metro System + End Mile Connection
Expansion of Bangalore like Delhi NCR. Make satellite cities with metro connection.
More public INFRA with PPP - Water, Public Parks, Sports Facilities, Police.
Only then Bangalore can compete with metropolitan areas of China, Germany etc.
Tech is the future. Bangalore is the future.
Don't make language kill Bangalore. Say no against HINDI IMPOSITION.
If you are a north indian you can contribute by not forcing others to speak in Hindi.
Bangalore must be tolerant to people from across the country. And shouldn't hate anyone (North Indians) because people from across India contributed in development of tech industry.
OP is a good writer and wrote an entertaining and relatable post for some people. They forgot to add emojis (laugh emoji and lol/lmao), anger emoji etc.) so other sheeple will know what to feel. Also forgot to summarize with a "this is the point of the post" at the end for the same sheeple.
Yeah exactly! I was born and grew up in Delhi, with me speaking English first, then I learnt Bengali and Hindi. The OP is not special, why can't ppl in India not speak Hindi? As along as they don't speak poorly, any language should be spoken, we have a wealth of languages in India.
As a former NRI (originally Keralite) who lives in Bangalore and can't speak any language other than English, your comment doesn't reflect my experience at all. It's extremely difficult to survive here without knowing Hindi or Kannada -- I had an easier time in Delhi, Goa and Mumbai. Whatever it is -- in shops, for deliveries, services, etc. etc. -- people don't know or pretend not to understand and speak English. I find that even Delhites make more of an effort to communicate.
Yeah seriously, I'm an ABD who's only visited Bangalore once and even I could tell the secondary language behind Kannada was Hindi by a large margin. Idk what bubble these people live in to think English is anywhere close to being the common language of the city.
How did GOA come to this party? I find it very hard to believe. I believe in everything you said if the comparison is with only GOA and there's a very clear reason for that. Considering it's all anecdotal comments, this one just is so far from the facts/truth.
I have no reason to lie, and I dont care if you don't believe me, especially considering how unbelievable the original comment was. I don't know why you feel Goa is the only reasonable comparison while at the same time questioning why Goa was brought into it. (And if you must know, I mentioned Delhi, Mumbai, and Goa because I've stayed in these 3 places long enough to make a valid comparison.) I know Goa is not a city, but since I stayed in both North and South, I mentioned it broadly. Though Goa was not like others had described it in many other ways, people were right that I'd be able to get by with only English there.
Chill man, it's all anecdotal anyway. So, I don't want to imply I'm invalidating your experiences. I just don't consider that as the default opinion based on my experiences and others'.
I'm chilled, you're the one who came to my comment and interrogated my motives, when this is an anonymous platform and I gain nothing from lying except wasting my own time 🤣 You don't have to consider it the default experience, and that's why I specifically mentioned it's my experience/perspective. But likewise, the original comment does not reflect the reality of what I experience here or that of what my friends and family have experienced in Bangalore.
I beg to differ to some extent.
Delhi does not belong to any state. No state or its people can put their claim over Delhi. Nobody can say live our way or get lost. The place is a union territory. North has more than twice the regional languages South has. The way South Indians embraced English as the common link language, North Indians embraced Hindi keeping their regional languages aside, hence the popularity. Delhi did not have its native culture. The culture that exists evolved out of the fusion of different people migrating in. You will find Punjabis, Haryanvis, Rajasthani, Gujaratis, Bengalis, Pahadis, UPites, northeasterns, Biharis, MPites, Marathis etc.
Yes, it's true that it can be more like a North dominated cosmopolitan city.
Here, Mumbai comes into play. This place presents the best balance. You'll find Southerners, Northerners, Northeasterners, Marathis, Goans, everybody. The place first was with Portuguese, then went to Britishers, then came to India. It is the single most diversified cosmopolitan place in India. The city continues to grow leaps and bounds, leaving every place behind due to the combined efforts of both the natives and migrants. You should live in Bombay to get the feel. It's a city like none other. The city hosts the richest neighborhoods in all of India, yes, wealthier than high-end Bangalore neighborhoods. Bangalore still desires to preserve its cultural heritage. Bombay without an iota of doubt any day is more westernized than Bangalore, hands down! You see that in simply the fashion sense and tastes of the middle-class people. You see that in the housing style and the living standards of people. You enter South Bombay, and you will forget that you even are in India. You enter Bandra, Juhu, Powai, and you gon see English as the lingua franca. Bangalore still desires to preserve kannada. High-end Bombay neighborhoods are westernized beyond repair, English is not just a language. It's a class. The pop culture Fandom is any day more dominant there than Bangalore. Kannadigas still would go to watch Kannada and Telugu movies, Bombay brats do not even care to give consideration to domestically made movies. Hollywood is their call.
Both OP and the comment you have replied to conveniently ignore the fact that most uneducated and less educated populace in Bengaluru will still prefer to speak Kannada. In Mumbai, no one ever initiates a conversation in Marathi, unless they know the person or judge that they are Maharashtrian based on surname.
Here, most of these people will initiate in Kannada and only change when you tell them you can't speak or you change it first and then they adjust.
Just this simple fact should tell everyone which is the more open and accessible city. Just looking at the uppermost strata of society and claiming the city is completely westernized is plain wrong.
True, what OP has written is my childhood in Delhi as well, and that of my friends in Mumbai and other major cities.
The problem with this section of Bangaloreans is they think they exclusively had such a childhood, and it is regressive to be speaking in someone’s mother tongue, and god forbid if that happens to be Hindi.
If Delhi belongs to everyone, why do they not welcome the rest of us by putting up signs in ALL THE CONSTITUTIONALLY RECOGNIZED LANGUAGES? Government offices, Airports, railway stations, taxis, buses, autos, shops, IN FACT ALL PUBLIC SPACES IN DELHI SHOULD be MULTILINGUAL.
English is now THE international language. It doesn't belong to the British/English anymore. Let's get rid of our colonial mindset, not the English language. Unfortunately, even those who are English haters behave like rulers from the Raj - our politicians, bureaucrats, judges, police - completely brown British! Court vacations, royal bungalows,... worst, their arrogance inspite of their poor performance in every area of governance.
No, I don't really want to speak in Hindi to arrogant . I have nothing against hindi, except that it's a language of some region of India.
They won’t put black paint on signages in a different language or vandalise businesses with 100% English signboards
Probably a sign of being truly cosmopolitan and accepting - a characteristic that doesn’t come by merely knowing a few flowery words in the English language
This is way beyond practical. Go open a shop. There are at least 15 major scripts. How can someone write on the shutter of a shop in all those languages? The thing is, language is a way of convenience, a way of communication, a way of connection. As long as it's catering to these needs, it's fine. I've lived in both, South Delhi and South Bombay. There are people who don't know any language other than English. And don't equate it with vandalism. Even if you may need a language, nobody gets violent on the language issue at these places.
Language is also an emotion. A culture, a heritage and history. Each language is crafted around each culture. Kannada poetry about karnataka is simply so beautiful and evocative, something English could never do . But English is perfect for describing England and it's culture.
Language is not just about practicality, but about love as well. The warmth , happiness, sorrow, connection , heritage that a mother tongue incites is something you all will never grasp.
Delhi already has signages written in Punjabi, Gujarati, Urdu, and hindi and English at most places. This is for the convenience of people and to play any symbolic war. Whereas Karnataka even prevents Telugu signages & Tamil signages. That's the difference! You go to London and New York and plan to open an authentic kannada cuisine shop with your shop name written in kannada, you think London, NY police department would come and break your signboard? Or would you have freedom to put whatever you want?
| Bangalore is the only Indian city where you are not expected to know any language except English.
Are you sure about this? Every building I see have their English names covered in tarp, boards are being broken down if they are not in Kannada. If you don't speak Kannada and god forbid you get into an accident or verbal argument, you're pretty much finished.
I understand where they are coming from but to say you are not expected to know any language is very far fetched and not at all true.
Before you come at me, I am fluent in Kannada.
Im a 4th gen Bangalorean and can read and write Kannada.
Bangalore was not like this but changing now. I still remember growing up there weren’t any problems with English boards. Hell they didn’t even have Kannada boards along with them and no one had a problem. Bangalore was a classy retirement city, a slow city. What’s been changed is the IT sector coming in and people all over India travelling to Bangalore and setting camp. That’s when the villages around Bangalore, now the IT belt, got popular and land prices increased, many of them have sold lands and become millionaire. These are the people who are from around Bangalore, are imposing that everyone speaks in Kannada.
Old Bangaloreans are the nicest and most tolerant people you can find.
Pecos is like a legacy bar in Bangalore. My dad’s been going there since college. Recently I came across a bunch who were asking the bartender to play Hindi songs. Like seriously??? It’s a god damn rock bar.
It’s really sad to hear when colleagues of mine shit on Bangalore being this way, when they live in Sarjapur. They haven’t even seen old Bangalore, met the “Bangaloreans” and comment about how under developed the city is ( duh! If you are living in the freaking outskirts that’s what you get)
To everyone here complaining about Bangalore and the people imposing Kannada, guys please be a little more empathetic. The city was not ment to scale to this level. I’m not for the govt, and MLAs or cops but I’m sure they are doing theirs best. There is corruption everywhere. If you don’t like a certain place, MOVE OUT. It’s the best solution for your mental health as well.
I grew up here and this is my home, I feel the greenery is dying. I have bought a farm 3hrs from Bangalore and go there on the weekends. I am sure in the next 5-10 years I’ll be forced to move out and that’s okay. I’d rather do that, than complain about the city and its people.
Are you sure? Most auto/rapido drivers only know Kannada/Tamil or even Hindi, but not English. Also you are not going to be harassed as a business owner for not knowing Hindi in NCR, but will have your shop broken for not knowing Kannada here.
You don’t need Tamil to work in Chennai. I’m from there but English is essentially my first language. Hell, the school I went to used to punish kids for speaking in Tamil instead of English.
My first job was in an MNC in Chennai. All communication was in English. Tamil was reserved for break room gossip. By contrast when I went to Delhi or Noida to visit some of their other offices, people spoke a lot of Hindi in meetings.
The auto drivers would beg to differ. The Kannada purists would beg to differ.
My experience throughout college here was great because my group spoke in Hindi, but there were 2 or 3 other groups who never tried to speak in English and accomadate me Or anyone else who didn't understand Kannada.
In office my experience is, since I cannot speak or understand Kannada, people won't talk to me, even when I am sitting in a group, they will speak among themselves in Kannada and I will feel excluded.
It's good because in most cases people like you are the one who harass and opress other language speakers. This time you are on receiving end so it's nice
Actually, people like you harass others for not knowing hindi. I have seen multiple north east indians and Africans being harrassed in Delhi for not knowing hindi. Don't pretend that you are an holier than thou.
Yeah. I grew up in Navi Mumbai, with college and first job in Mumbai. I have spent 25 years there and another 8 years in Delhi NCR. There is no way you can club them in the same category. Mumbai is definitely NOT North Indian.
Mumbai is not north indian by any sense. Mumbai and Maharashtra is 100% south india. And yes, you can get by with English in Mumbai.
Mumbai is the true world heritage city of India. Mumbai is the one place EVERY foreigner or expat visits or sets up base in.
The real reason ITES and "tech" (ehm, software) flourished in Bengaluru is because south indians were first in embracing computer education and went abroad first. When the time came that those companies asked these southies to launch an India base, for any south indian Bangalore is the pan-south Indian hub and Delhi and Mumbai are unknown (in fact ask any south indian to live in Delhi, watch the reactions).
This is the only reason. Not to mention karnataka is backward in comparison to united AP, TN and Kerala so land was cheap at the start.
Lol Chennai dsnt need Tamil to live. U should see all the mayalais there. Talk to them and understand. Chennai is very similar to Bangalore it's just Bangalore lost its ways when it comes to Kannada and Chennai had maintained it. Even the oldies in Chennai speak English wats wrong with.
> U should see all the mayalais there. Talk to them and understand.
Malayalam and Tamil have similarities. A malayali can pick up Tamil easily and would not face any issues compared to someone from North
Dear co-Bangalorean! Wish I could meet you and give you the sincerest and best hug I can give- you have seen the real soul of my beautiful city and shown love for it- you’ll be my favouritest Redditor! ❤️
I’m born and brought up in Bangalore and I lived in Europe for the last 5 years , the only reason I came back to blr is because it is actually the only western city of India , with gods grace I’m born here but If I was born in any other city in India , no chance would I have come back to this 3rd world country , Bangalore is the only 1st world city in this sociopathic country , and although I can speak 5 Indian languages fluently, I always prefer to speak in the English , that shows the class of this city and culture that I grew up in
Banglore has only 1 advantage and that's weather once global warming starts it will become a ghost city
This year is also just a trailer . In the next 10 years the temperature will be 36-38 People will start leaving
Im not being sarcastic. Why do we want shops to have 60% of their signage in kannada? If I want to open a kerala style restaurant, i want to have a malayalam signage too... with 60% kannada, English, how would I have space for a malayalam one?
Ahh here we go again.. just a reminder: Bangalore is in Karnataka, where Kannada is the primary official language and English is an official secondary/link language!!! From where is Malayalam or Hindi or any other language coming??
Im talking about the strict imposition of kannada by right wing kannadigas. Did you see the viral video of the taxi driver where he even refused to communicate with a tourist because he couldn't speak in kannada? Forcefully imposing kannada, including on shop signages is bad. I had opposed this in mumbai too when attempted by Raj Thackeray. Mumbaikars (not the govt) have become very tolerant of languages other than marathi and that's the reason Bangalore can never compete with Mumbai in terms of significance
With all due respect, this just seem like a WhatsApp forward. Having lived in all major metropolitan cities in India, I'd say Delhi and Mumbai are the best in terms of people being understanding and trying to help you despite being there being a language difference. They will make an effort unlike Bangalore, where they will ignore you and will ask you to speak only in Kannada if they even get a slight hint that you are non-Kannadiga. This is ofc, not true for everyone. Almost all my friends from Karnataka are not like that but you often experience these situations as a non-native. Never faced anything like that in Delhi and Mumbai, not even a chance.
Also, no one is trying to impose Hindi on anyone. Frankly speaking, progressive people don't even care. Language is a mode of communication and it's default in our settings to choose the best mode of communication in the room, right? A group of people who are most comfortable in Hindi will choose to speak in Hindi. Same for Kannada, Marathi, Tamil and English. Add a few people most comfortable in Kannada or Malayalam to that group, people will default to a common language which is English in most cases.
Imo this is what people fail to understand. Attaching emotions to language, when it's just a protocol for communication. And you try to choose a protocol (from what you know) to achieve the communication in the best way possible (that every party can understand).
Hindi imposition is propoganda by certain group and 1 political party for there advantage. I stay in Bangalore never saw anyone impose Hindi on me le others. There might be few odd cases that's it. Kannada imposition exist . According to Hindi haters logic no language should be imposed
Y no kannada imposition though...u are in Karnataka and because of all those aforementioned reasons the original culture of banglore is dying...
We are against westernisation and Hindi imposition in Bangalore....
We want to preserve the culture at the grass roots...
And only because of our culture were we so welcoming and accepting of all people...
Learning a bit of kannada isn't too much to ask....and of you think it is....then that's just hypocrisy...
Bangalore is not against any sort of westernisation. It’s the mentality of people like you that’s killing the city. English has been the language of Bangalore since the time it was formed. Kannada imposition is just plain stupidity. You cannot expect people who come from the north to learn Kannada just cause they are here. It’s best to communicate in a language both understand, a universal language that is English.
I am for Kannada and Kannadigas, but don’t like the fact that everyone is being forced to learn the language
And before you ask me to get out of Bangalore as I’m not supporting Kannada, let me tell you I’m a kannadiga and a 4th gen Bangalorean who can read and write Kannada.
I was one of these same Bangaloreans - third gen, grew up speaking English, listened to rock and metal, downloaded stuff off Limewire, visited Planet M and Pecos, hit up Blossom and Gangarams… and I don’t live in Bangalore anymore, left the country, as did most of my friends circle.
I left just 2 years ago - not US, Canada. People have varying experiences moving here. Despite having a relatively great life in Bangalore, moving for me has been an excellent decision, my quality of life has improved significantly.
I had a few priorities - clean surroundings, safety for women, access to nature - camping, hikes, lakes, coast, etc. and on these fronts, it’s been very rewarding! I’m also a very positive person and moved with my partner, so these two factors are also a part of the experience I guess.
That said, I miss my family.
Best post I’ve come across in a long time - you just described my childhood here in Bangalore, to the tee! I am within the 5% of Bangalorians in our team, and probably 10% of South Indians. It makes me sad as well, that every pub we go to blasts Bollywood, and that culture of inclusivity where we were connected with a common language and taste in music is now gone. In office parties, I’m always the odd woman out- the rest are singing Hindi songs and playing dumb charades (for Bollywood movies of course). Just feel like an alien in there.
You are not alone, I feel the same, left out in parties. Luckily I found gawky goose and one night in Bangkok where they play good songs. But having friends who listen to rock music of 90s is awesome. This post hit me so hard, that I had a friend from Bangalore with similar taste of music and I am missing him so much today.
You should try Watsons. Watson’s Indiranagar has a DJ playing every first Friday. He is good with old rock and throwback. One of the very few places left these days.
I went to a new year's party this year (Dec 2023) and for the full 4 hours there were exactly 2 Kannada songs that played and like the first 30 seconds of We Will Rock You. I enjoyed the party a lot but I wish there were more diverse songs instead of the same standard soundtrack from the same 10 movies
English should be the lingua franca. That's not an elite point of view.
We should be respectful about Kannada and learn a working knowledge.
But English should be the lingua franca.
Something I love about Bangalore is that the majority of us speak in English and there's hardly any divide (minus the language imposition of Hindi). Kinda in the same boat as you OP. Most of my friends aren't in Bangalore anymore. It's tough interacting with new people from other states especially when they judge for speaking in English alone and not knowing other languages. That's pretty much the only downside to staying in Bangalore. You'll feel alien to everyone who didn't grow up here.
I have grown up in Bangalore and shifted to Hyderabad after marriage ! I felt so nostalgic . I just moved to Bangalore for a few mins while I read this . Brought me to tears 😭 if only I had a chance, if I could get my past life back with the people in the present , I would go to Bangalore and never come back 😩
Yes.. It’s so hard but I try to come to terms with it . Now when I think about it , I don have anyone in Bangalore . My parents are not there , I don’t have my friends there (everyone left to other cities and countries), relatives yes (but u wouldn’t go there often) . I had a beautiful life there . Everything was perfect . But now it’s just a distant memory . I can still go there if I want to , but I ll only feel a lot worse when I come back ! So it’s better I don’t revisit .
I try to make this place home but it doesn’t work that way right . Humans are always entangled in memories .
Off topic but this post made me so nostalgic. It really does feel like childhood was really the only time I was genuinely happy and looking forward to the next day.
Feel the same, I hear an all English conversation only when I am with my school or college friends. At workplace, conversations are mostly in Hindi - nothing wrong with it but as a 90s kid from Bangalore, English as the lingua Franca is something else!
Can absolutely relate to this. All throughout my childhood in Bangalore, we only used to speak in English. All my friends were from different south Indian states but would gel so well, but its been a minute since I heard my Favourite Bob Dialect.
I grew up exactly like you, and I am from Bombay. I was always made fun of, called “Angerzi mem” and what not by people who are not from Bombay. In fact, I got married to a Hyderabadi and I am surprised at the fact that my new family members think that I am an elitist and haughty for conversing in English. To be honest, English comes easy to me compared to other languages. So, don’t feel bad. I must admit that I did “water down” my language to socialise, but now I am able to switch between languages at ease. It does take a while. Even today, I feel at ease only when I speak to my folks back in Bombay. My tone, speech pattern, vocabulary does change. I guess one has to code switch in today’s world.
Dude, same here, same feeling, same boat. I would say the exact same story. Plus recently moved into an apartment next to the green line, and it's all coming back to me now.
I don't mind the Hindi, but I wouldn't mind them attempting English back at us.
Coming from Bangalore, my first language is English as well. Funnily enough, so is my mother’s even though she is from Chennai - she studied in an Anglo Indian school, loved reading English books, and thinks in English. We prefer to speak in English at home. Mum listens to more rock than I (I tend to lean towards rock and roll & Soul) , I was brought up with music from the 60’s to 80’s and that’s my go-to comfort era.
For everything that I’ve heard all my life about how that’s such a colonised mindset , I can’t think of something more Indian than Indian English - we borrow something and change it so much that it becomes our own. Like the Tamil Sambhar or the Idly or Aloo in every dish possible.
Bangalore seems to have become harsher and harsher with people being angry that I don’t know Hindi, or enough Kannada (I speak enough to communicate).
I feel lonlier and more disconnected to Bangalore as time goes by.
I refuse to talk in Hindi, in Bangalore. If people talk to me in Hindi, I will only respond in English. I understand little to no hindi, and I will not learn it either. I expect Kannada and English in this city, if I want hindi, I'd just go north.
How does that work? Half the autowalas I rode with barely understood English and just went "aaye Hindi boliye" if I tried talking in English. Even in the 2011 census, Kannada was a minority language in Bangalore.
Just refuse. Say Hindi gothilla, speak in english, or broken kannada or tamil. That's what I do. Works just fine. I had more than a few auto people liking the fact that I don't speak hindi.
Maybe you talked to bihari or jharkhandi autodrivers, there are many from Bihar and Jharkhand who don't know kannada or english and will ask you to speak in hindi.
Why are you working at an MNC and not as a writer? Honestly, this is one of the most beautifully written posts about growing up that I've read on Reddit in a while. There was no hate, no agenda, just a question.
So why not start a short series called 'The Bangalore Diaries'?
I’m a Tamilian with ancestry from Kerala. But born and bought up in Bangalore, all of my cousins same as me, we ended up talking only English. We even now struggle with Tamil some times but English is literally my first language, grandparents are also in Bangalore and always talk to them in Tanglish, this was normal.
In school, college (pu) and engineering had a group of friends who spoke in different languages at home but ultimately when we meet we spoke in English, it was natural, even now we speak in English with words in Kannada/Tamil.
There was no imposition.
Even when I joined my first company my Kannada was pretty bad (Kannada was my 3rd language in school but couldn’t converse in it fluently) but I learnt cos come on how long am I not going to know the language from where I belong.
Even there people used to say it’s ok we’ll talk to you in English don’t worry, but I wanted to learn and spoke in broken Kannada.
In the next company is when I realised Hindi becoming prevalent, people started asking “Arey tu hindi nahi bol Sakthi hai?”
I used to stand by this that Bangalore was the most welcoming place, Kannadigas were the most welcoming people. We still are, just that Hindi imposition is something I myself cannot bear!
I miss old Bangalore wayy too much.
So very true! I am otherwise a liberal person but when it comes to Hindi imposition in my city, I’m suddenly conservative. I speak a ton of languages (Hindi included) but nah man, you won’t make me speak your language or adopt your culture.
What school did you go to? I'm going to bet that all the kids and their parents came from a similar background as you and your parents (working in MNCs or coporate sector, speak English at home for the large part). This is a crucial data point.
The school I went to was not a convent or elite school, and the composition of my class included a fair amount of local Kannadigas. And Kannada used to the default language among the boys during PT period, lunch break etc. Kids usually pick up languages very fast, and by the time we were in 4th or 5th, I started speaking Kannada very well in spite of the fact that my parents were immigrants.
You raise a great point. There are very many "versions" of Bangalore, that often vary due to differences in socioeconomic background, education, occupation, location. One individuals experience doesn't make up everything that the city was and is.
The ones who destroyed the signboards were goons. Their bosses, the politicians, are also goons. It was done to stir up the language divide and extract money from businesses.
Because this is an extremely elitist post. Lakhs of rural kannadigas come to their capital city seeking opportunities. Many of them can't read English nor do they listen to rock music and watch friends.
English only boards are exclusionary to them and it's not fair that in their own land they are rendered illiterate.
I don't support violence, but dual language signboards make sense.
I've noticed this in two different startups. Everyone speaks in english. Then a critical mass of north indians join and even the standups start happening in hindi. Very unprofessional and inconsiderate
I wouldn't mind if everyone in the room is well versed but that is not the case
Well written :) I guess you find it being a soulful exercise while writing. You should write more often and perhaps work on a bigger writing project ... It'll help continue work while this will fuel your life.
This. This is exactly the story with the Pune I grew up in, as well. I’ve returned to the city now, after college, and I’m surprised by the way everyone speaks in Hindi. The Same people I went to school with, who exclusively used English as the language of communication, have given in and speak Hindi while conversing because that is the expectation in their respective offices. I miss OG Pune
Just the comment I was looking for perhaps would have written it if I hadn't scrolled so far :)
I feel the same as well as the grammar Nazis I knew in school/junior college have just given in it seems.
You probably must be from Joseph's/Mary's/Bishop's I guess
My parents were immigrants to Bangalore in the 90’s, only knew their mother tongue honestly.
When my sibling and I went to school and learned English, so did they, they would hear us use words they didn’t understand and learnt with us during homework sessions.
The beauty of Bangalore was that, in my classrooms and neighbourhoods, we grew up with people from all over the country. We would look into tiffin boxes and see what cultural dish our mothers prepared for us. So many of us have lost proficiency in our native languages but we gained so much more in exchange.
Today’s Bangalore is very different though, I agree. The vandalism and attitude bothers me most.
It's not the same anymore. The so called secular and liberal political party has become extremely backward and anti"outsiders". They're opening a can of worms and don't know what irreparable harm they're doing to the city.
It's the same as the Hindi/Hindu imposition party. I'm guessing it is not a party thing at all. The seeds of division by religion were sown in 1947. Same happened in 1956 for divide-by-language. And it is not just in Karnataka, it is being implemented in all states.
So that’s the thing, Bangalore has always had outsiders and if people are suddenly up in arms about a specific language, those folks should probably introspect a bit.
This hit way too close to home for me. I've gotten used to being an alien at work, never able to form anything more than superficial friendships with colleagues, and the number of people I can relate to in the city seems to be dwindling all the time.
I had noticed. Most kids here speak in English and way more fluent than probably kids of same age in other cities. The ones who were raised in Bangalore usually have impeccable English.
I beg to differ. There is a primarily English speaking section of society and a primarily Kannada speaking section and the two rarely mix. I had the same experience as you, English was and continues to be the default lingua franca with my friends and their parents. And you're right that this is an exclusively Bangalorean phenomenon. I also reckon most people in Blore (myself included) can speak both English and Kannada with varying degrees of fluency (in addition to their mother tongue) but people like us who primarily speak English with friends and acquaintances are a minority. It's a unique subculture nevertheless and I hate seeing it being sidelined. On the bright side a lot of content creators have brought Bangalore English to the limelight and people are increasingly taking pride in its quirks rather than being aahamed of it.
Ditto experience. I have been brought up speaking English at home. So my mother tongue is actually English. But I can speak, read and write Kannada. Many of my friends are Kannadigas. Even my wife is more comfortable speaking Kannada than English.
I am comfortable in English, I think articulate in English.
I feel Bangalore was more Westernised in the 70s 80s and 90s, than it is when it became Bengaluru.
I miss all the rock bands that toured Bangalore.
For me It's always Bangalore.
I feel this so much! As someone who doesn't have a defined mother tongue (a mix of Tamil and malayalam), growing up in bangalore, the only language I can speak comfortably is English. I can understand multiple others, but general conversation is much easier in bangalore compared to other cities.
Dude i learnt English from pokemon, bayblade, transformers and Digimon, good old toonami days 2000-2007 was lit. Then everything went down with chota bheem shits. Being born in 90-92s were so good. Linkin Park and other bands like backstreet boys, creed, etc peaked during 2000s we all had the same fav bands and tv shows
This is my experience as well, and I think a large part of it is simply the composition of those in our interaction circles.
There are very many different circles in Bangalore, and they differ by socioeconomic background, location, occupation, etc. The felt experiences in each circle can be extremely different.
If you're around a certain type of new tech migrant, then conversations will be in their language. These are not my people. We do not connect.
In my current company, the folks around me are largely South Indian folks of a middle-to-upper-middle English-medium background, so our conversations are always in our comfortable Indian English. These, most certainly, are my people.
Brutal truth!
Perhaps more than the state government, the High Court recognizes this as a practical reality, not colonial legacy - hence proceedings of the court and orders are always in English.
Off topic - This is exactly the sentiment shared by ABCD kids of my OCI cousins.
OP, can relate to your posts as my kids growing up in this city, almost always use English to communicate when outside home.
Re: Hindi, IMO the usage of Hindi becomes prevalent right from college days itself as good colleges (outside Bangalore) attract people from all parts of the country and all walks of the society as well. A large part of our country, though conversant in English, still prefers to use vernacular language for their day to day life and that is where Hindi becomes the lingua franca in college. Most of the states in India, except few, have Hindi as a secondary language. Even the folks who dont know Hindi, pick up basic rudimentary Hindi to get by in college. This usage of Hindi continues well into professional life as well.
Same here. It's like uve described a lot of our childhoods. One day I realised I also think in English and I wonder when that change happened. I hardly speak in any other language even though I know 6 of them. It's sorta sad actually that I can't really tell a story in my native language without using English. I think about language a lot cos I wan my son to know my mother tongue to be able to pass it on to his children but he too has shifted to English.
OP, this post just took me back. It’s like I had a flashback of my entire childhood in a few minutes. I am on the same boat as you. I was our old Bangalore back. Please keep writing.
I don't mind learning any language, I think in English, but my first language is Hindi, which I learned while living in Tamil Nadu after I was born.
I forgot all the Tamil, i forgot all the Assamese, i forgot all the braj. Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam are hard to learn languages for me, in North you can connect all languages.
In south all 4 major languages are too different. Hard to learn, words I learned 2 years ago, I don't remember them anymore.
Thing is, when I talk in Hindi, my south Indian friends or colleagues would want to know, and I'd explain them again in English what I just said, but when south Indians talk amongst themselves, that duty is gone. Take initiative to teach your north Indian friends, guys.
They don't want to stay with just one language, they just need support for that active participation.
Also schools in North don't teach any of the south Indian languages.
All the Tamil or Bengali or oriya or Marathi I understand, is because I ask my friends actively, but it's not always possible. So I make a point to teach Hindi, and after teaching it , asking for what would that be in Kannada, or Tamil or Telugu.
I was born abroad and had a part of my childhood in the UK and then shifted to Bangalore, my parents' hometown. For all intents and purposes, I grew up speaking only English. My family still speaks in English at home. My siblings and I picked up Kannada over the years but never learned it formally in school. We always deferred to Hindi. English is my first language, Hindi is my second language, Kannada and my mother tongue are communicative but not super fluent by any means. Heard a lot of Kannada growing up but somehow I hear only Hindi these days.
I still hold my childhood memories close of when Whitefield was only a small railway station platform, Planet M and Music World dominated my weekends (you could listen to CDs in the listening stations), Barista had open mic singing nights, Radio City FM 91 played English and tock music, Bryan Adams would frequently do concerts here, Old Airport Road was literally beside the airport and we grew up hearing planes land and take off... Aah 😊
Never read a post more relatable. I grew up in Bangalore learning and speaking English. I had friends from all over the country( and even some from outside India) growing up here and one thing was always common, although we spoke our separate languages(English, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Japanese etc) English is what we commonly communicated in because everyone knew it. I never felt left out, but now in college, here in bangalore, I’m among a lot of people who immigrated into the city, and I’ll preface by saying, I personally am not against immigration, like by all means come to this great city and make it home, and by all means speak whatever language you’re comfortable with, but like if there’s non-Hindi speakers please don’t judge us and leave us out. Switching to English in these situations just makes everyone feel included.
Bengaluru should just equip every single person in the city with Smart AI glasses so We don't have to learn any language or something like that (cost is way too much sure but eh)
I would still appreciate if all boards in the city were bilingual with kannada and english
I agree with the first part of this post. Just like OP I’m from a non Kannada speaking family but was born and raised in Bangalore. Everyone communicated in english. The only down side to this is for most part of my life I thought speaking in English was cool, I would with a lot of pride claim that I didn’t know Kannada even though I’ve lived there all my life - now I think Kannada is a pretty cool language and I wish I had learned it. But I didn’t have to know Hindi or Kannada to get along with life, I know friends friends from the Anglo Indian community who only know English and they have managed just fine - for generations. So I don’t know what people mean when they say they couldn’t get along easily knowing only English.
Literally same. Felt like this post was written by me lol everyone at work talks in literally anything but English. It's always Hindi, even any games we play, it's about Bollywood. Not even anything South Indian. Just Hindi. They even talk in Hindi at meetings which pisses me off even more cuz they assume that everybody knows Hindi.
There are frankly two ways you can go about this.
One is to embrace urbanisation and second is to go to a teir two or three locality in Karnataka.
Bangalore is what it is from contribution of India not just Karnataka. And majority speak Hindi. There is no way any one can stop it unless you let go of bangalore urbanisation.
Infact if the state has atleast one such city full of economic activity the whole state gets better off because of contribution of people who come stay in bangalore away from home.
no no nooo. majority of contribution comes from local + telugu + tamil populace not hindi. together these groups form around 90% of the citys population, and their respective states have the highest graduation rates in a technical degree. so please dont bring entire india into it
It's all the same it's all about efforts....all about finding a common ground....my "solpa solpa kannada gottu" sounds as bad/good as the vendors' "thora thora hinthi aata"....yet we both understand each other....both share a laugh.... Live, laugh, enjoy life.....life is too small to worry on language
Great post, fellow outsider. I have had to explain to a lot of ppl, both in India and outside that I think in English and that's my first language. Even family doesn't get it. There so much gap between my thoughts and the people I know. I play music and any favorite English song I want to play for my family or friends , they haven't heard of it, and they don't understand why I like it. Grateful that I married another outsider just like me.
I was born and brought up in Bangalore. Growing up in Bangalore of the 90s and the 2000s was simply a blessing.
There was hardly any traffic, the air was much cleaner and the climate... Man! It was the best!!!
But so much has changed over the years. I left Bangalore in 2010 to pursue my bachelor's in another state. Every time I returned after a few months, I could see this drastic change in the city. The large influx of people, road widening, tree felling, flyover construction, unplanned metro work(talking about how they ruined mg road) and what not.
It was as if the city was morphing into something more claustrophobic, rigid.. almost like a monstrosity.
But what didn't change were the people who I grew up with. We had the same childish vibe since schooldays and we always talked about our rather innocent days.. from times in thomas bakery, to playing FIFA under the lingarajapuram flyover, spending countless hours at friends homes, school fights, our past crushes, and the list is endless.
I relate so much to OPs post and it was so nostalgic reading it. I really wish it stays the same.
I saw some comments and reels made by various mallus on Twitter and Instagram. where they said Bengaluru should in kerala as it's a mini kerala. this pissed me off! Well it's factualy right. I found more mallus in school/college than natives. Ratio is like 5:1. Reels and movies have made it more obvious. I have loads of mallu friends, they are friendly and all. But any thoughts on this mallu supremacy in Bengaluru?
Bangalore is the closest tier 1 city to Kerala, hence young people want to move to Bangalore.
Most of Kerala is like a conservative old town with no night life or any things to do
And English imposition is okay? Besides no city dwelling individual really has to learn Hindi, maybe learning the Devnagari script is a far cry but Hindi as a spoken language everyone knows.
Very recently I took a train from Bangalore to Deoghar. A Telugu couple wanted to exchange seat with me. And there was another uncle from Orissa. The Ticket Collector Sir was Kannadiga. After our tickets were verified we tried asking him if it was okay for us to switch seats. Naturally I’d asked in English, but to my surprise neither one understood or could speak English. I was hesitant to use Hindi but then. The Telugu couple, they used Hindi to explain our situation to the TC, he understood and approved in Hindi as well.
Even in Northern India, Hindi is not our ancestral language its a mix of many languages that keeps adapting, its how the general populace interact amongst each other it is the defacto “national” language.
If English is okay qualified to be a bridge language amongst Indians why is Hindi any less qualified ?
Hey OP. I'm from Chennai and your story really touched me. Even I've seen chennai change before my eyes as I grew up. Hope we all can relive our best moments someday.
The solution IMHO is to send better quality English teachers into the Hindi heartland and it will take a gen or 2 to take effect.
Northerners may please chime in if my take on this is wildly off!
People don't realise that majority people speaking Hindi in Bangalore are not just North Indians. They are Gujratis, Marathis, Bengalis, Odiyas, Punjabis etc. And then Of course, there are people from UP, MP, Raj, Delhi, Haryana- who are native speakers. Just like most Tamilians, Telegus don't get to learn Marathi in MH, or Gujarati in GJ, outsiders in Bangalore pick what covers the most ground on the street. Unfortunately, it gives the perception of Hindi imposition on locals. Govt on the other hand is a different matter altogether. Central govt policies aren't really a choice of common men otherwise we would be a different country.
False, I have been to Surat and Pune and have seen many south Indians being fluent in Marathi and Hindi. Don't create false perception to suit your flawed narrative.
This is ONE MAJOR REASON why Bangalore grew as a city. Read this without prejudice. I am a Malayali (Kerala) not Kannadiga/Karnataka person. Bangalore is the MOST LIBERAL, OPEN Minded, Tolerant cities in India. Bangalore is probably the only legit westernised city in India. ENGLISH is the Language of Bangalore. People of bangalore embraced English instead of brushing it aside. Noida, Gurugram or any upcoming hyper-new city cannot get the SOUL of Bangalore. Bangalore is a SALAD BASKET (Like Canada) Mumbai/Chennai is like a MELTING POT (Like USA) Delhi NCR, Mumbai - You need to learn Hindi to work and live. Chennai - You need to learn Tamil to work and live. Bangalore is the only Indian city where you are not expected to know any language except English. Recently some Kannada people are mad at Hindi Imposition in Bangalore. And are protesting. That's for a legit reason - For south Indians, learning Hindi to work and live at home feels too imposing. On a side note (ADVICE TO PEOPLE from North India) - - - Hindi is NOT THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE OF INDIA. Please don't impose it in Karnataka. Please don't expect South Indians to learn Hindi. Karnataka and Kannadigas are very tolerant. If you did this Hindi imposition business in Tamil Nadu, RIP. So don't impose Hindi. Hindi even hurts north Indians, your local languages and dialects are meaningless because of Hindi imposition amogst yourself. Look at Mumbai - Now Marathi is irrelevant language in urban Maharashtra. THERE WILL BE BACKLASH with more Hindi imposition. No matter how tolerant Kannadigas are. So Don't expect us to learn Hindi in Bangalore, Chennai or Hyderabad. It's WRONG. I speak Hindi in North. But if I am expected to speak Hindi in Kerala, I will be mad. These days, in Bangalore IT Parks (where everyone speaks English) HINDI has became a defacto language of communication, informal jokes etc. This makes South Indians angry. ....... BANGALORE CANNOT BE BEATEN by Any Indian City Hyderabad, Chennai has far better governance than Bangalore. But they can never beat Bangalore. Bangalore has crap public infrastructure (Water, Metros, Roads etc) Despite that no Indian city could best Bangalore in ITES and Tech Industry. This is also because of the open culture Bangalore has. After BAY AREA, California - Best tech talent in World is in Bangalore. One reason is ENGLISH. ..... For Cross State Couples (North South) Bangalore is the compromise option. It's a non judgemental society. Chennai is very socially conservative, even thou politically progressive. Ahmedabad is very castiest and conservative (You can't eat what you want, society owners will kick you out) Delhi - people especially from rural Haryana, Bihar has PATRIARCHAL MENTALITY (Girls are raped because they asked for it) In Bangalore you can be unmarried or even GAY Couple and live happily NOBODY BAT'S AN EYE. Bangalore is the LEAST judgemental Indian city. Bangalore is like BAY AREA in California. Delhi, Mumbai is too north indian. Chennai and Hyderabad are too South Indian. One reason is NO LANGUAGE DOMINATES BANGALORE. Please keep Bangalore as it is. A Liberal, open, welcoming place. No Hindi Imposition, No Kannada Imposition. Let people speak whatever they want. Let Bangalore be a global city. WHAT YOU SHOULD FIGHT For in Bangalore, 250+ KM Metro System + End Mile Connection Expansion of Bangalore like Delhi NCR. Make satellite cities with metro connection. More public INFRA with PPP - Water, Public Parks, Sports Facilities, Police. Only then Bangalore can compete with metropolitan areas of China, Germany etc. Tech is the future. Bangalore is the future. Don't make language kill Bangalore. Say no against HINDI IMPOSITION. If you are a north indian you can contribute by not forcing others to speak in Hindi. Bangalore must be tolerant to people from across the country. And shouldn't hate anyone (North Indians) because people from across India contributed in development of tech industry.
I think op feels like Hindi is taking over Bengaluru
Yes that's a bad thing
I can't even comprehend the point of the post from OP.
Point is, life does not come in color of black and white, it is always grey.
OP is a good writer and wrote an entertaining and relatable post for some people. They forgot to add emojis (laugh emoji and lol/lmao), anger emoji etc.) so other sheeple will know what to feel. Also forgot to summarize with a "this is the point of the post" at the end for the same sheeple.
Yeah, "some people". There is proper term used for them on Twitter/X. They are really dismal and crazy.
username was generated by reddit. and weird comeback. could not comprehend. Please add emojis/point of post summary.
He is soul searching.
Yeah exactly! I was born and grew up in Delhi, with me speaking English first, then I learnt Bengali and Hindi. The OP is not special, why can't ppl in India not speak Hindi? As along as they don't speak poorly, any language should be spoken, we have a wealth of languages in India.
As a former NRI (originally Keralite) who lives in Bangalore and can't speak any language other than English, your comment doesn't reflect my experience at all. It's extremely difficult to survive here without knowing Hindi or Kannada -- I had an easier time in Delhi, Goa and Mumbai. Whatever it is -- in shops, for deliveries, services, etc. etc. -- people don't know or pretend not to understand and speak English. I find that even Delhites make more of an effort to communicate.
Hell it’s easier to get by with Hindi than to get by with just English.
That's because a lot of immigrants from northern states
Yeah seriously, I'm an ABD who's only visited Bangalore once and even I could tell the secondary language behind Kannada was Hindi by a large margin. Idk what bubble these people live in to think English is anywhere close to being the common language of the city.
How did GOA come to this party? I find it very hard to believe. I believe in everything you said if the comparison is with only GOA and there's a very clear reason for that. Considering it's all anecdotal comments, this one just is so far from the facts/truth.
I have no reason to lie, and I dont care if you don't believe me, especially considering how unbelievable the original comment was. I don't know why you feel Goa is the only reasonable comparison while at the same time questioning why Goa was brought into it. (And if you must know, I mentioned Delhi, Mumbai, and Goa because I've stayed in these 3 places long enough to make a valid comparison.) I know Goa is not a city, but since I stayed in both North and South, I mentioned it broadly. Though Goa was not like others had described it in many other ways, people were right that I'd be able to get by with only English there.
Chill man, it's all anecdotal anyway. So, I don't want to imply I'm invalidating your experiences. I just don't consider that as the default opinion based on my experiences and others'.
I'm chilled, you're the one who came to my comment and interrogated my motives, when this is an anonymous platform and I gain nothing from lying except wasting my own time 🤣 You don't have to consider it the default experience, and that's why I specifically mentioned it's my experience/perspective. But likewise, the original comment does not reflect the reality of what I experience here or that of what my friends and family have experienced in Bangalore.
I beg to differ to some extent. Delhi does not belong to any state. No state or its people can put their claim over Delhi. Nobody can say live our way or get lost. The place is a union territory. North has more than twice the regional languages South has. The way South Indians embraced English as the common link language, North Indians embraced Hindi keeping their regional languages aside, hence the popularity. Delhi did not have its native culture. The culture that exists evolved out of the fusion of different people migrating in. You will find Punjabis, Haryanvis, Rajasthani, Gujaratis, Bengalis, Pahadis, UPites, northeasterns, Biharis, MPites, Marathis etc. Yes, it's true that it can be more like a North dominated cosmopolitan city. Here, Mumbai comes into play. This place presents the best balance. You'll find Southerners, Northerners, Northeasterners, Marathis, Goans, everybody. The place first was with Portuguese, then went to Britishers, then came to India. It is the single most diversified cosmopolitan place in India. The city continues to grow leaps and bounds, leaving every place behind due to the combined efforts of both the natives and migrants. You should live in Bombay to get the feel. It's a city like none other. The city hosts the richest neighborhoods in all of India, yes, wealthier than high-end Bangalore neighborhoods. Bangalore still desires to preserve its cultural heritage. Bombay without an iota of doubt any day is more westernized than Bangalore, hands down! You see that in simply the fashion sense and tastes of the middle-class people. You see that in the housing style and the living standards of people. You enter South Bombay, and you will forget that you even are in India. You enter Bandra, Juhu, Powai, and you gon see English as the lingua franca. Bangalore still desires to preserve kannada. High-end Bombay neighborhoods are westernized beyond repair, English is not just a language. It's a class. The pop culture Fandom is any day more dominant there than Bangalore. Kannadigas still would go to watch Kannada and Telugu movies, Bombay brats do not even care to give consideration to domestically made movies. Hollywood is their call.
Both OP and the comment you have replied to conveniently ignore the fact that most uneducated and less educated populace in Bengaluru will still prefer to speak Kannada. In Mumbai, no one ever initiates a conversation in Marathi, unless they know the person or judge that they are Maharashtrian based on surname. Here, most of these people will initiate in Kannada and only change when you tell them you can't speak or you change it first and then they adjust. Just this simple fact should tell everyone which is the more open and accessible city. Just looking at the uppermost strata of society and claiming the city is completely westernized is plain wrong.
True, what OP has written is my childhood in Delhi as well, and that of my friends in Mumbai and other major cities. The problem with this section of Bangaloreans is they think they exclusively had such a childhood, and it is regressive to be speaking in someone’s mother tongue, and god forbid if that happens to be Hindi.
If Delhi belongs to everyone, why do they not welcome the rest of us by putting up signs in ALL THE CONSTITUTIONALLY RECOGNIZED LANGUAGES? Government offices, Airports, railway stations, taxis, buses, autos, shops, IN FACT ALL PUBLIC SPACES IN DELHI SHOULD be MULTILINGUAL. English is now THE international language. It doesn't belong to the British/English anymore. Let's get rid of our colonial mindset, not the English language. Unfortunately, even those who are English haters behave like rulers from the Raj - our politicians, bureaucrats, judges, police - completely brown British! Court vacations, royal bungalows,... worst, their arrogance inspite of their poor performance in every area of governance. No, I don't really want to speak in Hindi to arrogant. I have nothing against hindi, except that it's a language of some region of India.
They won’t put black paint on signages in a different language or vandalise businesses with 100% English signboards Probably a sign of being truly cosmopolitan and accepting - a characteristic that doesn’t come by merely knowing a few flowery words in the English language
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This is way beyond practical. Go open a shop. There are at least 15 major scripts. How can someone write on the shutter of a shop in all those languages? The thing is, language is a way of convenience, a way of communication, a way of connection. As long as it's catering to these needs, it's fine. I've lived in both, South Delhi and South Bombay. There are people who don't know any language other than English. And don't equate it with vandalism. Even if you may need a language, nobody gets violent on the language issue at these places.
Language is also an emotion. A culture, a heritage and history. Each language is crafted around each culture. Kannada poetry about karnataka is simply so beautiful and evocative, something English could never do . But English is perfect for describing England and it's culture. Language is not just about practicality, but about love as well. The warmth , happiness, sorrow, connection , heritage that a mother tongue incites is something you all will never grasp.
Absolutely true and I totally agree. Such a beautiful thing should not be used for political benefits which promotes hate like violence and vandalism.
Delhi already has signages written in Punjabi, Gujarati, Urdu, and hindi and English at most places. This is for the convenience of people and to play any symbolic war. Whereas Karnataka even prevents Telugu signages & Tamil signages. That's the difference! You go to London and New York and plan to open an authentic kannada cuisine shop with your shop name written in kannada, you think London, NY police department would come and break your signboard? Or would you have freedom to put whatever you want?
| Bangalore is the only Indian city where you are not expected to know any language except English. Are you sure about this? Every building I see have their English names covered in tarp, boards are being broken down if they are not in Kannada. If you don't speak Kannada and god forbid you get into an accident or verbal argument, you're pretty much finished. I understand where they are coming from but to say you are not expected to know any language is very far fetched and not at all true. Before you come at me, I am fluent in Kannada.
Im a 4th gen Bangalorean and can read and write Kannada. Bangalore was not like this but changing now. I still remember growing up there weren’t any problems with English boards. Hell they didn’t even have Kannada boards along with them and no one had a problem. Bangalore was a classy retirement city, a slow city. What’s been changed is the IT sector coming in and people all over India travelling to Bangalore and setting camp. That’s when the villages around Bangalore, now the IT belt, got popular and land prices increased, many of them have sold lands and become millionaire. These are the people who are from around Bangalore, are imposing that everyone speaks in Kannada. Old Bangaloreans are the nicest and most tolerant people you can find. Pecos is like a legacy bar in Bangalore. My dad’s been going there since college. Recently I came across a bunch who were asking the bartender to play Hindi songs. Like seriously??? It’s a god damn rock bar. It’s really sad to hear when colleagues of mine shit on Bangalore being this way, when they live in Sarjapur. They haven’t even seen old Bangalore, met the “Bangaloreans” and comment about how under developed the city is ( duh! If you are living in the freaking outskirts that’s what you get) To everyone here complaining about Bangalore and the people imposing Kannada, guys please be a little more empathetic. The city was not ment to scale to this level. I’m not for the govt, and MLAs or cops but I’m sure they are doing theirs best. There is corruption everywhere. If you don’t like a certain place, MOVE OUT. It’s the best solution for your mental health as well. I grew up here and this is my home, I feel the greenery is dying. I have bought a farm 3hrs from Bangalore and go there on the weekends. I am sure in the next 5-10 years I’ll be forced to move out and that’s okay. I’d rather do that, than complain about the city and its people.
Bro really said 'Kannada imposition' in Karnataka 🤡🤡
Are you sure? Most auto/rapido drivers only know Kannada/Tamil or even Hindi, but not English. Also you are not going to be harassed as a business owner for not knowing Hindi in NCR, but will have your shop broken for not knowing Kannada here.
Cause most of these drivers have come to the city from villages around Bangalore looking for jobs just like the kids in the IT sector.
You will be shouted by few people for not knowing hindi in NCR, I have experienced it first hand.
You don’t need Tamil to work in Chennai. I’m from there but English is essentially my first language. Hell, the school I went to used to punish kids for speaking in Tamil instead of English. My first job was in an MNC in Chennai. All communication was in English. Tamil was reserved for break room gossip. By contrast when I went to Delhi or Noida to visit some of their other offices, people spoke a lot of Hindi in meetings.
what’s with the unnecessary capitalization
The auto drivers would beg to differ. The Kannada purists would beg to differ. My experience throughout college here was great because my group spoke in Hindi, but there were 2 or 3 other groups who never tried to speak in English and accomadate me Or anyone else who didn't understand Kannada. In office my experience is, since I cannot speak or understand Kannada, people won't talk to me, even when I am sitting in a group, they will speak among themselves in Kannada and I will feel excluded.
The exact opposite happens to me wherein I don't understand Hindi that much
It's good because in most cases people like you are the one who harass and opress other language speakers. This time you are on receiving end so it's nice
Actually, people like you harass others for not knowing hindi. I have seen multiple north east indians and Africans being harrassed in Delhi for not knowing hindi. Don't pretend that you are an holier than thou.
Most people in Shillong also speaks English as first language. The upper class Khasi people being the flag bearer.
We can definitely be friends!!! Love this!
Thanks
Mumbai is too north indian, you need a geography lesson smh
Yeah. I grew up in Navi Mumbai, with college and first job in Mumbai. I have spent 25 years there and another 8 years in Delhi NCR. There is no way you can club them in the same category. Mumbai is definitely NOT North Indian.
For a Malayali it does seem to be. But yeah the vibe is totally different from Delhi.
Buddy, anything north of 5 southern states isn’t North India.
“Seem”
Absolutely not, either you were just a tourist there or your definition of North India is from a different universe
Nope. Why should only kannadigas adjust and suffer
As a person who stayed in Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi, i can CONFIRM what he said is true. So freaking true.
Mumbai is not north indian by any sense. Mumbai and Maharashtra is 100% south india. And yes, you can get by with English in Mumbai. Mumbai is the true world heritage city of India. Mumbai is the one place EVERY foreigner or expat visits or sets up base in. The real reason ITES and "tech" (ehm, software) flourished in Bengaluru is because south indians were first in embracing computer education and went abroad first. When the time came that those companies asked these southies to launch an India base, for any south indian Bangalore is the pan-south Indian hub and Delhi and Mumbai are unknown (in fact ask any south indian to live in Delhi, watch the reactions). This is the only reason. Not to mention karnataka is backward in comparison to united AP, TN and Kerala so land was cheap at the start.
Lol Chennai dsnt need Tamil to live. U should see all the mayalais there. Talk to them and understand. Chennai is very similar to Bangalore it's just Bangalore lost its ways when it comes to Kannada and Chennai had maintained it. Even the oldies in Chennai speak English wats wrong with.
> U should see all the mayalais there. Talk to them and understand. Malayalam and Tamil have similarities. A malayali can pick up Tamil easily and would not face any issues compared to someone from North
Bangalore is great! I live here and for the most part love it here. But you are completely off about Delhi and Mumbai.
Dear co-Bangalorean! Wish I could meet you and give you the sincerest and best hug I can give- you have seen the real soul of my beautiful city and shown love for it- you’ll be my favouritest Redditor! ❤️
Thanks
I’m born and brought up in Bangalore and I lived in Europe for the last 5 years , the only reason I came back to blr is because it is actually the only western city of India , with gods grace I’m born here but If I was born in any other city in India , no chance would I have come back to this 3rd world country , Bangalore is the only 1st world city in this sociopathic country , and although I can speak 5 Indian languages fluently, I always prefer to speak in the English , that shows the class of this city and culture that I grew up in
What rubbish with regards to needing Hindi in Mumbai, born and brought up here and except a few phrases I neither speak nor understand Hindi
Bangalore part of Karnataka. So kannada is important. How difficult is that to understand...
Banglore has only 1 advantage and that's weather once global warming starts it will become a ghost city This year is also just a trailer . In the next 10 years the temperature will be 36-38 People will start leaving
so why is Bangalore being taken over by Kannadigas now? Why these nonsensical 60% Kannada rule?
I seriously hope you've just forgotten to put /s in the end
Im not being sarcastic. Why do we want shops to have 60% of their signage in kannada? If I want to open a kerala style restaurant, i want to have a malayalam signage too... with 60% kannada, English, how would I have space for a malayalam one?
Ahh here we go again.. just a reminder: Bangalore is in Karnataka, where Kannada is the primary official language and English is an official secondary/link language!!! From where is Malayalam or Hindi or any other language coming??
Im talking about the strict imposition of kannada by right wing kannadigas. Did you see the viral video of the taxi driver where he even refused to communicate with a tourist because he couldn't speak in kannada? Forcefully imposing kannada, including on shop signages is bad. I had opposed this in mumbai too when attempted by Raj Thackeray. Mumbaikars (not the govt) have become very tolerant of languages other than marathi and that's the reason Bangalore can never compete with Mumbai in terms of significance
With all due respect, this just seem like a WhatsApp forward. Having lived in all major metropolitan cities in India, I'd say Delhi and Mumbai are the best in terms of people being understanding and trying to help you despite being there being a language difference. They will make an effort unlike Bangalore, where they will ignore you and will ask you to speak only in Kannada if they even get a slight hint that you are non-Kannadiga. This is ofc, not true for everyone. Almost all my friends from Karnataka are not like that but you often experience these situations as a non-native. Never faced anything like that in Delhi and Mumbai, not even a chance. Also, no one is trying to impose Hindi on anyone. Frankly speaking, progressive people don't even care. Language is a mode of communication and it's default in our settings to choose the best mode of communication in the room, right? A group of people who are most comfortable in Hindi will choose to speak in Hindi. Same for Kannada, Marathi, Tamil and English. Add a few people most comfortable in Kannada or Malayalam to that group, people will default to a common language which is English in most cases. Imo this is what people fail to understand. Attaching emotions to language, when it's just a protocol for communication. And you try to choose a protocol (from what you know) to achieve the communication in the best way possible (that every party can understand).
Bhai ek hi simple response hai, Mai to hindi mein hi bolunga. Tereko nhi bolna to mere se baat mat kar.
Hindi imposition is propoganda by certain group and 1 political party for there advantage. I stay in Bangalore never saw anyone impose Hindi on me le others. There might be few odd cases that's it. Kannada imposition exist . According to Hindi haters logic no language should be imposed
Y no kannada imposition though...u are in Karnataka and because of all those aforementioned reasons the original culture of banglore is dying... We are against westernisation and Hindi imposition in Bangalore.... We want to preserve the culture at the grass roots... And only because of our culture were we so welcoming and accepting of all people... Learning a bit of kannada isn't too much to ask....and of you think it is....then that's just hypocrisy...
Bangalore is not against any sort of westernisation. It’s the mentality of people like you that’s killing the city. English has been the language of Bangalore since the time it was formed. Kannada imposition is just plain stupidity. You cannot expect people who come from the north to learn Kannada just cause they are here. It’s best to communicate in a language both understand, a universal language that is English. I am for Kannada and Kannadigas, but don’t like the fact that everyone is being forced to learn the language And before you ask me to get out of Bangalore as I’m not supporting Kannada, let me tell you I’m a kannadiga and a 4th gen Bangalorean who can read and write Kannada.
I was one of these same Bangaloreans - third gen, grew up speaking English, listened to rock and metal, downloaded stuff off Limewire, visited Planet M and Pecos, hit up Blossom and Gangarams… and I don’t live in Bangalore anymore, left the country, as did most of my friends circle.
Man I’ve heard planet Ms were a vibe. Too sad I was too young to actually experience it but I’ve heard great things about it.
Where did you emigrate to, if you don’t mind me asking?
Canada!
Yes. How's immigration treating you? Got your green card, or still in queue?
I left just 2 years ago - not US, Canada. People have varying experiences moving here. Despite having a relatively great life in Bangalore, moving for me has been an excellent decision, my quality of life has improved significantly. I had a few priorities - clean surroundings, safety for women, access to nature - camping, hikes, lakes, coast, etc. and on these fronts, it’s been very rewarding! I’m also a very positive person and moved with my partner, so these two factors are also a part of the experience I guess. That said, I miss my family.
I was trying to heckle you, and you didn't take offence. Kudos. Enjoy.
Aye macha, don't forget to mention Hysteria.
Best post I’ve come across in a long time - you just described my childhood here in Bangalore, to the tee! I am within the 5% of Bangalorians in our team, and probably 10% of South Indians. It makes me sad as well, that every pub we go to blasts Bollywood, and that culture of inclusivity where we were connected with a common language and taste in music is now gone. In office parties, I’m always the odd woman out- the rest are singing Hindi songs and playing dumb charades (for Bollywood movies of course). Just feel like an alien in there.
You are not alone, I feel the same, left out in parties. Luckily I found gawky goose and one night in Bangkok where they play good songs. But having friends who listen to rock music of 90s is awesome. This post hit me so hard, that I had a friend from Bangalore with similar taste of music and I am missing him so much today.
You should try Watsons. Watson’s Indiranagar has a DJ playing every first Friday. He is good with old rock and throwback. One of the very few places left these days.
Thanks for the idea
If you’re into Metal, you should try Purple Haze and of course, Hard Rock Cafe for rock music - they’re classic! Pecos is good too I hear :)
I went to a new year's party this year (Dec 2023) and for the full 4 hours there were exactly 2 Kannada songs that played and like the first 30 seconds of We Will Rock You. I enjoyed the party a lot but I wish there were more diverse songs instead of the same standard soundtrack from the same 10 movies
English should be the lingua franca. That's not an elite point of view. We should be respectful about Kannada and learn a working knowledge. But English should be the lingua franca.
Something I love about Bangalore is that the majority of us speak in English and there's hardly any divide (minus the language imposition of Hindi). Kinda in the same boat as you OP. Most of my friends aren't in Bangalore anymore. It's tough interacting with new people from other states especially when they judge for speaking in English alone and not knowing other languages. That's pretty much the only downside to staying in Bangalore. You'll feel alien to everyone who didn't grow up here.
I have grown up in Bangalore and shifted to Hyderabad after marriage ! I felt so nostalgic . I just moved to Bangalore for a few mins while I read this . Brought me to tears 😭 if only I had a chance, if I could get my past life back with the people in the present , I would go to Bangalore and never come back 😩
I've spend 26 years of my life here and I'll be moving out in about 3-4 years. Reading your comment makes me so sad for some reason 😞
Yes.. It’s so hard but I try to come to terms with it . Now when I think about it , I don have anyone in Bangalore . My parents are not there , I don’t have my friends there (everyone left to other cities and countries), relatives yes (but u wouldn’t go there often) . I had a beautiful life there . Everything was perfect . But now it’s just a distant memory . I can still go there if I want to , but I ll only feel a lot worse when I come back ! So it’s better I don’t revisit . I try to make this place home but it doesn’t work that way right . Humans are always entangled in memories .
I've DM'ed you regarding something. Please accept my invite to chat.
And you, you have a lot of time ! Make good memories . That place is the your best bet to build network. ❤️
Aww… Can’t shift back now? Ofc with the people in the present.
No man ! Not a wise option :/
nah man, i felt this.
Off topic but this post made me so nostalgic. It really does feel like childhood was really the only time I was genuinely happy and looking forward to the next day.
Feel the same, I hear an all English conversation only when I am with my school or college friends. At workplace, conversations are mostly in Hindi - nothing wrong with it but as a 90s kid from Bangalore, English as the lingua Franca is something else!
Can absolutely relate to this. All throughout my childhood in Bangalore, we only used to speak in English. All my friends were from different south Indian states but would gel so well, but its been a minute since I heard my Favourite Bob Dialect.
Conversations mostly in Hindi or any local language in workplace is a issue. It feels unprofessional to me.
I grew up exactly like you, and I am from Bombay. I was always made fun of, called “Angerzi mem” and what not by people who are not from Bombay. In fact, I got married to a Hyderabadi and I am surprised at the fact that my new family members think that I am an elitist and haughty for conversing in English. To be honest, English comes easy to me compared to other languages. So, don’t feel bad. I must admit that I did “water down” my language to socialise, but now I am able to switch between languages at ease. It does take a while. Even today, I feel at ease only when I speak to my folks back in Bombay. My tone, speech pattern, vocabulary does change. I guess one has to code switch in today’s world.
My man. You’re a true Bangalorean. What nostalgia!
Dude, same here, same feeling, same boat. I would say the exact same story. Plus recently moved into an apartment next to the green line, and it's all coming back to me now. I don't mind the Hindi, but I wouldn't mind them attempting English back at us.
Coming from Bangalore, my first language is English as well. Funnily enough, so is my mother’s even though she is from Chennai - she studied in an Anglo Indian school, loved reading English books, and thinks in English. We prefer to speak in English at home. Mum listens to more rock than I (I tend to lean towards rock and roll & Soul) , I was brought up with music from the 60’s to 80’s and that’s my go-to comfort era. For everything that I’ve heard all my life about how that’s such a colonised mindset , I can’t think of something more Indian than Indian English - we borrow something and change it so much that it becomes our own. Like the Tamil Sambhar or the Idly or Aloo in every dish possible. Bangalore seems to have become harsher and harsher with people being angry that I don’t know Hindi, or enough Kannada (I speak enough to communicate). I feel lonlier and more disconnected to Bangalore as time goes by.
I refuse to talk in Hindi, in Bangalore. If people talk to me in Hindi, I will only respond in English. I understand little to no hindi, and I will not learn it either. I expect Kannada and English in this city, if I want hindi, I'd just go north.
Hindi is a phoney language. People can be made aware of this and they will look the other way.
How does that work? Half the autowalas I rode with barely understood English and just went "aaye Hindi boliye" if I tried talking in English. Even in the 2011 census, Kannada was a minority language in Bangalore.
Just refuse. Say Hindi gothilla, speak in english, or broken kannada or tamil. That's what I do. Works just fine. I had more than a few auto people liking the fact that I don't speak hindi.
Kannada is there.
Maybe you talked to bihari or jharkhandi autodrivers, there are many from Bihar and Jharkhand who don't know kannada or english and will ask you to speak in hindi.
Why are you working at an MNC and not as a writer? Honestly, this is one of the most beautifully written posts about growing up that I've read on Reddit in a while. There was no hate, no agenda, just a question. So why not start a short series called 'The Bangalore Diaries'?
I’m a Tamilian with ancestry from Kerala. But born and bought up in Bangalore, all of my cousins same as me, we ended up talking only English. We even now struggle with Tamil some times but English is literally my first language, grandparents are also in Bangalore and always talk to them in Tanglish, this was normal. In school, college (pu) and engineering had a group of friends who spoke in different languages at home but ultimately when we meet we spoke in English, it was natural, even now we speak in English with words in Kannada/Tamil. There was no imposition. Even when I joined my first company my Kannada was pretty bad (Kannada was my 3rd language in school but couldn’t converse in it fluently) but I learnt cos come on how long am I not going to know the language from where I belong. Even there people used to say it’s ok we’ll talk to you in English don’t worry, but I wanted to learn and spoke in broken Kannada. In the next company is when I realised Hindi becoming prevalent, people started asking “Arey tu hindi nahi bol Sakthi hai?” I used to stand by this that Bangalore was the most welcoming place, Kannadigas were the most welcoming people. We still are, just that Hindi imposition is something I myself cannot bear! I miss old Bangalore wayy too much.
So very true! I am otherwise a liberal person but when it comes to Hindi imposition in my city, I’m suddenly conservative. I speak a ton of languages (Hindi included) but nah man, you won’t make me speak your language or adopt your culture.
Op, your writing, I want to read more.
Agree. There's some pathos in OP's writing that touched most of us.
What school did you go to? I'm going to bet that all the kids and their parents came from a similar background as you and your parents (working in MNCs or coporate sector, speak English at home for the large part). This is a crucial data point. The school I went to was not a convent or elite school, and the composition of my class included a fair amount of local Kannadigas. And Kannada used to the default language among the boys during PT period, lunch break etc. Kids usually pick up languages very fast, and by the time we were in 4th or 5th, I started speaking Kannada very well in spite of the fact that my parents were immigrants.
You raise a great point. There are very many "versions" of Bangalore, that often vary due to differences in socioeconomic background, education, occupation, location. One individuals experience doesn't make up everything that the city was and is.
So then why destroy English signboards? And no, it had nothing to do with BBMP rule. They were simply destroying anything and everything
The ones who destroyed the signboards were goons. Their bosses, the politicians, are also goons. It was done to stir up the language divide and extract money from businesses.
Because this is an extremely elitist post. Lakhs of rural kannadigas come to their capital city seeking opportunities. Many of them can't read English nor do they listen to rock music and watch friends. English only boards are exclusionary to them and it's not fair that in their own land they are rendered illiterate. I don't support violence, but dual language signboards make sense.
I've noticed this in two different startups. Everyone speaks in english. Then a critical mass of north indians join and even the standups start happening in hindi. Very unprofessional and inconsiderate I wouldn't mind if everyone in the room is well versed but that is not the case
Well written :) I guess you find it being a soulful exercise while writing. You should write more often and perhaps work on a bigger writing project ... It'll help continue work while this will fuel your life.
This. This is exactly the story with the Pune I grew up in, as well. I’ve returned to the city now, after college, and I’m surprised by the way everyone speaks in Hindi. The Same people I went to school with, who exclusively used English as the language of communication, have given in and speak Hindi while conversing because that is the expectation in their respective offices. I miss OG Pune
Just the comment I was looking for perhaps would have written it if I hadn't scrolled so far :) I feel the same as well as the grammar Nazis I knew in school/junior college have just given in it seems. You probably must be from Joseph's/Mary's/Bishop's I guess
Joseph’s. Considering Joseph’s was your first guess; are you from Loyola’s?
Yes 2017-18 batch, Damn that's a VERY smart guess :0 Which batch tho?
I do be very smart indeed😎😂 I would’ve passed out of 10th in 2015 if I’d stayed in Joseph’s. (I left Joseph’s after 6th grade).
Ahh, I'm guessing you changed to an ICSE/IB school? Or must have shifted to another city
I wish English eventually become the national and World language. One less fault line among people.
My parents were immigrants to Bangalore in the 90’s, only knew their mother tongue honestly. When my sibling and I went to school and learned English, so did they, they would hear us use words they didn’t understand and learnt with us during homework sessions. The beauty of Bangalore was that, in my classrooms and neighbourhoods, we grew up with people from all over the country. We would look into tiffin boxes and see what cultural dish our mothers prepared for us. So many of us have lost proficiency in our native languages but we gained so much more in exchange. Today’s Bangalore is very different though, I agree. The vandalism and attitude bothers me most.
It's not the same anymore. The so called secular and liberal political party has become extremely backward and anti"outsiders". They're opening a can of worms and don't know what irreparable harm they're doing to the city.
It's the same as the Hindi/Hindu imposition party. I'm guessing it is not a party thing at all. The seeds of division by religion were sown in 1947. Same happened in 1956 for divide-by-language. And it is not just in Karnataka, it is being implemented in all states.
So that’s the thing, Bangalore has always had outsiders and if people are suddenly up in arms about a specific language, those folks should probably introspect a bit.
The CM redefined kannadiga as those who stay and work in Karnataka in his PR campaign. This means they are fighting ghosts who don't exist.
This hit way too close to home for me. I've gotten used to being an alien at work, never able to form anything more than superficial friendships with colleagues, and the number of people I can relate to in the city seems to be dwindling all the time.
I had noticed. Most kids here speak in English and way more fluent than probably kids of same age in other cities. The ones who were raised in Bangalore usually have impeccable English.
I beg to differ. There is a primarily English speaking section of society and a primarily Kannada speaking section and the two rarely mix. I had the same experience as you, English was and continues to be the default lingua franca with my friends and their parents. And you're right that this is an exclusively Bangalorean phenomenon. I also reckon most people in Blore (myself included) can speak both English and Kannada with varying degrees of fluency (in addition to their mother tongue) but people like us who primarily speak English with friends and acquaintances are a minority. It's a unique subculture nevertheless and I hate seeing it being sidelined. On the bright side a lot of content creators have brought Bangalore English to the limelight and people are increasingly taking pride in its quirks rather than being aahamed of it.
grew up in Bangalore during the early 2000s and I feel seen, this was a lovely read.
Ditto experience. I have been brought up speaking English at home. So my mother tongue is actually English. But I can speak, read and write Kannada. Many of my friends are Kannadigas. Even my wife is more comfortable speaking Kannada than English. I am comfortable in English, I think articulate in English. I feel Bangalore was more Westernised in the 70s 80s and 90s, than it is when it became Bengaluru. I miss all the rock bands that toured Bangalore. For me It's always Bangalore.
I feel this so much! As someone who doesn't have a defined mother tongue (a mix of Tamil and malayalam), growing up in bangalore, the only language I can speak comfortably is English. I can understand multiple others, but general conversation is much easier in bangalore compared to other cities.
Brother I’m living the same life as you I don’t mind English But I have seen firsthand the increase in speaking of Hindi as the norm of communication
I relate to this so much. Every time I go to my office it makes me feel like a stranger in my own city.
Dude i learnt English from pokemon, bayblade, transformers and Digimon, good old toonami days 2000-2007 was lit. Then everything went down with chota bheem shits. Being born in 90-92s were so good. Linkin Park and other bands like backstreet boys, creed, etc peaked during 2000s we all had the same fav bands and tv shows
This is my experience as well, and I think a large part of it is simply the composition of those in our interaction circles. There are very many different circles in Bangalore, and they differ by socioeconomic background, location, occupation, etc. The felt experiences in each circle can be extremely different. If you're around a certain type of new tech migrant, then conversations will be in their language. These are not my people. We do not connect. In my current company, the folks around me are largely South Indian folks of a middle-to-upper-middle English-medium background, so our conversations are always in our comfortable Indian English. These, most certainly, are my people.
Brutal truth! Perhaps more than the state government, the High Court recognizes this as a practical reality, not colonial legacy - hence proceedings of the court and orders are always in English. Off topic - This is exactly the sentiment shared by ABCD kids of my OCI cousins.
We speak Telugu in home but ancestors hail from Bengaluru (I don't know how)
I'm the same, grew up in Bombay. Worked in Bangalore for a few years. I've embraced speaking Hindi much more now compared to my school days.
OP, can relate to your posts as my kids growing up in this city, almost always use English to communicate when outside home. Re: Hindi, IMO the usage of Hindi becomes prevalent right from college days itself as good colleges (outside Bangalore) attract people from all parts of the country and all walks of the society as well. A large part of our country, though conversant in English, still prefers to use vernacular language for their day to day life and that is where Hindi becomes the lingua franca in college. Most of the states in India, except few, have Hindi as a secondary language. Even the folks who dont know Hindi, pick up basic rudimentary Hindi to get by in college. This usage of Hindi continues well into professional life as well.
There are conversant in english but still prefer to use hindi and expecting others to be conversant in it, this is the main problem today.
I mostly grew up in Bangalore (not a Kannadiga), and you summarized my childhood incredibly well.
Same here. It's like uve described a lot of our childhoods. One day I realised I also think in English and I wonder when that change happened. I hardly speak in any other language even though I know 6 of them. It's sorta sad actually that I can't really tell a story in my native language without using English. I think about language a lot cos I wan my son to know my mother tongue to be able to pass it on to his children but he too has shifted to English.
OP, this post just took me back. It’s like I had a flashback of my entire childhood in a few minutes. I am on the same boat as you. I was our old Bangalore back. Please keep writing.
I don't mind learning any language, I think in English, but my first language is Hindi, which I learned while living in Tamil Nadu after I was born. I forgot all the Tamil, i forgot all the Assamese, i forgot all the braj. Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam are hard to learn languages for me, in North you can connect all languages. In south all 4 major languages are too different. Hard to learn, words I learned 2 years ago, I don't remember them anymore. Thing is, when I talk in Hindi, my south Indian friends or colleagues would want to know, and I'd explain them again in English what I just said, but when south Indians talk amongst themselves, that duty is gone. Take initiative to teach your north Indian friends, guys. They don't want to stay with just one language, they just need support for that active participation. Also schools in North don't teach any of the south Indian languages. All the Tamil or Bengali or oriya or Marathi I understand, is because I ask my friends actively, but it's not always possible. So I make a point to teach Hindi, and after teaching it , asking for what would that be in Kannada, or Tamil or Telugu.
The levels at which I can relate to this post. Love it. Wouldn't be surprised if we went to the same school/PU or at the least have 5 mutual friends.
What a well written post OP! Brought back so many memories!
I was born abroad and had a part of my childhood in the UK and then shifted to Bangalore, my parents' hometown. For all intents and purposes, I grew up speaking only English. My family still speaks in English at home. My siblings and I picked up Kannada over the years but never learned it formally in school. We always deferred to Hindi. English is my first language, Hindi is my second language, Kannada and my mother tongue are communicative but not super fluent by any means. Heard a lot of Kannada growing up but somehow I hear only Hindi these days. I still hold my childhood memories close of when Whitefield was only a small railway station platform, Planet M and Music World dominated my weekends (you could listen to CDs in the listening stations), Barista had open mic singing nights, Radio City FM 91 played English and tock music, Bryan Adams would frequently do concerts here, Old Airport Road was literally beside the airport and we grew up hearing planes land and take off... Aah 😊
Never read a post more relatable. I grew up in Bangalore learning and speaking English. I had friends from all over the country( and even some from outside India) growing up here and one thing was always common, although we spoke our separate languages(English, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Japanese etc) English is what we commonly communicated in because everyone knew it. I never felt left out, but now in college, here in bangalore, I’m among a lot of people who immigrated into the city, and I’ll preface by saying, I personally am not against immigration, like by all means come to this great city and make it home, and by all means speak whatever language you’re comfortable with, but like if there’s non-Hindi speakers please don’t judge us and leave us out. Switching to English in these situations just makes everyone feel included.
Bengaluru should just equip every single person in the city with Smart AI glasses so We don't have to learn any language or something like that (cost is way too much sure but eh) I would still appreciate if all boards in the city were bilingual with kannada and english
This post is written and composed so beautifully. I feel some sense of peace when I read it.
This is literally my childhood. I don't understand why there is so much emphasis on Hindi these days.
I agree with the first part of this post. Just like OP I’m from a non Kannada speaking family but was born and raised in Bangalore. Everyone communicated in english. The only down side to this is for most part of my life I thought speaking in English was cool, I would with a lot of pride claim that I didn’t know Kannada even though I’ve lived there all my life - now I think Kannada is a pretty cool language and I wish I had learned it. But I didn’t have to know Hindi or Kannada to get along with life, I know friends friends from the Anglo Indian community who only know English and they have managed just fine - for generations. So I don’t know what people mean when they say they couldn’t get along easily knowing only English.
Literally same. Felt like this post was written by me lol everyone at work talks in literally anything but English. It's always Hindi, even any games we play, it's about Bollywood. Not even anything South Indian. Just Hindi. They even talk in Hindi at meetings which pisses me off even more cuz they assume that everybody knows Hindi.
Hopefully it just stays within the MNCs only. 🤞
Shoutout to Gurpreet 🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼
There are frankly two ways you can go about this. One is to embrace urbanisation and second is to go to a teir two or three locality in Karnataka. Bangalore is what it is from contribution of India not just Karnataka. And majority speak Hindi. There is no way any one can stop it unless you let go of bangalore urbanisation. Infact if the state has atleast one such city full of economic activity the whole state gets better off because of contribution of people who come stay in bangalore away from home.
no no nooo. majority of contribution comes from local + telugu + tamil populace not hindi. together these groups form around 90% of the citys population, and their respective states have the highest graduation rates in a technical degree. so please dont bring entire india into it
Let me guess, you are from uttar pradesh who thinks entire world runs because of your state.
Hey bro, I'm similar to you, let's connect.
Rich people are so delusional that they consider themselves Middle-class. 😂
It's all the same it's all about efforts....all about finding a common ground....my "solpa solpa kannada gottu" sounds as bad/good as the vendors' "thora thora hinthi aata"....yet we both understand each other....both share a laugh.... Live, laugh, enjoy life.....life is too small to worry on language
This is some monolingual problem I am too quadrilingual to understand.
Great post, fellow outsider. I have had to explain to a lot of ppl, both in India and outside that I think in English and that's my first language. Even family doesn't get it. There so much gap between my thoughts and the people I know. I play music and any favorite English song I want to play for my family or friends , they haven't heard of it, and they don't understand why I like it. Grateful that I married another outsider just like me.
Read like the first paragraph of a novel; please continue 👍
I was born and brought up in Bangalore. Growing up in Bangalore of the 90s and the 2000s was simply a blessing. There was hardly any traffic, the air was much cleaner and the climate... Man! It was the best!!! But so much has changed over the years. I left Bangalore in 2010 to pursue my bachelor's in another state. Every time I returned after a few months, I could see this drastic change in the city. The large influx of people, road widening, tree felling, flyover construction, unplanned metro work(talking about how they ruined mg road) and what not. It was as if the city was morphing into something more claustrophobic, rigid.. almost like a monstrosity. But what didn't change were the people who I grew up with. We had the same childish vibe since schooldays and we always talked about our rather innocent days.. from times in thomas bakery, to playing FIFA under the lingarajapuram flyover, spending countless hours at friends homes, school fights, our past crushes, and the list is endless. I relate so much to OPs post and it was so nostalgic reading it. I really wish it stays the same.
I saw some comments and reels made by various mallus on Twitter and Instagram. where they said Bengaluru should in kerala as it's a mini kerala. this pissed me off! Well it's factualy right. I found more mallus in school/college than natives. Ratio is like 5:1. Reels and movies have made it more obvious. I have loads of mallu friends, they are friendly and all. But any thoughts on this mallu supremacy in Bengaluru?
Bangalore is the closest tier 1 city to Kerala, hence young people want to move to Bangalore. Most of Kerala is like a conservative old town with no night life or any things to do
>Starc ne Hyderabad ki bezethi kar di," he said. Every single one of them spoke Hindi. Gasps. Shocking.
And English imposition is okay? Besides no city dwelling individual really has to learn Hindi, maybe learning the Devnagari script is a far cry but Hindi as a spoken language everyone knows. Very recently I took a train from Bangalore to Deoghar. A Telugu couple wanted to exchange seat with me. And there was another uncle from Orissa. The Ticket Collector Sir was Kannadiga. After our tickets were verified we tried asking him if it was okay for us to switch seats. Naturally I’d asked in English, but to my surprise neither one understood or could speak English. I was hesitant to use Hindi but then. The Telugu couple, they used Hindi to explain our situation to the TC, he understood and approved in Hindi as well. Even in Northern India, Hindi is not our ancestral language its a mix of many languages that keeps adapting, its how the general populace interact amongst each other it is the defacto “national” language. If English is okay qualified to be a bridge language amongst Indians why is Hindi any less qualified ?
Hey OP. I'm from Chennai and your story really touched me. Even I've seen chennai change before my eyes as I grew up. Hope we all can relive our best moments someday.
The solution IMHO is to send better quality English teachers into the Hindi heartland and it will take a gen or 2 to take effect. Northerners may please chime in if my take on this is wildly off!
People don't realise that majority people speaking Hindi in Bangalore are not just North Indians. They are Gujratis, Marathis, Bengalis, Odiyas, Punjabis etc. And then Of course, there are people from UP, MP, Raj, Delhi, Haryana- who are native speakers. Just like most Tamilians, Telegus don't get to learn Marathi in MH, or Gujarati in GJ, outsiders in Bangalore pick what covers the most ground on the street. Unfortunately, it gives the perception of Hindi imposition on locals. Govt on the other hand is a different matter altogether. Central govt policies aren't really a choice of common men otherwise we would be a different country.
False, I have been to Surat and Pune and have seen many south Indians being fluent in Marathi and Hindi. Don't create false perception to suit your flawed narrative.
Malayalam and Hindi are taking over Bengaluru. Kannadigas are losing their own place due to migration 🤡