German woman speaks in Kannada with local trader during the debate “Bengaluru belongs to the Kannadigas”

A video of a German woman speaking to a local trader in Kannada in the Indian city of Bengaluru has gone viral on the internet. This comes amid the ongoing controversy of ‘Bengaluru belongs to the Kannadigas’, meaning that anyone coming to the Indian city has to make an effort to learn the local language and those who don’t are labelled as ‘outsiders’.

“German national Jenifer, currently living in Karnataka, is learning Kannada and trying to converse with the locals in Kannada. Look at the appreciation she is getting for speaking Kannada. If Germans can do it, then why can’t Indians learn Kannada and converse with Kannadigas?” commented an X-user.

The video was viewed nearly 1.5 million times. Several Internet users appreciated the German citizen’s efforts to learn the local language. However, many others questioned the enforcement of such expectations.

Internet users’ reactions to the language barrier for non-Kannada speakers

One X user agreed with the need to learn the local language, saying, “Yes, that’s true. I lived in Karnataka a few years ago. I learned Kannada to speak with my friends, especially those who come from rural areas. Making the effort to learn the local language means respecting them and their culture. It’s a basic rule of etiquette. I can still speak it.”

“According to the so-called logic, Kannadigas in Maharashtra have to speak Marathi. There should be no problem if the Maharashtra government imposes the language on them. It takes a very long time to learn one’s mother tongue. Not knowing someone’s language does not mean being disrespectful,” said a second user.

A third X user said, “Every Indian state has its own language, so in your opinion everyone should learn multiple languages. This is fundamentally not possible for everyone, so we need an official language or maybe a national language for this and we should also respect every culture and language.”

The video was posted amid the ongoing controversy where a recent post on X labelled all non-Kannada speakers living in Bengaluru as ‘outsiders’. The post has since sparked a long debate on social media.

“To all those coming to Bengaluru, you will be treated as an outsider in Bengaluru if you don’t speak Kannada or don’t make an effort to speak Kannada. Write it down and tell others. We are not joking,” said the post at the centre of the controversy.

(With contributions from agencies)