A viral post declaring, “Bengaluru is closed for North India and neighbouring states who don’t want to learn Kannada,” has reignited a heated debate over the local language and culture in the city.
Shared on X (formerly Twitter) by user Babruvahana (@Paarmatma), the post reads:
“Bengaluru is closed for North India and neighboring states who don’t want to learn Kannada. They don’t need Bengaluru when they can’t respect language and culture.”
Accompanied by hashtags #Kannada, #Bengaluru, and #Karnataka, the post has amassed over 50,000 views, 100 reshares, and 1,000 likes, sparking widespread discussion about the balance between cultural pride and inclusivity.
Responses to the post were polarised. Some users supported the sentiment, emphasising the importance of respecting local language and culture. Others criticized the exclusivity implied by the message.
One user mocked the post for being written in English while promoting Kannada, commenting, “Areey waah. Someone just posted a message in English saying one region of India is closed to people from other regions who don’t want to learn Kannada. Britishers would be smiling now.”
Another user pointed out the practical challenges of restricting entry based on language, stating, “If this happens, all IT companies will move to the north, and you’ll lose your Bengaluru.”
Some highlighted the difference between respecting a language and mandating its learning. “Learning another language is a personal choice. Respecting a culture and language is a different point entirely,” one comment read.
The post adds fuel to an ongoing debate about linguistic identity in Bengaluru, a city that has long been a melting pot of cultures, driven by its booming IT sector.
This is not the first time such a language row has erupted in Bengaluru. Earlier when Delhi was down with severe AQI, Bengaluru enjoyed relatively cleaner air with Air Quality Index (AQI) levels between 60 and 80. Taking a note of this another user humorously suggested, “It’s time to learn Kannada and permanently settle in Bengaluru.”
Another such incident came across during the Dil Luminati tour of popular Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh. The concert took a darker turn for one attendee, who claims her concert experience was ruined by a heated confrontation over language.