Let’s all learn Kannada to connect better with Bengaluru

To truly belong to a city, it's important to learn the local language. And large numbers of non-Kannadigas in Bengaluru have been doing this in the last few years

Karnataka government just amended the Karnataka Industrial Employment Standing orders, giving itself power to invoke the law so that Kannadigas are prioritised for employment even in the private sector. For some time, BBMP has mandated that the display boards of establishments in Bengaluru should have at least 60 percent Kannada. And thus, the outsider vs insider debate continues.

The general perception is that increasing numbers of Bengaluru residents don’t know Kannada. But in the 2011 Census, nearly half of Bengalureans listed Kannada as their mother tongue while only less than five percent mentioned Hindi as their first language. In fact, in the last few years, there’s an increasing trend of non-Kannadigas in Bengaluru trying to learn Kannada. And many options exist for this now.

But while it’s important for newcomers to at least try to learn the language, Kannadigas should also understand that the former would face communication challenges.

To truly belong to a city, to connect with all its citizens, speaking the local language is essential. And it’s not really difficult! So if you are new to Kannada, do check out the many options to learn the language.

Read more here:

On Kannada-only boards in BMTC buses

Hindi Vs Kannada debate in Bengaluru

How you can learn Kannada online

Comments:

  1. Muthu says:

    Again and again and again imposing a language to everyone is not a solution. If u love kannad that much then close all english schools and dont send ur children to abroad. Racisicm at its best

    • Lohith s r says:

      Hey muthu,you are saying imposing a language is not a solution, then what you guys are doing with hindi, saying hindi is our national language blah blah.
      We are not racist because we kannadigas leaving in other states will never ever complain about the language r culture of the State, we learn the language of that state and try to be one of them. u guys from other parts of india staying here and not have atleast basic respect towards the culture and language of the state you are the rascists.

  2. sarathi says:

    even if you learn kannada & fairly speaks kannada , still you will be seen as outsider trying to conquer Bangalore, you will be hardly appreciated for your effort, Even some may think that you learnt kannada as you are interested in permantly settling in Bangalore,by the way doing injustice to the bhumi putra’s

  3. Komala says:

    Thank you Manasi for the great article. Its indeed easy to learn Kannada language. Learn Kannada Online at http://www.kannadaiseasy.com
    Contact us for a free session at +91 9916547159

  4. Vaibhav says:

    Govt must not impose the local language on non-kannadigas. Instead it must promote usage of english as a mass medium of communication across Bengaluru to make it a world class city. If the locals are against the usage of hindi in the state, then learning kannada should also not be imposed on others. English will then act as a connecting language bridge among people belonging to different places.

  5. Ritesh says:

    First ladies n gents.. Whoever is saying first learn kanada to connect better with Bangalore my reply to them is simple

    First learn Hindi to connect first with India then we can decide on the states and the languages

    Simple funda

    And if kanada language is so insecure that u need to beat n torture people to learn the language. I really pity the state of affairs of a language and a state… One shud learn it as a experience to know the language and not by force

    And in the entire South Karnataka was the least popular state. In terms of everything be in cinema. Food culture Etc.. Just cos software revolution had invaded Karnataka does not mean we need to be imposed with languages

    By the way 80 percentage of Bangalore is run n habited by outsiders

    Once you remove this mass one will be left with just the remnants of the local crowd

    So guys look at other teething issues in the state like infra , pollution, corruption n traffic management rather than all this lingo language blah blah crap….

  6. Ritesh says:

    Don’t make Karnataka another Tamil Nadu

    U will only get disgust not praise
    ..ur not going to achieve nirvana by doing all this.

    We have huge critical issues to address in the state. Which needs public support and intervention

    [Editor: This comment has been edited to suit our comments policy.]

  7. Mahu says:

    Why can’t u guys apply the same rule in your
    Local cities where you born.
    U want everything(bread & butter) from here but don’t want to learn Kannada.

  8. Manoj says:

    Conveniently you do not mention that other 50% are tamilians and telugu who try to discriminate against kannadigas in bangalore . Strategically you nention hi di population to scare them but not andhra , tamil population who are the real culprits for the kannadigas aversion to outsiders, stop this agenda driven article

  9. John says:

    Why speak in English when promoting kannada?

  10. Vikrant says:

    Intent should be to promote cultural exchange between communities. Govt should come up with platforms that provide incentives for locals to teach Kannada to immigrants. And that should be done in a way that brings in positive image of Karnataka. At the same time if someone coming to Bangalore plans to spend more than two years here should understand that learning the language would help them the most in day to day life. Govt should start centers to impart convineint language learning to interested people. Let learning languages be an organic process than a politically motivated one. Cheers. –

  11. Shankar says:

    Absolutely resonate with this article and video. I am a Tamilian but I have learnt enough Kannada to be able to manage getting around the city. I also love old Kannada songs – especially those sung by Rajkumar – and I see some Kannada films too every now and then. My kids know more Kannada than Tamil or Hindi.

    It is important to learn the local language when you settle down in a place.

  12. Dinesh says:

    Interested to learn spoken kannada but do not have proper resources. Please mention any available options.

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