BENGALURU: In a fresh twist that has reignited the language debate, a man who was seen in a video that went viral, saying “So what if this is Bengaluru, speak Hindi”, posted an apology in Kannada on Monday.
On April 20, the Hindi-Kannada row flared up again after a video surfaced showing the man telling an auto driver: “Noida mein raho ya Bangalore mein raho, tum bhi Hindi mein baat karo (Whether you’re in Noida or Bengaluru, speak in Hindi).” The auto driver promptly responded, “You have come to Bengaluru, speak in Kannada. I won’t speak in Hindi.” The video, lacking clear context, nonetheless went viral, splitting the internet.
The man’s identity remains unknown, and netizens have dubbed him the ‘Hindi warrior.’
While some supported the need to speak Hindi in Bengaluru, many-especially Kannadigas-expressed outrage at being pressured to use a language that isn’t native to the region. In the ‘apology video’ circulated online on Monday, the unidentified man said he did not intend to offend anyone and claimed he speaks Kannada, having lived in Bengaluru for nearly nine years.
He added that he went to the nearest police station to apologise for his behaviour, admitting he regretted losing his temper during the heated exchange. The apology sparked fresh outrage, with some accusing Kannadigas of forcing people to apologise, while others questioned the man’s sincerity, suggesting he was merely reacting to the backlash.
Calls for a neutral middle ground-such as using English when there’s no common language-were few and largely drowned out in the noise.
Incidentally, after Tamil Nadu, resistance to “Hindi imposition“-particularly the three-language formula proposed under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020-is growing louder in Karnataka as well.