The ongoing language debate in India has come up again on social media, following a statement by Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu. He urged individuals who have made Bengaluru their home to learn Kannada, stating that failing to do so is "disrespectful." His remarks came in response to a now-deleted social media post in which two men wore T-shirts emblazoned with the words “Hindi National Language.” The post was captioned, “Perfect T-shirt for Bangalore trip.”

Reactions to the post and the language Issue

Journalist Chandra R. Srikanth responded to the social media post by pointing out the irony of people who learn foreign languages while travelling abroad but don't try to learn the local language in India. She criticised the fact that many people are quick to buy dictionaries for languages like French or Spanish yet avoid learning their native language when living in Bengaluru.

She tweeted, "People won’t think for a minute before buying English to French, English to Spanish, and English to Italian dictionaries while flying abroad, but God forbid if you tell them to try and be courteous enough to learn a local language in India. There are folks who go on saying Kannada gothila (I don’t know this language) for years like it is a badge of honour."

Chandra R. Srikanth also shared her personal experience of learning Kannada. She explained that although her mother tongue is not Kannada, she made an effort to learn the language during the ten years she has lived in Bengaluru. She acknowledged that her local language is not perfect and she still struggles with full sentences, but she appreciated how locals have appreciated her efforts. “Full disclaimer: My mother tongue is not Kannada, but I picked up the language in the last decade that I lived here. My Kannada is not perfect, and I still struggle with full sentences, but people really appreciate it that you are at least making an effort," she wrote.

Vembu supports the sentiment

Sridhar Vembu supported Chandra R. Srikanth’s view, stressing that people who make Bengaluru their home should learn Kannada. He stated, "I agree with this sentiment. If you make Bengaluru your home, you should learn Kannada, and your kids should learn Kannada. Not doing so after living many years in Bengaluru is disrespectful. I often request our employees in Chennai coming from other states to make an effort to learn Tamil after they come here."

Online debate sparks mixed opinions

Vembu’s comments led to a debate online about whether learning a local language should be mandatory or optional. Some users disagreed with the idea of making it a "compulsion" and questioned the practicality of learning multiple languages when moving between different states for work. One user mentioned that they had many Kannada friends in Mumbai who had never learnt Marathi, asking if that was also unfair. Another user pointed out that people who frequently move for work, like IT professionals moving between Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad, should not be expected to learn every local language.

In response to Vembu's statement, a user sarcastically commented, “Great sir. Let’s divide the country and make borders with the requirement of an IELTS certificate in the local language for entrance. Just before that, the tagline of our country ‘Unity in Diversity’ should be immersed in Ganga in Varanasi.”