‘Bengaluru closed to North India and…’: Viral post rekindles language clash with non-Kannada speakers

A viral post proclaiming, “Bengaluru is closed to North Indians and neighboring states who don’t want to study Canadian,” continues a heated debate in the city over the local language and culture.

The post shared by X (formerly Twitter) user Babruvahana (@Paarmatma) reads:

“Bengaluru is closed to North India and neighboring states who don’t want Canadian education. They don’t need Bengaluru when they can’t respect language and culture.

The post, which was hashtagged #Kannada, #Bengaluru and #Karnataka, garnered over 50,000 views, 100 reshares and 1,000 likes, sparking a wide-ranging conversation about the balance between cultural pride and inclusion.

Responses to the article are forthcoming. Some users supported the sentiment by emphasizing the importance of respecting the local language and culture. Others criticized the message’s exclusivity.

When one user introduced the tone, it was written in English saying, “Arey wah. A person has posted a message in English saying that one region of India is closed to people from other regions who do not want to learn Kannada. Britons are smiling now.

Another user pointed out the practical challenges of restricting entry based on language, saying, “If that happens, all the IT companies will go north, and they’ll lose Bengaluru.”

Some have pointed out the difference between respecting and learning a language. “Learning another language is a personal choice. Respecting the culture and language is an entirely different matter,” one comment said.

The post adds fuel to the ongoing debate about linguistic identity in Bengaluru, a cultural hotbed driven by its booming IT sector.

This is not the first time such a language controversy has erupted in Bengaluru. Earlier, Bengaluru had relatively clean air with an Air Quality Index (AQI) level between 60 and 80, while Delhi was suffering from severe AQI problems. Another user posted this note jokingly saying, “Time to learn Kannada and settle permanently in Bengaluru.”

Another such incident happened during popular Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh’s visit to Dil Luminati. The concert took a darker turn for one audience member, who said her concert experience was marred by a heated argument over language.