WATCH: Man tells auto driver ‘Speak Hindi if you want to stay in Bengaluru’, viral video sparks outrage
Viral video shows man telling Bengaluru auto driver to speak Hindi, sparking widespread outrage and debate over language politics
Bengaluru, which is famous for the auto-rickshaw culture, has its share of conflicts between in-city drivers and outsiders over linguistic differences. A video went viral a while back featuring a heated exchange of words between an auto-driver and a non-Kannadiga man. The man instructed the driver to “Speak Hindi if you want to remain in Bengaluru,” which angered the driver strongly, who replied, “You came to Bengaluru, speak Kannada. I won’t speak Hindi.” The spot where the incident occurred remains unidentified, but the non-Kannadiga’s remarks have incited outrage on social media, with most terming him linguistically arrogant.
On X (formerly Twitter), users were outraged, criticizing the man’s comments as callous and controversial. Many users took to the platform to express their anger regarding his comments, with some calling it unacceptable.
The viral clip raised a cascade of responses to the city’s ongoing battle with the politics of language and cultural identity. While the city remains to be a magnet for people all over India, the struggle over language and identity certainly does not seem to end.
WATCH the viral video here:
Hindi language extremists are the threat to hindu unity
A Hindi chauvinist says that if you want to live in Bangalore, you have to speak Hindi.
They are doing this in all the states, so everyone has turned against them. They have too much ego and don’t respect the local… pic.twitter.com/h9SD4hABI6
— DSH MAX (@team_dsh_1) April 19, 2025
