A publish on social media platform X (formally Twitter) has triggered a fierce backlash after dismissing Indian regional languages like Kannada and Tamil as “not value studying,” sparking outrage, notably in southern cities reminiscent of Bengaluru and Chennai.
The now-viral publish argued that whereas studying Japanese or Chinese language was logical when transferring to international locations like Japan or China, there was “no level” in studying Kannada or Tamil when relocating to Bengaluru or Chennai.
“If I moved to Japan, I’d study Japanese. If I moved to China, I’d study Chinese language. If I moved to Bangalore, I’d slightly converse English. If I moved to Chennai, I’d slightly converse English,” the publish learn.
“No level in studying languages of poorer economies and poorer high quality of life.”
The remarks drew swift criticism, with many customers calling them elitist, ignorant, and disrespectful towards regional cultures. Residents from southern states highlighted the wealthy historic, cultural, and literary heritage of those languages, a number of of which maintain classical language standing in India.
In a follow-up publish, the consumer claimed regional language debates are sometimes “overhyped” and steered that main firms ought to restrict investments in cities like Bengaluru and Chennai to keep away from what they described as “language-based harassment of migrants.”
This suggestion additional infected reactions, with critics accusing the consumer of in search of to delegitimise the function of native languages in Indian cities and workplaces.
Social media has since been inundated with responses, starting from students underscoring the worldwide significance of Tamil and Kannada to tech professionals in Bengaluru who confused that embracing native languages fosters inclusivity slightly than division.
“Languages don’t outline financial standing — they outline identification, historical past, and belonging,” one consumer wrote.
One other consumer posted, “Indian: We mastered your tongue to outlive; you mock ours to really feel taller, but your world nonetheless stumbles at ‘Namaste’, whereas ours as soon as whispered the Vedas to the celebrities. A wealthy man who mocks language remains to be poor in thought, for even gold wants a tongue to be praised.”
“You discuss like some wealthy globetrotter who’s seen all of it, however you’re simply one other keyboard vacationer sitting in a spot the place actual progress hasn’t even knocked but. Flexing English prefer it’s a VIP go doesn’t make you superior, it simply makes you sound painfully insecure,” learn one other remark.
