Zoho CEO Steps into Language Debate: 'Is Not Knowing Kannada While Living in Bengaluru Disrespectful?

Recently, a statement by Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu has stirred quite a hue and cry on social media over disrespect to people who live in Bengaluru if they don't know to write at least in Kannada-the local language of the city. Once again the language debate in India is given a boost, especially towards the need to learn the local language if one intends to shift base to a new city.

Vembu's comments are coming in the wake of a certain controversial post circulating on X (formerly Twitter) that featured two men sporting T-shirts emblazoned with the phrase "Hindi National Language". The post that later retracted sparked outrage and, in turn, brought out the Vembu comments and many people have found the latter thought-provoking, while others brand it contentious.

Vembu urged people who have made Bengaluru their home to learn Kannada. "If you make Bengaluru your home, you should learn Kannada. Not doing so after living many years in Bengaluru is disrespectful," he said. He even drew a parallel, mentioning how he encourages his employees in Chennai to learn Tamil once they settle there.

The reaction has been sharp and poignant by the people from all walks of life. People debate hotly whether 'learning a regional language is one's own prerogative, one's own choice or one's own duty'. Some share Vembu's opinion, while others feel that one cannot be forced to learn a language simply because one lives in that particular city.

Says Chandra R Srikanth, a Moneycontrol journalist who shares the sentiment of Vembu: "People must be learning French and some other foreign languages just to get jobs or get places or to travel. But they do not make similar efforts to learn the local language when they are living in India." She shared how she learned Kannada over the years, saying that in general, Kannadigas welcomed her efforts at Kannada, despite the language not being a mother tongue.

However, everybody seems not to be believing Vembu. Different users commented on social media, observed that the people are mostly changing cities for work and cannot be too realistic to make one master several local languages. One of them said a professional will use his whole career life in Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad and has to learn Kannada, Tamil, and Telugu.

Debates on language often have divided opinions between a view that says it is a necessary step in cultural preservation to propagate Kannada as the local language of Bengaluru and another assertion that says language cannot be a point of contention or division.

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