Kannada language row: Bank manager insists on speaking ‘Hindi’; furious customer says, ‘This is Karnataka, madam’

Bengaluru has long been celebrated as a cultural and linguistic melting pot. However, this diversity has also given rise to recurring debates over language—particularly prominent in recent times, with tensions between Kannada and Hindi speakers.

From the government’s mandate requiring Kannada signboards to clashes between auto drivers and non-Kannada-speaking passengers, language has become a flashpoint across the city. The discourse often spills into online spaces, where it frequently takes on a divisive and hostile tone.

Now, another video has emerged online showing an SBI manager refusing to speak in Kannada, triggering a fresh language row. The incident is reported to be from Chandapura, a suburb in the south of Bengaluru.

Here’s how the heated exchange unfolded between a customer and a bank official at an SBI branch in Chandapura, Karnataka:

Customer: “Wait a second, this is Karnataka.”

Bank Manager: “You have not given me employment.”

Customer: “This is Karnataka, madam.”

Bank Manager: “So? This is India.”

Customer: “Kannada first, madam.”

Bank Manager: “I will not speak Kannada for you.”

Undeterred, the customer continued pressing the official to speak in Kannada.

Customer: “So you will never speak in Kannada?”

Bank Manager: “No. I will speak Hindi.”

What followed was a back-and-forth standoff:

Neither side relented, and the conversation soon reached a stalemate.

The customer then reminded the official: “Madam this is Karnataka, you should speak Kannada. It’s not about the chairman, there is an RBI rule that in that particular state you must speak the respective language.”

But the manager stood her ground: “I will never speak Kannada,” she declared.

“Super, madam, super,” the customer responded sarcastically.

The man, who filmed the entire interaction, urged others to act:

“Viewers, this is the SBI branch in Chandapura, you should all teach a lesson to this branch, we should all be united.”

In response to the incident, pro-Kannada activist groups have announced a protest. They plan to march to the SBI main branch tomorrow and submit a memorandum demanding action.