'What's the official language of Bengaluru?' Viral video leaves Kannadigas fuming

The vox pop-style video, seemingly recorded in Mumbai, features a man posing a straightforward question to pedestrians: “What is the official language of Bengaluru?”

One respondent confidently stated, “I think Bengaluru doesn’t have an official language.” Another immediately answered, “Hindi,” while a third person, seemingly uncertain yet determined, offered, “Hindi or Sanskrit. I’d place my bets on both.”

Several others in the video echoed similar misconceptions, with three women agreeing that Hindi must be the official language of the city. Some participants suggested Tamil, while others guessed English, further reinforcing the widespread lack of awareness about Kannada’s status.

Kannadigas React Strongly

As the video gained traction online, many native Kannadigas voiced their disappointment and anger over the ignorance displayed. One impassioned commenter wrote, “If you ask a true Bengalurean, whose ancestors lived here and contributed to the city’s growth, they will tell you that Kannada is the official language of Namma Bengaluru. But any migrant who has settled here for work will assume their own language to be the official one.”

Another social media user pointed out that such misconceptions stem from deep-rooted misinformation, saying, “This is not entirely their fault. They grew up believing that Hindi is the national language because of how it was taught in schools. South Indians are often stereotyped as either ‘Madrasis’ (implying Tamil speakers) or ‘communists’ (a reference to Malayalis). Telugu is