Rewind

I was invigorated to write some more on the topic that I posted 5 months ago. The latest in the series of insightful comments - some approving, some not so much of my opinion- was written by Skanda. He raised the issue of Kannada having lost its rightful place because the Kannadigas do not "come-out" with their linguistic identity as much as Tamils do.

Frankly speaking, the issue gets complicated because of the underlying demographics prevalent in the state or the city. I am sure 10 years ago, when none of this IT boom was heard of, Bangalore was as awash with Kannada speaking people as Tamils are in Chennai even today. If you visit North India, vast areas have Hindi as the local language. So, anybody who does not know the language feels left out and unable to communicate. The fact that Hindi is the national language needs no reinforcing here, because even if it were not, the local language would still be prevalent (which of course is Hindi).

As far as Bangalore is concerned, the mix of the people in the city landscape has gone more skewed towards non-Kannada speaking people over a period of the last decade. Consequently, Hindi has become a de facto language for many. I have personally experienced this many times in Bangalore where the rickshaw drivers speak in Hindi which is actually unheard of in Chennai. It has to be admitted that Chennai still lacks the cosmopolitan colors that is present in Bangalore. Once the city of Chennai gets more people from across the country for economic reasons, then the shifting linguistic profile of the population will force a change in the way locals see a foreign (read non - Tamil and Indian) language. I have noticed this in cities such as Madurai where a large tourist population floats in annually. So, for the locals - the businessmen, auto-drivers, shop keepers etc. - Hindi is definitely workable! Even Pondicherry exhibits similar properties.

I feel that when push comes to a shove, everyone, irrespective of their linguistic preferences, will settle for the language spoken by the majority in any given instance. Bangalore, presents a paradox in this respect. You move towards places like Rajaji Nagar and Malleswaram and you find the Kannada influence stronger than in areas like Koramangala.

All said and done, patience and tolerance for something that is foreign or unknown to you is important. This holds for both the native speakers and the "otherwise" population. Assimilation becomes a lot easier. Mumbai is a shining example!