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An entrepreneur revealed how people often assume he is from North Indian, partly due to his upbringing and skin tone.
But the moment he speaks Kannada, the response becomes noticeably warmer. (Representative Image)
An entrepreneur shared a personal experience that struck a chord online. Raised in North India and speaking with a Hindi accent, Srijan R Shetty said people often assume he’s a North Indian, partly due to his upbringing and skin tone. However, when he speaks Kannada, especially with a Mangalorean-style accent, the response from locals becomes noticeably warmer and more welcoming.
His post on X (formerly Twitter) comes amid broader conversations about cultural connections and everyday interactions in Bengaluru.
“Every time, I start speaking in Kannada with a stranger, I’m met with eyes full of surprise and joy,” Shetty said. He further wrote, “The conversation is joyous, and there is always a question of how I manage to pick up Kannada. Once they realise I’m one of their own, it’s funny about how my diction is a bit off, and maybe it’s because I’m Mangalorean. They usually say this to not embarrass me because my diction isn’t perfect,” he added.
He also explained that while there are political issues related to language and identity, most people in Bengaluru are welcoming.
“Yes, there’s a narrative that some locals feel left out of the city’s rapid growth,” he acknowledged. “But I’ve found that very few will force you to speak Kannada. On the contrary, even small efforts are met with kindness and inclusion,” he said.
Shetty added that Kannada has many regional versions, and some, especially those influenced by Konkani, can be difficult to follow. Still, he believes what matters most is the willingness to try.
“People recognise effort,” he added. “In my experience, if you try to speak the language, you’re often treated like one of their own.” He ended his post with a light-hearted line: “P.S.: In my books, if you have supported RCB through their bad times, you are Bangalorean enough.”
You can view his post here:
An interesting lived experience that I face in Bengaluru – partly due to my Hindi diction, upbringing in North India and also due to skin complexion – is that almost everyone confuses me for a North Indian.Everytime, I start speaking in Kannada with a stranger, I’m met with…
— Srijan R Shetty (@srijanshetty) June 26, 2025
Posted on June 26, the post has received over 9,000 views and has resonated with many users.
A user commented, “Totally relatable. I’m a Tulu-speaking Mangalorean, born in Dubai, lived in the US, and now settled in Bangalore. And yes, I’m a Shetty too.”
Another user said, “In my city, if I speak in Kannada, people reply back in Hindi 50 per cent of the time. In Bangalore, people reply back in English for 10 per cent of the time. No surprise or no poor dialect, got the most fun dialect (UK). Just that peeps want to make you comfortable, so they switch languages.”
Few responded with playful comments, teasing Shetty: “Nice try, Srijan from Delhi.”
Just like Srijan R Shetty’s post on speaking Kannada struck a chord online, another story is winning hearts; a Tibetan man’s heartfelt message about embracing the local language.
Watch the video here:
In a vox pop-style video, the young man speaks fluent Kannada and talks about how deeply connected he feels to the language. His respect for Kannada and his smooth command over it have earned him a wave of appreciation from people across platforms.
A team of writers at News18.com bring you stories on what’s creating the buzz on the Internet while exploring science, cricket, tech, gender, Bollywood, and culture.
A team of writers at News18.com bring you stories on what’s creating the buzz on the Internet while exploring science, cricket, tech, gender, Bollywood, and culture.
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Delhi, India, India
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