'107 languages exist in Bengaluru': Resident's take collides with SBI Kannada outrage

Amid the escalating language row sparked by a viral video from an SBI branch in Bengaluru, one local resident offered a striking counterpoint: “107 languages exist in Bengaluru.” 

“People who are attacking Bengaluru and Karnataka for a primarily bank customer service related issue, need to chill,” Kiran Kumar wrote on X. “107 languages are spoken because people are mostly tolerant and accommodative.”

His post came just days after an SBI manager at the Suryanagar branch in Chandapura refused to serve a customer in Kannada, insisting on speaking Hindi. “This is India, I’ll speak Hindi, not Kannada,” she said, dismissing demands to use the state’s official language. The video of the exchange went viral, unleashing protests, political outrage, and a heated online debate.

Kumar’s defense of Bengaluru’s inclusiveness drew swift reactions. One user shot back: “107 languages is exactly why people are jittery when one tries to muscle the others. Any disruption shakes the delicate balance.”

Another echoed the sentiment: “All languages are okay—but Hindi is not. Because it’s the only one trying to unify by overriding.”

The fallout has been swift. The manager was transferred, SBI apologized publicly, and the manager herself appeared in a video speaking Kannada and expressing regret. But the damage had already been done.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah condemned the incident, calling for language sensitization training across banks. BJP MP Tejasvi Surya said customer-facing staff in Karnataka must speak Kannada.

Meanwhile, anxiety rippled through parts of the non-Kannada-speaking workforce. A few tech entrepreneurs even threatened to relocate, citing concerns over growing linguistic friction.