A social media post has once again triggered a language debate–this time, an X user argued that there is “no point learning” Indian languages like Kannada and Tamil, which they associated with “poorer economies”. The user, who goes by the name Toka, has received fierce criticism from southern India, particularly from Bengaluru and Chennai.
“If I moved to Japan, I would learn Japanese. If I moved to China, I would learn Chinese. If I moved to Bangalore, I would rather speak English. If I moved to Chennai, I would rather speak English. No point in learning languages of poorer economies and poorer quality of life,” the post read.
The user further asserted that language debates are “overrated” and even urged companies to restrict their investments in these cities to small-scale industries to prevent what they called “language harassment” of migrants.
The sweeping generalisation – suggesting that Indian languages aren’t worth the effort when compared to those of wealthier nations – didn’t sit well with many.
The post ignited a fiery exchange online, as people from various parts of the country criticised it for promoting language elitism and showing a lack of sensitivity towards regional cultures.
“There are enough people who act civil, learn and respect local languages. Even foreigners do it fluently and proudly,” one user wrote.
“Cities like Chennai and Bengaluru have enough locals to do most of the jobs. They don’t need many migrants,” another added.
“We’re happy to speak in English. Just don’t expect us to learn Hindi,” read one comment that shifted the debate towards the broader Hindi-versus-regional language tension in urban India.
Another user defended the post, saying: “Language harassment is getting out of hand. People should live how they want. If city dwellers have a problem with it, then it’s not a proper city—just an overgrown town.”