By News18

Copyright news18

A college student from West Bengal, who recently moved into a PG accommodation near Raja Rajeshwari Nagar, has expressed admiration for Bengaluru’s emphasis on Kannada signboards. Calling it a cultural trait that made him “desperate to learn Kannada,” the said user took to Reddit and expressed that despite being in the city for only three days, he was already impressed by how every major outlet displayed their brand names in Kannada before English.
In his Reddit post, he added that Bengaluru didn’t need the “Silicon Valley of India” tag to showcase its uniqueness, as the people and culture already spoke volumes.
The post read, “Though it’s been only 3 days, I am already beyond fascinated. Even without the ‘Silicon Valley of India’ tag, the Kannada people are so damn awesome, man. Every major shop, be it Starbucks, Peter England, WROGN, KFC, or WHATEVER!!! You guys have the brand’s name written in Kannada first before mentioning the same in English.”
The college student is desperate to learn Kannada
“This reason alone makes me desperate to learn Kannada NOW. It is truly commendable. I found it so impressive in the first place that I don’t need to even consider the other qualities of Bengaluru. Good job, Bengaluru people,” he added.
Dear People of Bengaluru byu/Nobody37373 inBengaluru

Editing his post, the student responded to criticism, saying he was just a newcomer who was trying to adjust to a big city while having fun, playing sports, making friends, and learning a new language. He also compared Bengaluru’s rooted culture with the lifestyle back home, while also admitting that he was still getting used to the youth culture.
How did social media users react?
As soon as the post garnered attention online, social media users flooded it with their reactions, with many Kannadigas appreciating the recognition of their language and culture.
“College is the best time to learn any language. Make the most of it,” a user wrote.
Another added. “Thank you very much for the love. I just hope it doesn’t fade as days to pass by. SWAGATHA Namma Oorige. Kannada is an easy language to learn. M glad u wanna learn it. Just keep the respect.”
“Highly recommend you take the scenic BMTC joy ride from say hebbal to Silk Board in the pleasant Bangalore traffic. You will be surprised how cordial the BMTC folks are. Once you hop off, try the world-famous auto, the Annas are just a nice ball of warmth… filled with so much care. The landlords are the best, they will take care of you as their own son. Welcome to paradise, i.e, Bangalore,” read a comment.
Some, however, dismissed the post as “Glazing at its finest. You would do very well in IT, welcome to Bangalore,” joking that the student’s tone was fit for an IT job pitch, while still welcoming him to Bengaluru.
“So true. He is writing like he is speaking to his hiring manager, that fake sweet undertone trying to convince me I have no problem here, how do I know its fake? Because he literally ranted about women’s clothes in the very first reply,” said a user.
A similar post of a Bihar student
In June, a 19-year-old boy was praised for his effort to learn Kannada before starting college in Bengaluru. His sincere excitement and respectful attitude quickly went viral, striking a chord with many people amid rising language-related tensions in the city.
Fluent in Hindi and English, and familiar with Bhojpuri and Sanskrit, the Reddit user shared his strong love for all Indian languages. In his post, he expressed a desire to learn Kannada to truly feel part of the community, not just as a visitor.
Moving to Bengaluru this August — How do I learn Kannada the real way, not the crash course way? by inBengaluru

The student’s message got a wave of support on Reddit, with many users flooding the comments section with helpful tips for learning Kannada. Others recommended him to use college language support programs to make learning smoother.