Woman's Tips For Bengaluru Auto Drivers Expecting Passengers to Speak Kannada Impresses Internet

In July, a picture of a Bengaluru autorickshaw with an inappropriate message surfaced online and sparked outrage among social media users. Amid all this, a woman named Dravisha took to X, formerly Twitter to share a few ideas for Bengaluru auto drivers who expect people to speak Kannada and have rude posters.

Dravisha shared a few suggestions that will help people. She wrote, "Idea for Bangalore autos: Instead of expecting folks to speak Kannada and have rude posters, here's something that might work better: Have small posters/placards inside the autos that can help us learn basic phrases (Ex: How much is the fare? Can you take a left? etc.) Have polite and warm phrases asking folks to speak to the drivers in Kannada. Add numbers on how Kannada is dying to showcase the passion to protect it. Low-key hoping Namma Yatri helps implement this."

In a subsequent tweet she wrote, "One can argue that change doesn't happen bottoms up (in a few cases it has, yes) but top down. How about app like Namma Yatri, Uber and Ola to introduce regional linguistic phrases one can use with the drivers to communicate based on the geographical location. That doesn't the idea in tweet 1 isn't valid but both seem great from an actionable pov to remove current friction. Open to everyone's thoughts!"

See the post here:

Idea for Bangalore autos: Instead of expecting folks to speak Kannada and have rude posters, here's something that might work better:

— Have small posters/placards inside the autos that can help us learn basic phrases (Ex: How much is the fare? Can you take a left? etc.)

— Have…

— Dravisha (@dravishakatoch) August 13, 2023

The post is winning hearts on the internet. Since being tweeted, the post has amassed over 3 lakh views on social media platforms.

Commenting on the post, a user wrote, "This is actually a fantastic idea for Uber / Ola to implement. It might not nudge them to learn Kannada but at least make them be mindful that the other person might not be comfortable in Hindi."

"As per 2011 census, 26% of Indians are bilingual and 7% are trilingual. For the second language, Hindi is most preferred with English coming as the second most preferred. So learning Kannadiga (or any state language) is only possible for a micro minority (7%) of Indians," another user commented.

"Is this a solution, many may not agree but surely to bridge the gap. Truly appreciate the idea. You may have to talk to namna yatri team this can be part of the mobile app too. We will use a French or Deutsch language translator when we go on a globe trip, why not Kannada," the third user wrote on Twitter.

The fourth user wrote, "This is exactly how someone protects local languages. Good suggestions. The issue is people get anachronistic in tendencies because they are being taught that this is how the political economy rewards them. One can protect their native languages without being mean, outlandish and rude."