Several useful words and phrases, as well as a couple of sentences in Kannada were translated in English are mentioned, thus helping non-Kannadigas communicate better.
Credit: X/
Bengaluru, a city which is often in the news for its 'peak moments' with life hacks and 'innovations', has also witnessed several spats over language issues. But, this autorickshaw driver is going viral for all the good reasons for coming up with a probable solution to the language spat. The auto driver named Ajmal Sultan has put a poster inside his auto where a passenger can learn the basics of Kannada when taking a ride.
An image of the pamphlet hung inside an auto has gone viral on social media. The pamphlet goes by the title, “Learn Kannada with Auto Kannadiga”.
In the pamphlet, several useful words and phrases when taking an auto ride, as well as a couple of sentences in Kannada were translated in English are mentioned, thus helping non-Kannadigas communicate better with the driver. It also has a QR code directing to demo videos for better pronunciation and learning, along with a flag of Karnataka and a map of Bengaluru.
The auto driver himself shared a video about his initiative on his social media handle.
The picture of the pamphlet went viral after it was shared by an X user named Vatsalya Tandon, who called it, “very handy”. Several people commented on the post and shared their feedback to this.
One user said, "Good way to politely ask people to learn a new language. Many will welcome this and will have a curious approach towards it. Don't force Promote and make curious.”
Another user said, “Brilliant implementation, kudos to whomsoever came up with this. I have been a linguaphile for as long as i can remember & now i can also say Naanu Kannada kalitha ideeni. Never been to Karnataka, i hope i learn some more of this till my 1st visit there.”
One user, however, shared a comment highlighting the part where ‘Sir’ is mentioned in the pamphlet saying, “Everything else is fine, but wth is this “Sir Sir Sir Sir Sir Sir” ? It feels like talking to a big office boss rather than an auto driver.”
Nevertheless, social media users lauded the auto driver for his creative initiative making things easier for both parties.