Zoho CEO joins Kannada debate, says it is 'disrespectful' if long-staying Bengaluru residents don't learn local language

Bengaluru: Amid the ongoing debate about migrants learning Kannada when in Karnataka, Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu has made an entrance with his post stating that it is "disrespectful" for long-staying non-native residents to not learn the language.

His post on social media is going viral, triggering debate with both support and opposition coming in from users of X.

On Friday, in response to another post, Vembu wrote: "...If you make Bengaluru your home, you should learn Kannada and your kids should learn Kannada. Not doing so after living many years in Bengaluru is disrespectful. I often request our employees in Chennai coming from other states to make an effort to learn Tamil after they come here."

This drew a range of reactions from his followers, one of whom, @Gulzaariya_, wrote: "You sound immature here. Being Disrespectful for any language, culture is unacceptable but not learning a language is being disrespectful? Logic dies there."

While some people expressed that this was "divisive" or difficult due to other priorities, many agreed that this would be useful. One user @sonaopines wrote: "I fully agree with this. Respect the local culture and language wherever you settle. Its one of the foundational principles of our republic."

Reacting to Vembu's post, Karnataka Development Authority Chairman Purushottama Bilimale said that his request is the "best guidance" for any Indian language.

"Learning basic Kannada is good. When in Tamil Nadu, learning basic Tamil is good. Nobody is asking one to learn about Pampa, Ponna, Ranna but unless you learn the local language, the whole concept of federalism collapses," he told DH.

He added that there is no insistence on people learning the local language if they are living in a new state for less than a year.

"If someone is living somewhere for more than a year, why is it a bad thing to learn the language? Learning the local language is also an asset, why is there a fuss being created about this?" he asked, adding that the KDA has a curriculum enabling people to learn basic Kannada phrases for daily usage in 36 hours over three months.