'This isn't Bangladesh, learn Hindi': Heated exchange between passengers in Kolkata metro reignites language debate

"You are not in Bangladesh, you are in India. West Bengal is a part of India, you must be learning Hindi. You can speak in Bengali but not in Hindi despite living in India?" a non-Bengali woman said to a fellow metro passenger in Kolkata.

Language is a matter of great pride and self-identity for many. India, being the melting pot of multiculturalism that it is, is home to a plethora of different people with varied backgrounds, traditions, and languages.

Having said that, there has also been a lot of contention and varrying opinions revolving around Hindi imposition in various parts of the country. It has remained a matter of great debate, especially in the southern states of India. However, a recent incident in Kolkata has reignited the language debate yet again.

In a video that is doing the rounds on social media, a non-Bengali woman was seen getting involved in a heated exchange with a fellow metro railway passenger, who happened to be a Bengali.

"You are not in Bangladesh, you are in India. West Bengal is a part of India, you must be learning Hindi. You can speak in Bengali but not in Hindi despite living in India?" the non-Bengali woman was heard saying in the video, directed to another woman. "I live in West Bengal, in my home land, not yours. How can you stay in my state and insult me for speaking in Bengali?" the passenger retorted back in Bengali.

The first woman went on, "The metro is not yours. West Bengal is not yours." The Bengali woman then came up with a sharp response, saying, "The metro is mine, so is West Bengal. The metro here was made using the money of taxpayers in West Bengal, not by the tax paid by the people your home state."

The non-Bengali woman kept on reiterating, "You are an Indian, right? Then why don't you know Hindi?" as the argument kept escalating. Eventually, more people started to gather at the scene and tried to intervene in the hope of preventing the fiasco from getting out of hand. However, it was evident from the video that the woman's 'Bangladeshi' remark irked a lot of the other passengers as they confronted her for the comment.