Is language at the root of driver-passenger spats in Bengaluru?

Bengaluru: Many recent incidents involving auto drivers and passengers have ended up being reported as Kannada-Hindi conflicts, but class and privilege play a role in triggering them, an anthropologist says.

While a survey conducted on Instagram claimed drivers demanded higher fares from Hindi-speaking people, a dipstick survey by DH showed that they demand higher fares, but don't discriminate on the basis of language.

Most auto drivers manage a bit of Hindi and quite a few are fluent in the language, but, says anthropologist Usha Rao, the migration boom in Bengaluru has resulted in huge language gaps. 

"People who came into the city were not necessarily multilingual, whether they moved here from other towns and villages of Karnataka or from other states," she said.

In her view, the conflict is often about class. With Bengaluru’s unprecedented growth, economic inequality has widened. In such a situation, tensions result and Kannada becomes the currency of power for auto drivers to assert their identity, she observed.

Kannada activist Ganesh Chetan believes the insistence on Hindi in everyday situations is an outright provocation. "This feeling is not just among auto drivers, but among all classes of Kannadigas. It is seen more now, as Kannada activism has grown and become more assertive. When you go to live in France, you are expected to learn French, and we expect the same here," he said.

A working professional hailing from Kerala said her ability to speak and read Kannada had given her confidence and a sense of security.

DH spoke to many auto drivers who said they had no problems with non-Kannadigas who treated them with respect. “All we expect is basic courtesy,” a driver said. “Ultimately, whether it is Hindi or Kannada, respect begets respect.”

Linguistic landscape

Bengaluru, historically a multilingual city, faces rising tensions as economic growth widens inequalities.

Kannada has become a tool for auto drivers to assert identity amid perceptions of Hindi dominance.

Despite reports, auto drivers emphasise that respect, not language, defines passenger interactions.