<p>Bengaluru, which is the software capital of the country, can also take pride as its linguistic capital, speaking and listening to many more languages than any other Indian city. Data from the 2011 census shows that 107 scheduled and non-scheduled languages are spoken in the city, with Pune coming second with about 100 languages. The schedule is in the book for enumeration and disagreement, but the languages, in the schedule or not, are live on the tongue for talking and agreement. Traditional wisdom has it that the taste of water changes every mile, and the language changes every four miles. In Bengaluru, there are four and more languages every mile, and that accounts much for the soft power the city wields in 107 senses. It makes itself understood in Kannada and in Tamil, and in English and in Kabuli and in many other languages not even heard of, and that gives it a better understanding of the lives behind languages. </p>.<p>Bengaluru’s linguistic diversity has made it stronger and more resilient than other cities, and expanded its horizons beyond itself. The city had fair weather, an infrastructure base, growth-friendly policies and the ambition to grow, which attracted people and businesses. Computers, construction, education and all other businesses brought people from everywhere. Everyone who came brought a language that also carried a society, a culture and a worldview. It is the energy created by the mixing of all the languages and minds, dresses and practices, foods and tastes that gave Bengaluru its dynamism, tolerance and traction. It is a virtuous cycle: a diverse society promoting a growing city and the city gaining momentum from a society on the move. It is the interaction in an urban crucible of countless individual and social experiences, told in multiple languages, that makes Bengaluru more cosmopolitan and more truly Indian than any other city. It is a little India where everyone feels at home and has an ecosystem that allows everyone to thrive.</p>.<p>Even as more and more people speak a greater variety of languages, the segment of the population that has Kannada as their mother tongue has also grown. About 45% of the people speak Kannada, up from 38% in 1991 and 41% in 2001. The migration of people from other parts of the state has mainly accounted for the growth in the Kannada-speaking population. The number of people who know Kannada may actually be many more. Does the multiplicity of other languages hurt Kannada? It actually helps, because languages, like living things, evolve through interaction and exchanges. Societies and languages grow together, and a city which is a language soup, nourishes lives and languages better than one that speaks in fewer tongues.</p>
<p>Bengaluru, which is the software capital of the country, can also take pride as its linguistic capital, speaking and listening to many more languages than any other Indian city. Data from the 2011 census shows that 107 scheduled and non-scheduled languages are spoken in the city, with Pune coming second with about 100 languages. The schedule is in the book for enumeration and disagreement, but the languages, in the schedule or not, are live on the tongue for talking and agreement. Traditional wisdom has it that the taste of water changes every mile, and the language changes every four miles. In Bengaluru, there are four and more languages every mile, and that accounts much for the soft power the city wields in 107 senses. It makes itself understood in Kannada and in Tamil, and in English and in Kabuli and in many other languages not even heard of, and that gives it a better understanding of the lives behind languages. </p>.<p>Bengaluru’s linguistic diversity has made it stronger and more resilient than other cities, and expanded its horizons beyond itself. The city had fair weather, an infrastructure base, growth-friendly policies and the ambition to grow, which attracted people and businesses. Computers, construction, education and all other businesses brought people from everywhere. Everyone who came brought a language that also carried a society, a culture and a worldview. It is the energy created by the mixing of all the languages and minds, dresses and practices, foods and tastes that gave Bengaluru its dynamism, tolerance and traction. It is a virtuous cycle: a diverse society promoting a growing city and the city gaining momentum from a society on the move. It is the interaction in an urban crucible of countless individual and social experiences, told in multiple languages, that makes Bengaluru more cosmopolitan and more truly Indian than any other city. It is a little India where everyone feels at home and has an ecosystem that allows everyone to thrive.</p>.<p>Even as more and more people speak a greater variety of languages, the segment of the population that has Kannada as their mother tongue has also grown. About 45% of the people speak Kannada, up from 38% in 1991 and 41% in 2001. The migration of people from other parts of the state has mainly accounted for the growth in the Kannada-speaking population. The number of people who know Kannada may actually be many more. Does the multiplicity of other languages hurt Kannada? It actually helps, because languages, like living things, evolve through interaction and exchanges. Societies and languages grow together, and a city which is a language soup, nourishes lives and languages better than one that speaks in fewer tongues.</p>
