Bengaluru customer demands bank manager speak Kannada, she declines; video sparks debate: ‘This is India, I'll speak in Hindi'
The Kannada language dispute at an SBI branch in Chandapura, a suburb in South Bengaluru, has triggered widespread backlash after a video of a confrontation between a customer and a bank manager was widely circulated on social media.
The now-viral video shows the customer repeatedly urging the bank official to speak in Kannada, while the manager firmly refuses. The exchange quickly escalates, becoming a flashpoint in the ongoing debate around local language use in public services. 'Wait a second, this is Karnataka,' the customer says. 'You have not given me employment,' the bank manager responds.
The customer in question goes on to say, 'This is Karnataka, madam,' to which the bank manager replies, 'So? This is India.' As the video progresses, the customer goes on to say, 'Kannada first, madam.'
'I will not speak Kannada for you,' the bank manager says.
Despite the manager's refusal, the customer persists, 'So you will never speak in Kannada?' The bank manager says, 'No. I will speak Hindi.' The standoff continues for several minutes, with the conversation reduced to a back-and-forth, 'Hindi-Kannada'.
Frustrated, the customer reminds the official of existing rules. 'Madam, this is Karnataka, you should speak Kannada. It's not about the chairman. There is an RBI rule that in that particular state, you must speak the respective language,' he says.
'I will never speak Kannada,' the bank manager says. To this, the customer responds, 'Super, madam, super.'
Watch here:
I WILL NOT SPEAK KANNADA IN KARNATAKA, NEVER, SPEAK IN HINDI.
@TheOfficialSBI Branch manager SBI, surya nagara, anekal taluk KARNATAKA
Your Branch manager and staff disrespect the Kannada language, imposing hindi on people of karnataka, misbehaving with customers,on duty times… pic.twitter.com/drD7L6Dydb
— ಗುರುದೇವ್ ನಾರಾಯಣ್ 💛❤️ GURUDEV NARAYAN🌿 (@Gurudevnk16) May 20, 2025
The incident has fueled a debate over language, with many on social media slamming the customer for imposing the Kannada language on the bank manager. 'We are unnecessarily fighting Pakistan, we have enough reasons to get divided internally,' a user wrote. 'But let's be clear: you can't force someone to speak a particular language. If SBI transfers a Hindi-speaking employee to Bengaluru, that's not their fault. Expecting basic respect is fair — harassment and hate isn't,' another user commented.
'Services are to be served in local/customer understandable language. There's no substitute to that,' a third user said.
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