Bengaluru auto driver's English-Kannada translation poster for easy exchange with passengers is viral

The initiative was spearheaded by a content creator named ‘aut0kannadiga0779’, displaying common greetings and phrases in both Kannada and English. (Image credit: Vatsalya Tandon, Manjeet Nalawade/X)

A Bengaluru auto driver's poster offering both English and Kannada versions of greetings usually used while commuting has won hearts across the internet. Created by a content creator, the post has been hailed as a thoughtful way to help Kannada auto drivers and those who don't know the language to have an easy conversation.

The picture of the poster was shared by IIM Bangalore alumnus Manjeet Nalawade. "As a non-Kannadiga, I totally love this approach!" he wrote on LinkedIn. "A creative poster by a content creator named ‘aut0kannadiga0779’, displaying common greetings and phrases in both Kannada and English. A thoughtful way to help both non-Kannadigas and Kannada auto drivers navigate the city!"

On a lighter note, he added that the poster also helped highlight how Bengaluru auto drivers are used to addressing everyone as "Sir". The post had in about nine hours gathered close to 17,000 likes and 117 reposts.

A number of social media users lauded the poster for making things easier for both parties.

"Valid point as many auto drivers often portray rude behaviour to Hindi speakers. At least from this, some can learn common words in Kannada to use later," commented Aakash Chapalgaonkar on LinkedIn. "This is actually great!" said Indishree P. "Language has to do with the culture of the land. And in terms of language, just knowing as much as shown in the post will go a long way in reducing friction between non kannadigas and kannadigas. Because the idea is to share in the culture."

Siddharth Dey found the idea "mind-blowing". "Who came up with this idea? God Damn!" he wrote. "Although, I think the first sentence any non-Kannadiga should learn is 'Brother/sister, I am learning Kannada. Please adjust with me.' I am telling you, if you start your conversation with these lines then no one in Karnataka, TN, Kerala, Bengal, Punjab, etc would get angry. They would respect you even more."

Some social media users also pointed out that this gesture offered a chance to both the auto drivers and the passengers to get to know each other's languages without any imposition.

"This seems like a more positive approach to promoting the language vs the times it felt like it's being imposed. Good initiative," LinkedIn user Aditi Mishra wrote. Another user and non-Kannadiga speaker Ankit Agarwal said, "I really appreciate this too. I would love to be able to speak simple phrases without being judged by the locals. Whenever we travel abroad we make it a point to learn simple phrases like 'thank you', 'excuse me', 'good morning' etc. so why not make the same effort here?"

There were, however, some who disagreed.

"This is ridiculous!" wrote LinkedIn user Piyush Gupta. "Bangalore is a cosmopolitan city, not some exclusive Kannada-only zone. Forcing a language down people’s throats won’t solve anything. It alienates non-Kannada speakers who are just as much a part of this city. This so-called 'solution' only deepens divisions and sends the wrong message about inclusivity!"