'Linguistic brawl': Some IT employees object as colleague speaks in Hindi in meeting, video viral


Bengaluru, Jan 3 (IANS): A clip of IT employees, attending a Zoom meeting with the HR Manager, calling out a colleague who starts speaking in Hindi despite requests to stick to the common language, went viral on social media in Karnataka on Tuesday, evoking mixed reactions.

The video, posted on the X handle of "Ghar ke Kalesh" is captioned "Kaleesh (discord) between colleagues over one guy was speaking Hindi during Zoom meeting".

The 51-second video, which has garnered 1.2 million views, shows techies in a Zoom meeting and as as one of them starts speaking in Hindi, an employee from Tamil Nadu asks him to speak in English.

After starting in English, when the employee again switches over to Hindi, another employee from Karnataka asks what they would feel if she starts talking in Kannada to them in the meeting. She requests the HR Manager, who is coordinating the meeting, to ensure all talk in English. Another participant starts talking in Malayalam.

As the manager says that the conversation be translated afterwards and provided to all, another female techie intervenes and opines that they should not be fighting over such a petty issue.

The video also shows when everyone starts reacting to this, the person who was speaking in Hindi signs out and exits the meeting.

The video has generated mixed responses and many have questioned "hostility" towards Hindi, while many have also stressed that English is recognised as the medium of communication in the corporate world.

 

 

 

 

  

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Comment on this article

  • KS Mayya, Mangalore/Bangalore

    Thu, Jan 04 2024

    It was probably meeting for the sake of meeting and was not a serious meeting. Even if one person amongst many in the meeting did not understand a language, conversing in it is not only impolite but also defeats the purpose of the meeting. It is basic etiquette.

    DisAgree [1] Agree [5] Reply Report Abuse

  • Roshan, Mangaluru

    Wed, Jan 03 2024

    English continues to maintain commercial language within India and worldwide. Our country adopted this reality, therefore we have developed and grown to this level economically and otherwise. Now, that does not mean local languages are to be ignored, during this period. Every state has its own language and that is beauty of federal states, to retain its own culture and traditions. Imposing one language on others, is silly. Whoever started it unfit to be working in a corporate, no matter how skilled he or she is. It is trying to deviate from the goals and objective, company has put forth. So, must be sacked.

    DisAgree [1] Agree [15] Reply Report Abuse

  • ca girishkk, valencia/m'lore

    Wed, Jan 03 2024

    Everyone is suffering from these kind of Chai pe Charcha class meeting.., good for nothing kind off...

    DisAgree [4] Agree [18] Reply Report Abuse

  • Anand, Surathkal

    Wed, Jan 03 2024

    This is the weakness ( or greatness) of Kannadigas living in specially Bangalore. Many Kannadigas knows almost all the languages spoken in neighboring states and so they speak in their language instead of Kannada or English when they meet non Kannadigas. We have to follow Tamilians for that matter ... even if they know other language , they try to speak in only Tamil where ever they go. We have lots of problems in banks and railways because of non Kannadigas working there.

    DisAgree [4] Agree [16] Reply Report Abuse

  • chris, Mangalore

    Wed, Jan 03 2024

    All Drama, English is the common Language which needs to be spoken in a corporate world. If he cannot better show him the door

    DisAgree [7] Agree [54] Reply Report Abuse

  • Dam, Mangalore

    Wed, Jan 03 2024

    English just another language not qualification...

    DisAgree [19] Agree [6] Reply Report Abuse

  • Steve, Udupi

    Wed, Jan 03 2024

    What language do people speak during their migration process to foreign countries.

    DisAgree [1] Agree [45] Reply Report Abuse

  • Kiran Poojary, Bengaluru/Mangaluru

    Wed, Jan 03 2024

    I am an Indian. I speak Tulu, Kannada and English. I lived in India and abroad. I never required to learn Hindi and I never wanted to learn it.

    DisAgree [12] Agree [36] Reply Report Abuse

  • Rita, Germany

    Thu, Jan 04 2024

    Kiran Poojary Mangalore ,Sure one can use his own language when or where he goes.But in a zoom meeting one should think ans speak a common language where everyone understands .otherwise other one may feel ,out of their circle may be talking against other.Suppose one talk other language ,and someone points out,please should comeback to the original language what was suggested instead of feeling insulted.In a group or meetings should also know how to act.One shouldnt feel insulted.In a group out of your work you are free to talk even arab or any language.

    DisAgree Agree [1] Reply Report Abuse

  • Kiran Poojary, Bengaluru/Mangaluru

    Wed, Jan 03 2024

    Hindi is a regional language just like Kannada. In office meetings, English is the the language to be used. When I joined an IT company, we were strictly told about this.

    DisAgree [4] Agree [59] Reply Report Abuse

  • Teresa, Bangalore

    Wed, Jan 03 2024

    I am sure the employees were selected based on their knowledge of English language and ability to express oneself in English. It is not apathy towards any language but the work ethics and sensitivity towards one's colleagues that makes it necessary to communicate in a language known to everyone in the work place. No one in our country knows all the languages including Hindi. Such employees should be taken to task by the management.

    DisAgree [1] Agree [28] Reply Report Abuse

  • Roshan Patrao, Traffic Warden, Mangalore

    Wed, Jan 03 2024

    It is not "hostility" towards Hindi, but resistance to imposing Hindi on non-Hindi speakers. Would these Hindi speakers tolerate us - or even respond to us - if we speak Kannada in Hindi-speaking areas? Definitely not. There is sustained attempt by Hindi-speakers (see how Amit Shah communicates his resolve to impose Hindi through backdoor every Hindi Divas) to project Hindi as the national language and impose it on non-Hindi speakers. There is no problem in speaking Hindi or any language for that matter, but when someone belligerently tries to impose a language on others, naturally there will be resistance. Hindi speakers should learn to respect other Indian languages. They may not even know that Hindi is not an original language - it is derived from Sanskrit, Parsi, Bhojpuri, Haryanavi, Bihari, etc., and they include the speakers of all these languages except the first two, when they say that Hindi is the language spoken by majority of the Indians.

    DisAgree [9] Agree [42] Reply Report Abuse

  • Rahul, Mangalore

    Wed, Jan 03 2024

    Thus is true that Politics is the last resort of a scoundrels.

    DisAgree [4] Agree [24] Reply Report Abuse

  • Prakash, Manipal

    Wed, Jan 03 2024

    Though this video seems to be a staged one it has a message... In a meeting where several people speaking different languages attend it is always good to stick to a common language... Unfortunately in our nation Hindi is not a common language as yet... Lot more people follow and speak Hindi than earlier thanks to advent of TV shows... But Hindi may never be able to cement itself as the national language in all states of India...

    DisAgree [2] Agree [29] Reply Report Abuse

  • Danish, Mangalore

    Wed, Jan 03 2024

    Fact Check! It's a scripted video made for entertainment purposes.

    DisAgree [3] Agree [25] Reply Report Abuse

  • Jossey Saldanha, Raheja Waterfront

    Wed, Jan 03 2024

    Mungerilal Ke Haseen Sapne ...

    DisAgree [5] Agree [12] Reply Report Abuse

  • Durgesh, Katpadi

    Wed, Jan 03 2024

    As long as BJP wont rule South India permanently for coming years things wont improve in due course. People here living in there own world..especially people from Kerala. Should not surprise much if keralite guy ask his sikh colleague 'indha malayea' inspite wearing turban with beard. You will find highest consumption of liquor is in Kerala and it also affect our region also due to strong involvement of terrorist network prevailed.

    DisAgree [31] Agree [30] Reply Report Abuse

  • Roland, Mangalore

    Wed, Jan 03 2024

    Before giving your comments first tell your Hindi speaking people who are living / begging in foreign land to come and settle back in their own country immediately.

    DisAgree [11] Agree [29] Reply Report Abuse

  • Sreedevi, Mangalore

    Wed, Jan 03 2024

    Durgesh you entire hindi speaking people are working in Non BJP Ruled states, Grow up

    DisAgree [6] Agree [19] Reply Report Abuse

  • Teresa, Bangalore

    Wed, Jan 03 2024

    You are totally off track. Why do you bring up irrelevant issues? There is no one perfect, no community is flawless. The issue is about the language of communication in corporate offices/ world.

    DisAgree [2] Agree [4] Reply Report Abuse

  • Jossey Saldanha, Raheja Waterfront

    Wed, Jan 03 2024

    India is Land Of Diversities ...

    DisAgree [4] Agree [20] Reply Report Abuse

  • G R PRABHUJI, Mangalore

    Wed, Jan 03 2024

    Till the caste and languages problems are in India, it will not compete with advance country.

    DisAgree [9] Agree [29] Reply Report Abuse


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