A recent post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) has sparked considerable backlash after it relegated Indian regional languages such as Kannada and Tamil as “not worth learning.” This statement has provoked outrage, especially in southern cities including Bengaluru and Chennai.
The now-famous post reasoned that learning Japanese or Chinese is practical when relocating to Japan or China, while it purported there is “no point” in studying Kannada or Tamil when moving to Bengaluru or Chennai.
“If someone moved to Japan, they would learn Japanese. If someone moved to China, they would learn Chinese. If someone moved to Bangalore, they would prefer to speak English. If someone moved to Chennai, they would prefer to speak English,” the post claimed.
If someone moved to Japan, they would learn Japanese. If someone moved to China, they would learn Chinese. If someone moved to Bangalore, they would rather speak English. If someone moved to Chennai, they would rather speak English. No point in learning languages of poorer economies and poorer quality of life.
— Toka (@TokaTakes) July 11, 2025
The phrase “no point in learning languages of poorer economies and poorer quality of life” attracted immediate criticism, with many social media users describing the sentiments as elitist, ignorant, and dismissive towards regional cultures. Residents from southern states emphasised the rich historical, cultural, and literary significance of these languages, many of which are recognised as classical languages in India.
In a subsequent post, the user asserted that discussions surrounding regional languages are frequently “overrated” and recommended that major companies curb their investments in cities like Bengaluru and Chennai to stop what they called “language-based harassment of migrants.”
This proposition incited even more fervent reactions, with critics accusing the user of attempting to undermine the importance of local languages in Indian urban settings and workplaces.
Social media has been flooded with diverse responses, ranging from academics highlighting the global relevance of Tamil and Kannada to tech professionals in Bengaluru who insisted that embracing local languages promotes inclusivity rather than division.
“Languages do not define economic status — they define identity, history, and belonging,” one user stated.
Another user commented, “Indians: We mastered your language for survival; you ridiculed ours to feel superior, yet your world still struggles with ‘Namaste’, while ours once whispered the Vedas to the stars. A wealthy person who scorns a language is still impoverished in thought, for even gold requires a language to be appreciated.”
“You speak like a privileged traveller who has seen everything, but you are merely another online commentator in a setting where real progress hasn’t even arrived. Parading English as a status symbol doesn’t establish superiority, it merely exposes profound insecurity,” another comment stated.
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