A woman hailing from north India who had been working in Bengaluru for one and a half year, shared her experience of living in India's Silicon Valley, and how the harassment she faced there pursuaded her to quit her job and move to Gurugram.
In a series of tweets, posted on her account named 'Shaani Nani' on X, the woman recounted several difficulties she faced in Bengaluru, which ignited a heated debate amongst netizens.
This incident comes after a Bengaluru man lashed out at grocery delivery app Blinkit for sending a notification in Hindi instead of Kannada.
Recalling the behaviour of auto drivers towards her, the woman said that it was a "harassment to commute in an auto from flat to office and back".
The woman was married in Punjab and as per the tradition there, she wore chooda for one year, making it evident that she belonged to North India.
Sharing her "bad" experience with the locals in the city, the woman wrote: "The audacity of local auto drivers to strike a conversation on why I was in Bangalore when I belonged to North, if I was learning Kannada, asking if I like anything apart from weather, asking for more money as I was newly married and pretending not to understand a word when I would talk in Hindi or English."
Further, she recounted another experience with an employee of Bangalore Electric Supply Company Limited's (BESCOM) customer support, who instead of helping her with her query, hung up the call on her saying that he only spoke in Kannada.
"Once I called BESCOM to complain about power cut, the guy ended the call saying 'No hindi, no English, only Kannada'. They only want to take care of problems of Kannada speakers," she tweeted.
The woman also wrote about how she was overwhelmed by the negativity around her, and the "depressing" weather that added to it.
"I was so engulfed by the negativity around me. TBH, I found the weather very depressing. It would rain all the time. We can't go out. If we want to go out, we cant find cabs. If we find cab, then it will take hours to reach anywhere due to the traffic and water logging," she said, adding that she was stuck in her house.
The woman stated that these experiences forced her to quit her job in Bengaluru and relocate to Gurugram, where she felt a "drastic change of energy".
"So, I decided to quit my job as I was so homesick. I feel such a drastic change of energy in me after coming to Gurgaon. I take long walks, I eat good food, I can travel wherever I want. No awkward conversations with auto drivers," she added.
Till now the post has amassed around 3.1 million views and has garnered mixed reactions from netizens.
Here's How The Internet Reacted To Her Post
While some X users sympathised with what she endured, other were offended by her comments.
Another user shared a similar experience saying: "Almost similar experience. Only difference, I'm in Noida instead of Gurugram. The place where I live is so welcoming and almost feels near to home. Bangalore sometimes feels like a foreign land. Yes, the weather sucks here but not the environment!!"
"Unpopular opinion: being in your home territory/culture matters. It makes you feel safe & valued. I am a Goan, and I came back to Goa from Pune after a year. My job may not pay as much as the metros, but this is my land. It nurtures me," another X user commented.
Another netizen commented: "You should learn Kannada language and live your life again."
"In the Army, we pick up the language of the troops we command. It is common to see an Officer from Chennai serving in the Sikh Regiment speaking very fluent Punjabi & vice versa. They feel very proud about it. However, it should not be done under any pressure," another X user commented, adding that there was no harm to learn a new language.
A person commented claiming that non Hindi speakers from south India have similar experience when they visit noth Indian states. " I am sorry for your experience, but Karnataka is a beautiful inclusive state and it's just had reclaimed it's glory!"