Melting Pot vs Diversity

India is known for its unity in diversity and melting pot of cultures yet even an Indian can be an outsider in India. Bengaluru is a city full of culture, different kinds of lifestyle and it's filled with people from all over India. Despite the cultural diaspora, north Indian students still face bias in the city.

“One time I was in a cab and the driver told me that I, as a north Indian, was spoiling the culture of Bangalore,” said Smriti Bhat, a student from Jaipur. “He pointed towards two women wearing traditional clothing and said that this is the culture of the city and north Indians are ruining it,” she further added.

Various instances such as this have occurred with other north Indian students where they’ve been reprimanded for not being from the south, or specifically not from Karnataka. “Auto drivers don’t take people who speak to them in Hindi,” said another third year student from Uttar Pradesh, Shammi Khan. “I was going from Bannerghatta to Adugodi, and I wanted to take a running auto. I made the mistake of speaking in Hindi due to which the auto driver did not agree to take me,” he further added.

People have reported instances of police discriminating as well if one does not know Kannada. Sandeep R Gopal, a student from Kerala, relayed an incident he had with the police. “I got into an accident and it was really late. The police came along and started yelling at me in Kannada. I tried speaking in English but they wouldn’t budge,” he said. He further added that he had to call a friend who knew Kannada because otherwise the police would not let him go and wouldn’t speak to him as well.

Language barriers add fuel to the fire when one looks at the bias prevalent in the city. It would not be fair to say that this bias only exists against north Indians, it more or less exists against any outsiders or non-Kannadigas in the city. However, certain instances also indicate that the bias is not as intense as it may be portrayed to be. A lot of students residing here who are not originally from Bangalore did say that they have never faced any discrimination whatsoever and have had quite a pleasant experience here. In fact, multiple students also said that they love the city because it is really inclusive and brings together a lot of people.

Adulting and growing up is tough, and dealing with bias is a part of growing up. How we deal with it and how we react to it is what matters. As we grow up and move out of our houses, from the protected spaces we belonged to, we understand and face bias more as we are finally out here in the real world. The real world is always coming to get you, what matters is you deal with it and move on.