Hindi or Kannada, which is the villain in Bengaluru's linguistic politics?

Bengaluru's spirit is summarised by the phrase 'swalpa adjust maadi', which means 'adjust a little'

At last year’s edition of Bengaluru Poetry Festival, one of the attractions for the event was a session with city-based writer Prathibha Nandakumar. Primarily a Kannada poet and playwright, Nandakumar has been writing for four decades, so she found it patronising when a few people told her, “You write very well, keep it up.”

“They thought I was some old lady who had suddenly started writing, despite the introduction that came before the event,” says Nandakumar. Incidents such as these, she feels, bear testimony to how “outsiders” have not acquainted themselves with the culture of their adopted city. 

Many Kannada