'I'm A Kannadiga But...': Bengaluru Resident Feels Like 'Stranger' In Own City Amid Cultural Shift

A Bengaluru resident has lamented that they were feeling like an 'outsider' in their own city, owing to the increased influx of people from other cities. In a now-viral post on Reddit titled, I'm a Bangalorean, but I feel like a stranger in my own city...especially at work, the user chronicled that despite being born in the city, the culture and people they grew up with were starting to fade away.

"I'm a Bangalorean, a Kannadiga, born and raised here, working in Bangalore, yet I feel like an outsider in my own city," wrote the user in the r/bangalore subreddit.

The OP said Bengaluru had stopped feeling like home for them, whilst others came to the city and created their own communities.

"No offence to people from other states.. it's nice that you've made Bangalore your home too. But somewhere along the way, Bangalore stopped feeling like home for me."

Citing the example of their office, the OP said: "I'm the only South Indian in my team, and out of the 400 people on my floor, I can barely find another Bangalorean. Conversations around me are only in Hindi.. The culture I grew up with feels like it's fading away and that leaves me with a strange emptiness."

See the viral post here:

I'm a Bangalorean, but I feel like a stranger in my own city.. especially at Work.
byu/Sea_Read8530 inbangalore

Also Read | Ganesh Chaturthi Celebrations By Indians In Texas Divides Internet, Video Viral

'Totally relate'

As the post went viral, garnering thousands of upvotes and hundreds of comments, the majority of users agreed with the assessment, stating they had been feeling the same way.

"Totally relate to this! Yk, what blew my mind is that one of my colleagues was quite surprised when I said I'm a native Bangalorean," said one user while another added: "That's exactly how it used to feel during my bachelors and work. I moved countries and it feels the same now. Everyone's either speaking Hindi or Malayalam."

A third commented: "I feel the same too! Born and brought up here, in central Bangalore. I recently moved to Whitefield, now the default language while I converse with people is Hindi. I get excited when I see a Kannadiga. I feel like a stranger in my own city."

A fourth said: "I am glad my office has plenty of Kannadigas. Feels comfortable talking in my mother tongue. It's quite a contrast to my college where locals were quite few and far in between."