A heartwarming video of a young Russian girl and her Indian friend singing a popular Kannada children's poem while cycling through a Bengaluru neighbourhood has gone viral on social media, winning hearts across the internet.
Originally posted on Instagram by the Russian girl's mother, the video captures the duo-classmates and close friends for over three years-as they joyfully sing "Bannada Hakki" ("Colourful Bird"), a beloved Kannada poem. The girls, seen riding their bicycles and harmonizing in Kannada, represent a touching example of cross-cultural friendship and language learning.
The Instagram post also features nostalgic photos from 2022, chronicling the friendship that blossomed after the Russian family moved to India. The caption reads, "3 years in India. Girlfriends - classmates. 3 years of friendship."
The video gained broader attention after being reshared on Reddit, where users praised the children's bond and discussed the deeper implications of language immersion.
What's your excuse?
byu/Shivaprasad_jb inBengaluru
One Redditor wrote, "A Russian kid singing a Kannada poem based out of Bengaluru with her local friend. How good it is to watch! Even foreigners learnt Kannada, what's your excuse in spreading more love and compassion towards our language?"
"My uncle, who has been in Bangalore for 33 years. He can speak and read Kannada fluently. was told by a commercial auto driver to go learn Kannada. There was an argument between the driver and my uncle. Probably my uncle mispronounced one word, and the driver, who was losing the argument, brought the language card in between," wrote another user.
"The government should make local language mandatory in schools so that 2nd-generation immigrants will learn the language at least," commented a third user.
The viral moment sparked a lively conversation around the role of environment and education in language acquisition. While some users highlighted the ease with which children pick up new languages, others criticized schools and government policies for not doing enough to promote local languages like Kannada. Some shared personal struggles with learning the language due to lack of immersion or practice partners.
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