'Difficult to learn 200 local words?': Mohandas Pai reacts to row over SBI manager’s refusal to speak Kannada

The debate has been triggered by a video showing a customer at SBI branch near Bengaluru urging the woman branch manager to speak in Kannada.

As a controversy brews over a viral video showing an SBI branch manager in Bengaluru's Anekal refusing to speak Kannada, former Infosys director T V Mohandas Pai has weighed in.

Mohandas Pai’s comments were in reply to a post by X user.(Abhijit Bhatlekar/ Mint)

Responding to an X (formerly Twitter) post that defended the manager, Pai said, “Every business must serve its local customers in a language they understand. This is not the British Raj again. This is a service business.”

In his post, Pai pointed out that nobody was asking bank staff to become fluent or to read and write the local language, but merely to learn enough Kannada to communicate respectfully with customers.

“Learning, say, 200 words to converse is difficult? They are customers, not your captives or subjects. This arrogance is very, very wrong,” he said.

Check out his post here:

Pai’s comments were in reply to a post by X user Tushar Gupta, who had said, “It's the State Bank of India, not the State Bank of Karnataka. This business of 'learn the local language to work in the state' cannot be allowed. We are Indians first. The Constitution has no such condition.”

What is the controversy about?

The debate has been triggered by a video showing a customer at SBI’s Surya Nagar branch in Anekal taluk urging the woman branch manager to speak in Kannada. In the video, the manager can be heard saying, “I will not speak in Kannada for sure,” and insisting on communicating in Hindi instead.

The clip sparked widespread outrage on social media, with pro-Kannada groups and citizens demanding action. Following backlash, the bank official issued an apology on camera.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also weighed in, calling the behaviour of the bank official “strongly condemnable” and thanking SBI for swiftly transferring the employee. He urged the Union Finance Ministry to mandate cultural and language sensitisation training for bank staff across India, asserting, “Respecting local language is respecting the people.”