Different people.. Different shades.

Ok. So here's a post that I have been wanting to publish for a long long time.

I have been in Bangalore for more than twenty years now. Bangalore is home. I have seen it grow from the garden city and pensioner's paradise to what it is today.
I am currently posting this, from my house. My neighbor on the right is from Delhi and the neighbor on the left, from UP. The neighbor opposite to me is from Kerala.
Diversity.
The diversity is so much, that the shopkeeper/vegetable vendors/Auto wallahs reply back to me in Hindi, even though I speak to them in Kannada.
Sometimes I feel bad. What is Bangalore coming to? Will the local language vanish into oblivion? Will there be a time when I would have to go out of Bangalore just to listen to/talk in Kannada?
But then, I realized that's how a city or a metro is!If Bangalore has to progress as a city, the only way for it to happen would be if people from all over India(and other countries) come in and contribute to its economy.
So yes, I'm at peace with having so many languages being spoken in Bangalore.
Now, I don't feel sad. It is one of things that I am proud of.

But there's one thing I'm worried about.
Tolerance.

Here's why:
I travel a lot by cabs these days, owing to my erratic work hours.
My co-passengers as expected, are from various parts of India.
Late in the night, once, when we were traveling back, the driver was playing Hindi and Kannada music loud.
A lady, shouted at the driver telling him to switch it off and told him to play Telugu songs.
I ask why? And she casually says "because I do not understand either of the languages".
I ask her, how long has she been away from her home , she says she's been living here for ten years.
My problem with people is not that they do not learn the local language.In the end, it is their choice to learn or not to learn.
My problem is that, many people don't seem to have the tolerance. The tolerance for other languages.


Ok. So what do we do now? How do we overcome this? I have no idea!
I am currently trying to be tolerant about people who are not tolerant about other languages than their own in a city filled with people speaking languages from all over India :)

On a serious note, I really think that something has to be done to foster tolerance among people in Bangalore. Else we are going to be in a lot of trouble in the near future.

Phew! Feels good writing this post at last!