Fintech Founder Srijan R. Shetty Shares How Speaking Kannada in Bengaluru Surprises Locals

Every time Srijan R. Shetty, Co-founder of UAE-based fintech startup Fuze and an IIT Kanpur graduate, speaks Kannada with a stranger in Bengaluru, he is greeted “with eyes full of surprise and joy” because people mistake him to be a North Indian.
“An interesting lived experience that I face in Bengaluru - partly due to my Hindi diction, upbringing in North India and also due to skin complexion - is that almost everyone confuses me for a North Indian,” he said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

He said that locals are usually happy and curious when they hear him speak their language. “Every time I start speaking in Kannada with a stranger, I'm met. The conversation is joyous and there is always a question of how did I manage to pick up Kannada.”

Once people realise he is familiar with the language, the tone becomes even more friendly. “Once they realize I'm one of their own, it's funnily about how my diction is a bit off and maybe it's because I'm Mangalorean. They usually say this to not embarrass me because my diction isn't perfect.”

He also mentioned how Kannada changes across the state. “The Kannada is nuanced and it varies across different regions of Karnataka. I find it extremely hard to understand the diction and vocabulary of Kannada spoken in regions where Konkani is prominent.”

“Yes there is an issue of language politics, considering a lot of locals believe they haven't gotten their fair share of Uru's growth story. But at the same time most people are usually kind and wouldn't really push you to speak Kannada, but would reciprocate really well even if you did.”

He ended his post on a humorous and heartfelt note, writing, “P.S: In my books if you've supported RCB through their bad times you're Bangalorean enough.”


Srijan R. Shetty is an IIT Kanpur graduate, a former Goldman Sachs engineer, and the Co-founder of Fuze, a UAE-based startup that helps banks and fintech companies handle digital assets. - TWL Bureau