A Reddit user from a tier-2 city in Karnataka shared his disillusionment with Bengaluru on the American discussion forum after spending around 6-7 years in the Silicon Valley of India. The user, who goes by “PossibilityOk971” online, said that he is “done defending Bengaluru” and believes that the city “deserves the hate” it has been receiving from people.
Sharing his experience on Reddit’s “Bengaluru” community, the user who identifies himself as Kannadiga, recounted an incident that left him feeling humiliated.
He said he was running late and on an important call when he saw a BMTC bus headed toward Majestic stop at a signal. He knocked on the door to board it. The bus driver opened the door, but humiliated him publicly for knocking on the door while holding his phone.
“A BMTC bus headed toward Majestic was stopped at a signal, so I knocked on the door and asked if I could get in. The conductor gestured for me to come near the front door, opened it, and then mocked me, saying something like, “Stylish agi phone hold maadi door knock maadthidiya?” and something else I didn’t fully catch,” he wrote on Reddit, before adding, “It felt unnecessarily humiliating. Just for knocking on a bus door while holding a phone?”
In the comments section of the post, he added that the driver initially didn’t let him board the bus and made him walk a bit farther before finally allowing him in, by which time, he said, he could have boarded another bus.
‘Not isolated experience’
The Redditor noted that this was not a one-off experience. Having lived in the city for over five years, he claims to have come across the auto-drivers, metro staff and others who have treated him in a similar way. He has also noticed that whenever he is “more well-dressed” or “put together”, the attitude of the people becomes “worse”.
“A lot of them behave like they hate their jobs and are constantly irritated, like they’re waiting for a chance to lash out,” he added.
He went on to say, “What’s even more frustrating is that I’ve been treated very differently depending on how I’m dressed. Ironically, the more well-dressed or ‘put together’ I look, the worse the attitude becomes. On days when I’m in a simple kurta, with oiled hair, the same calm body language, no issues. But when I look like I belong to a higher income group, that’s when the friction starts.”
‘Tone softens when we speak in Kannada’
“PossibilityOk971” said that when he speaks to these people in Kannada, their tone softens. And his friends are on board with this, with all of them having noticed the “pattern”.
“The moment we respond in Kannada and they realise we’re Kannadigas, their tone suddenly softens. It’s like they hesitate to keep up the hostility,” he observed.
‘Bengaluru feels soulless’
The post ended on a sombre note, with the user expressing that Bengaluru no longer feels like the vibrant city it once was. He described it as “soulless”, which is weighed down by a growing sense of frustration and resentment.
“It’s hard to ignore the resentment. It feels like some people here are frustrated with how the city has grown, and they take that frustration out on others who have grown along with it-especially fellow Kannadigas who are now doing well financially,” he claimed.
He also added, “There’s this strange mix of entitlement and insecurity. I’m just tired. Bengaluru feels increasingly soulless.”
I’m a Kannadiga and I’m done defending Bengaluru. This city deserves the hate it’s getting.
byu/PossibilityOk971 inBengaluru
How did social media users react?
Reacting to his “soulless Bengaluru” post, a Reddit user said, “Northies are just easy targets for them. This city has gone to ruins.”
“This is more of a class issue, which happens in every city. I have lived in 4 cities, and I have seen it everywhere. This is how we have been brought up. To think people who dress well and take care of themselves are show-offs,” joined another. This Redditor also shared a personal experience.
They added, “I wear perfume to the office every day, and some of my colleagues asked why I wear it in a sarcastic tone. They think I’m showing off. This has nothing to do with the city. It’s just how Indian’s are brought up. Same in school as well, if you just talk to a girl, they think something is going on between you two. The problem lies more in upbringing than city.”
“A few days ago, I was travelling by bus. The bus fare is 12, 20 rupees, depending on which bus you take. Unfortunately, my UPI was not working, so I had a 50-rupee note. Out of nowhere, he started shouting at me (I didn’t understand what he said) and didn’t return the change,” said yet another.