A Bengaluru techie has claimed that he faced discrimination at the hands of locals for speaking in Hindi. Arpit Bhayani, who works at Google, said he was denied parking after he asked someone to move aside in Hindi. Although he mentioned that he is unbothered by the incident, he used the incident to advocate for English as a common, mandatory language across India, arguing that the younger generation is more comfortable with it.
“Today, I was denied parking just because I asked the person to move aside in Hindi. I’m okay with what happened, but hear me out, folks…,” Bhayani wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
He asked, “To everyone talking about preserving language and culture, whether in Maharashtra, Karnataka, or any other state, are you actually enrolling your children in schools that teach in the regional language, or are they studying in English-medium schools?”
Advocates for English as common language
Bhayani then shared a few reasons why he believes English will soon become the most widely used language in the country. “The younger generation today is far more comfortable speaking in English than in their mother tongue. Cities are seeing this more, and rural areas will catch up. We’re just a few generations away from a time when English will become the most commonly used language across the country,” he argued.
He highlighted that people already use English extensively – typing messages, reading signs, advertisements, labels, and instructions. He pointed out that legal and financial documents, apps, websites, menus, and even film posters are primarily in English.
The Google techie went on to say that English is already so prevalent in our lives that it makes sense to make it a mandatory language, adding, “By the way, I am not asking everyone to converse in it, but English can be that one language that everyone would know to some extent, and would be okay if someone speaks in it (unlike what we have today). This would make our lives so much simpler, and finally.”
This, as per him, will shift the focus back to more pressing issues such as infrastructure, employment, job, and education.
Towards the end, he wrote, “If you agree with me, awesome. If you think this is a stupid take, then someone not allowing me to park just because I asked in Hindi is just batshit crazy.”
Today, I was denied parking just because I asked the person to move aside in Hindi 🤦♂️ I'm okay with what happened, but hear me out, folks…
— Arpit Bhayani (@arpit_bhayani) May 22, 2025
To everyone talking about preserving language and culture, whether in Maharashtra, Karnataka, or any other state, are you actually…
Here’s what social media thinks:
“Why didn’t you ask the person to move aside in english then?” asked one Internet user. To this, he replied that he did but spoke in Hindi in the moment out of habit. “ofc I asked, but for him it was over the moment I spoke in Hindi… I parked my vehicle 15 meters away and got my work done.”
Another agreed with him: “Honestly, this is such a valid point. We talk a lot about preserving languages, but when it comes to our own kids, most of us choose English-medium schools. Why? Because it’s practical. We’re already surrounded by English in everything – apps, menus, ads, labels – you name it. Making English a common language doesn’t mean disrespecting our roots. It just makes everyday interactions smoother. At the end of the day, we’ve got bigger problems to solve as a country.”
“This is weird. I have lived in Bangalore for a decade, and I survived speaking broken Hindi (as I speak Malayalam) as no one could speak English. I never faced an issue with this. This doesn’t look like the Bangalore I knew,” said a third.
A fourth wrote, “Man, that’s just insane. Getting denied parking just for speaking Hindi? That’s next-level.”
Earlier, an SBI employee faced the wrath of Kannadigas and Internet alike after she refused to speak in Kannada to customers. The pro-Hindi SBI manager had not only issued an apology, that too in broken Kannada, but also was transferred. Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah too condemned her behaviour and urged Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to mandate “language sensitisation training for all bank staffers”.
