‘At least the signboards are in Kannada’: Startup investor’s snarky post on Bengaluru floods sparks online backlash over language row

Bengaluru-based startup investor Ritesh Banglani found himself at the center of online backlash after a sardonic post on social media about the city’s flooded streets during heavy rains on Tuesday.

“I’m stuck in a traffic jam in the middle of a damn river. But hey, at least the signboards are in Kannada,” quipped Banglani, co-founder of venture capital firm Stellaris Venture Partners, alongside a photo from his car showing the flooded roads of Bengaluru.

However, his humorous approach did not go down well with many users on One user, Abhishek, replied, “Priorities, man. Instead of protesting against the poor infrastructure, some people here protested against the language.” Another user went further and even said that if Banglani is so dissatisfied with Kannada and the people who speak the language, he should “go back to your own state instead of splashing around in the rivers of this country for free and than to complain.”

Unfazed by the criticism, however, Banglani responded with a passionate defense of his ties with the city. In a detailed post on Wednesday, he stated, “I am as much a Bangalorean as you are and have as much right to this city as you do, including the right to criticize the government. I can own a house here, raise my family, run a business and vote in elections, but I don’t think I can ever become a ‘local’.”

He further claimed, “I’m not going anywhere because this is my home as much as it is yours.”

The heavy rains that led to this exchange have had serious consequences across Bengaluru, with schools closed for the second day in a row and many residents working from home. The city experienced the highest rainfall in almost three decades, with parts of north Bengaluru worst affected. On Monday alone, the region recorded a whopping 186 mm (7.3 in) of rain, marking the highest precipitation in a single day since 1997.

As the city grapples with the impact of these downpours, conversations about its infrastructure and governance are becoming increasingly urgent.