Bengaluru job posting requiring Tamil, Telugu, and English — but not Kannada — sparks row

A job posting by PNB Housing Finance has stirred controversy in Karnataka. The reason? Although the position is based in Bengaluru, the posting stated that candidates must know Tamil, Telugu, and English — but made no mention of Kannada.

A user on X (formerly Twitter) shared the posting, writing, “Fluent in Tamil or Telugu?? Get a job in Bengaluru? PNB Housing Finance (a subsidiary of PNB Bank) wants its contact centre executive in Jayanagar to know English and Tamil/Telugu. Kannadigas??”

Commenting on the post, one user said: "Because 54% of Bengaluru doesn’t speak Kannada. One-third of Bengaluru doesn’t speak Kannada. The Indian Constitution makes it clear that people are not obligated to learn Kannada, despite what politicians might say. Tamil and Telugu are as much local languages of Karnataka as Kannada. Even historically, kings in Karnataka have used Kannada along with Telugu or Tamil. The intolerance of linguistic separatists is mind-boggling. Karnataka ≠ Kannada alone. Live and let live."



Another added: "Accept the reality. Learn the difference between towns and cosmopolitan cities. If you want to stay rooted, you shouldn’t allow a city to grow into a cosmopolitan hub in the first place. A smarter approach would be to use the wealth generated here to develop your own towns, rather than trying to destroy the city’s diversity."

Others offered more pragmatic explanations. One user said, "This likely means they already have employees who know Kannada, but not Tamil or Telugu. Kindly use some common sense before getting rage-baited, lol."

Another commented, "Please use your brains. They might already have Kannada speakers, or perhaps they don't need one at this time. It's a business requirement. Find better things to do in life."