In the past year, several incidents of debate over language in Karnataka has made headlines. While sometimes it was fights between auto drivers and non-Kannada-speaking passengers, other times it was government’s order that insisted on having signboards in Kannada. Recently, playback singer Sonu Nigam had a similar experience and he didn’t shy away from giving it back to a student who rudely demanded that he should sing in Kannada during his shows in Bengaluru.
In the video, Sonu — who was seemingly singing one of his Hindi hits — stopped mid-performance to express his anger after a student rudely shouted ‘Kannada, Kannada’, demanding him to sing in the local language in the state.
He said, “In my career, I have sung in multiple languages but the best songs that I have ever sung is in the Kannada language. Whenever I come to your city, I come with lots of love. We do a lot of shows in a lot of places, but whenever we have shows in Karnataka we come with a lot of respect for you. You have treated me like your family, but I didn’t like when the boy there, who is not even as old as my career, is rudely threatening me to sing in Kannada.”
The singer compared the student’s hatred with the Pahalgam incident, and said, “This is the reason behind the incident in Pahalgam. Please see who is standing before you. I love you guys.”
Sonu went on to explain how he loves the people of Karnataka as well as the language as he shared, “I do so many shows across the world where thousands of people gather, and every time I hear even a single person shouting ‘Kannada’, I make sure to sing at least one line in Kannada for them. That’s how much I love and respect all of you. So please be kind.”
While previously, there have been no incidents involving a famous personality, there have been several complaints against auto drivers insisting that passengers speak in Kannada. Many are even accused of mistreating a non-Kannadiga and over-charging them or refusing them rides. Several incidents of vandalising shops with no Kannada sign boards have also come to light.
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After Hindi songs, Sonu Nigam is mostly known for singing Kannada songs among the 32 other languages he has sung in his career spanning over three decades. His songs like Mungaru Maleye and Ninnindale are among the greatest hits in the Kannada language.
