Bangalore has always been known for its very cosmopolitan nature. With a high floating population, it is common to encounter people who have recently landed a job in the city, and who will move in a few years. Generally, even without knowing the local language, Kannada, it is not difficult to get around the city and feel at home. Taxi/auto drivers, bus conductors, vendors, shop keepers, house-helpers and other people we interact with in our day-to-day lives will, most likely, be able to manage one of the languages we know. None the less, learning some Kannada will hold us in good stead in government offices and elsewhere in Bangalore.
The other day, I came across this novel effort at teaching people the basic Kannada required while interacting at a medical shop.
Dr. Medicals, the pharmacy at National Games Village in Koramangala, has a list of sentences in English, Kannada, and Kannada transliterated into English. Further, to encourage us to actually talk Kannada, the store offers a 1% discount if we try!
arathimy 