Bengaluru: Private firm issues apology after job post seeks "non-Kannada speaking" candidate
Bengaluru, January 12
A private company issued a public apology after its HR department released a job advertisement on a job portal seeking a candidate who does not know the Kannada language, explicitly mentioning "Non-Kannada HR," assuring that the organisation will keep a check that such incidents don't recur in the future.
Lakshmi Narayan, who is associated with the company, released a video apology from the JP Nagar office at Bengaluru, and said, "Namaskar to all Kannadigas. We are talking from the JP Nagar office in Bengaluru. The ad was reported to HR from our Kolkata office. We operate across the country, and Kolkata is our sole branch. We are seeking an apology from Kannadigas. As such an ad was given, we will look into it so that such incidents do not happen again. We also apologise to all pro-Kannada organisations. We will be cautious so that Such wrong things will never happen in future."
The apology follows a recent row that erupted after an HR at a private firm in JP Nagar, Bengaluru, posted a job advertisement on a job portal with a very specific preference for "Non-Kannada speaking" candidates for the post.
The advertisement quickly gained traction, angered Kannadigas, and drew heavy criticism on X (formerly Twitter).
Posting such an advertisement in Karnataka, while disregarding Kannadigas, has deeply offended local sentiments. Afterwards, many individuals expressed outrage, warning that if the post is not withdrawn immediately, the company would face intense protests.
The anger stems from the question: Do private companies need Kannada land to survive, but not Kannadigas for employment?
— ANI
Reader Comments
As someone who moved to Bengaluru for work, I made an effort to learn basic Kannada. It's about respect. The ad from the Kolkata office shows a lack of local sensitivity. Companies operating nationally must have better HR training to avoid such blunders. Good that they apologized quickly.
While the apology is good, we need to ask why such a requirement was thought of in the first place. Was it to avoid dealing with local labour laws or to create a certain 'culture'? This is suspicious. The authorities should investigate if this is a pattern. #RespectLocal
I understand the outrage, but let's also be practical. For certain pan-India or global roles, language might not be a barrier. However, explicitly stating "non-Kannada" is discriminatory and offensive. They could have simply said "language no bar" or "English proficiency required." The wording was the problem.
The last line of the article hits hard. "Do private companies need Kannada land to survive, but not Kannadigas for employment?" This is a wake-up call for all MNCs and startups in Bengaluru. Invest in the local community, hire locally, and encourage cultural integration. Jai Karnataka! 💛❤
Respectful criticism: While the anger is justified, the immediate threat of "intense protests" mentioned in the article sometimes escalates things unnecessarily. The company apologized. Let's accept it and use this as a teaching moment for corporate India on diversity and inclusion, rather than resorting to aggression.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.