39. They presume I am a foreigner
But I reply in Kannada
I am a fairish, well traveled Malayali in Bengaluru. I travel in buses to and fro for work.
Many times, my fellow passengers look at me and assume or presume that I may be from a different country because I wear western dresses.
When they ask me anything in broken English and Hindi, I reply back in Kannada. At this, even the passengers around have a good laugh.
I find that it becomes a big thing when I put in the effort to speak the local language.
Author: Babita Jaishankar
Last modified: Wednesday, 1 March 2017, 12:32 AM