Mysuru Man's Post Slamming Neighbour's English-Only Parenting Sparks Debate

A Karnataka man's post has sparked a debate online on how urban children are losing touch with their native languages. Ganesh Shankar from Mysuru shared on X that his neighbour's child speaks only in English - neither in Kannada nor Tamil, his mother tongue. "Because of status, it seems. And he had an accent already," he wrote. The post resonated with many, highlighting growing concerns over language loss, cultural disconnect, and the increasing preference for English in urban households.

Take a look at the post below: 

Mr Shankar's post sparked a flood of replies, especially from parents concerned about the erosion of native language use among urban Indian children. 

"This is such a sad new-age phenomenon! Same scenes here. Little kids don't understand Hindi or their mother tongue. Only English with an American accent," wrote one user. 

"This is becoming the new normal. Kids speak only English nowadays," commented another. 

"I was shocked when i saw this in bengaluru. I know kannadigas who speak with their children only in English (main reason inferiority complex & also desire to send kids abroad as soon as 12th is done). Most of them living near me speak with their children in English unfortunately," shared a third user. 

"I think if kids don't pick up their mother tongue, their connection to their roots is almost over. No amount of top-down push can change that later. I will blame the parents for denying the kids their natural, cultural identity," said another. 

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However, one X user from Melbourne, Australia, shared a contrasting perspective. "I think it's a thing in India. My daughter and a few families here actively ensure they speak Kannada. Also, there's a Kannada school here funded by the government. Crazy what's happening there," they wrote. 

"As parents we must take the lead in speaking our native language at home. Kids may switch to English, but gently bring them back. Personal experience," suggested another. 

"That's a very judgemental comment on someone's family. I would urge you to get out of biases in life and start seeing positive things in others rather than focusing on negatives only," commented one user.