Denied parking, Bengaluru techie calls for making English mandatory in India

A Bengaluru-based software engineer at Google has sparked a fresh debate about the ongoing language row after he was allegedly denied parking for speaking in Hindi.

In a viral LinkedIn post, Arpit Bhayani shared how a seemingly routine request turned sour when he asked someone to “move aside” in Hindi — and was refused parking space for it.

“I’m okay with what happened,” Bhayani wrote, “but hear me out.” He then questioned whether those advocating for cultural and linguistic preservation were enrolling their own children in regional-language schools — or defaulting to English-medium education.

Also Read: Delhi Zomato user urges CEO Deepinder Goyal to help delivery agents 'dream again'

Increasing English usage

Bhayani argued that English would soon become the most commonly used language in the country, for most Indians already used it in their daily lives.

From mobile apps and product packaging to restaurant menus and work emails, English dominates daily life. The younger generation, he claimed, is already more fluent in English than in their mother tongues.

“Why not just make English a mandatory language?” he asked, noting that this would reduce friction and misunderstandings in multilingual situations, while allowing regional languages to thrive as second languages.

One language for all

He clarified that he was not asking everyone to converse in English, but it can be that one language that everyone would know to some extent, and would be okay if someone speaks in it (unlike what we have today)

"If English were to become one language, then it would be easier to communicate across states and people," he said, claiming that getting the language row out of the way can help people focus on real societal issues like "infrastructure, employment and job, education, research and innovation, cleanliness".

Social media reacts

The post drew a wave of mixed reactions. One user asked, “Why didn't you ask the person to move aside in English then?” Bhayani responded, "Of course I asked, but for him, it was over the moment I spoke in Hindi."

Another wrote, "I don't know where this radicalisation will stop, first it was based religion then caste, now state and language differences are becoming new issues, at the time when AI revolution is going on, our country is still stuck in these primitive problems."

Some others criticised his logic. “We try speaking native languages abroad,” one user noted, “why the hypocrisy here?” Bhayani responded, “I didn’t force anyone to speak Hindi. It was just natural for me.”

Also Read: 90% of Indian professionals face learning barriers due to work and family pressures: LinkedIn

Wider context

The post followed closely on the heels of another language controversy in Karnataka, where an SBI bank official was transferred after refusing to speak Kannada with a customer.

Even the state’s chief minister intervened, calling for language sensitisation training for bank staff. Following widespread public outrage, the staff was transferred from the branch where the incident occurred.