“It’s a good start to my day when I ask the milk vendor ‘Eradu litre haalu beku’ (I want two litres of milk). ” For Koramangala resident Shilpa John, learning Kannada has a practical purpose, communicating with people she encounters in her daily life.
Pai Layout Residents’ Welfare Association began free spoken Kannada classes at its RWA office in 2025. The first class attracted participants, ranging from six to 90 years old, showing strong interest among residents. The current batch has over 50 students, he says, adding that the association is planning to start a fresh batch for beginners in Jan 2027. Learners often find it difficult to identify and reproduce subtle differences between sounds,” said a volunteer at Makaranda, which offers a three-to-four-month course that includes 24 lessons conducted twice a week. However, 50-60% of students successfully complete the course and receive certification, says the Makaranda volunteer. Deepa Annigeri, a resident of Mantri Greens Apartment in Malleswaram, saw this when her second batch of students presented a Kannada skit during the complex’s Rajyotsava celebrations in 2025.
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Describing her journey from ‘Kannada gottilla’ (I don’t know Kannada) to ‘Nanage swalpa Kannada gottu’ (I know a little Kannada), Shilpa says: “Greeting my cook in the morning with ‘Shubhodaya,’ and discussing our meals for the day is such an achievement. Manisha Arora, a Punjabi speaker, who grew up in Kolkata, has enrolled for a free Kannada learning programme conducted by Makaranda in collaboration with the Bangalore Apartments’ Federation (BAF).“The interactive sessions make learning the language enjoyable, engaging and fun,’’ she says. ‘‘Anybody can join these classes,” says Subramanian NH, secretary of Pai Layout RWA. “An estimated 50% to 60% are serious learners, while about 10% seek limited, everyday conversational skills,” he adds. Even simple exchanges with neighbours can help build confidence,” says Sumi Anurag, a Kannada teacher at Prestige Jindal City, Nagasandra. “Once adults begin learning, it becomes as much about necessity as about pride — the pride of respecting and speaking the language of the place where they live,” she says.
Across Bengaluru, free classes run by residents’ associations, apartment communities and volunteer teachers are helping adults learn Kannada and put it to use in everyday conversations. She finds my struggles amusing, but she is most helpful and prompts me with the right word when I stumble. Community-driven Classes Bengaluru’s Kannada-learning eco-system is diverse. Some classes follow structured grammar lessons, beginning with the script and sentence formation. Others focus on spoken Kannada, teaching learners how to navigate everyday situations. Corporate workshops compress the basics into a few weeks. Community teachers often keep lessons informal, mixing vocabulary with humour, food references, and local expressions. Digital platforms have also widened access to Kannada lessons. Instagram pages explain one Kannada word a day. YouTube channels, such as bfluent, Shashi’s Pathshala and Learn Kannada Online, teach conversational phrases. Telegram and WhatsApp groups help learners practise with voice notes. Some teachers post short reels on pronunciation, slang, signs, and cultural references. Online classes allow people outside Bengaluru — or those planning to move there — to begin learning early. Some resident welfare associations (RWAs) also organise free Kannada classes. The weekly one-hour classes are held every Sunday from 4pm-5pm and have reached their 19th session. Free Kannada classes for non-Kannada speakers have been held at Shriram Sameeksha Apartments in Jalahalli, which is home to residents from across India, including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Keralam. Working Through Difficu lties Acquiring a new language comes with its own struggles. Many new learners struggle with pronunciation, vocabulary retention, and understanding tense variations during their lessons. “Regional language influences, differences in usage and slang, and Kannada sounds that are difficult to represent distinctly in English contribute to pronunciation errors. Inconsistent attendance and missed classes complicate the learning process for many students. Learning Beyond Classrooms Teachers say students learn best when the language feels useful immediately. “We encourage learners to practise beyond the classroom by speaking to shopkeepers, reading signboards, learning the names of vegetables, and watching Kannada films with subtitles. For some teachers, the classes also offer an opportunity to share local culture and bring neighbours together. Annigeri teaches free spoken Kannada classes in the complex’s reading room. She has started a third batch, with classes open to all residents of the apartment complex. The learners often describe learning Kannada as a way of becoming less of a stranger. The first successful conversation with a bus conductor, vegetable seller or neighbour can feel like a milestone. And for many, it changes their relationship with the city. Download the TOI App.