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| The Facebook cover of Samanya Kannadiga, which is spearheading the campaign against Flipkart |
December 1, 2015, NewsCrunch
Samanya Kannadiga, a Bangalore-based activist group, has started a campaign to force e-commerce giant Flipkart provide support to Kannada-speaking customers in their own language.
Kannadigas are upset that despite being headquartered in Bangalore, Flipkart provides support only in Hindi and English. If you call the toll free customer support number 1800 208 9898, you get a welcome message in Hindi and are then asked to choose between Hindi or English to carry on.
Kannada groups are also upset that Flipkart billboards and other marketing activities are carried out entirely in English or Hindi.
Samanya Kannadiga released a video on Monday, which shows a Kannada customer insisting on speaking in his language. The man is polite but firm. The Flipkart customer agent tries Hindi, English and then switches on to a lengthy monologue in Malayalam before cutting the call.
Industry leaders such as Subroto Bagchi acknowledge that the generosity of Kannadigas in accepting migrants with a big heart played a key role in the success of the software industry in Bengaluru.
Kannada groups feel offended when companies, which operate in their state, fail to give due recognition to their language and culture.
Samanya Kannadiga has also launched two Twitter hashtags #NokannadaNobusiness and #SayNoToFlipkart to mobilise support against Flipkart, which is yet to take the campaign seriously, and has just sent a standard response.
Samanya Kannadiga video shows Flipkart struggling to deal with a Kannada-speaking customer
ಫ್ಲಿಪ್ ಕರ್ಟ್ ಕನ್ನಡ ವಿರೋಧಿ ದೋರಣೆ ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರಿಗೆ ಕಷ್ಟ ಆಗುತಿರುವುದು ಹೀಗೆ ಕನ್ನಡ ವಿರೋಧಿ ಫ್ಲಿಪ್ ಕಾರ್ಟ್ ಗೆ ಧಿಕ್ಕಾರ.#NoKannadaNoBusiness #SayNoToFlipkart @flipkart @sakannadiga-- ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯ ಕನ್ನಡಿಗ 9035956900
Posted by ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯ ಕನ್ನಡಿಗ Samanya Kannadiga on Monday, November 30, 2015
Facebook face Kannadiga ire - Sample tweets from #NokannadaNobusiness and #SayNoToFlipkart
@prajavani@preeti_singh12@Flipkart now facing the wrath of kannada crowd #NoKannadaNoBusiness#SayNoToFlipkart@sakannadiga— Sandeep P (@sarpame) November 30, 2015Flipkart arrogant to say it ll not include kannada!!! Being a company born out of bengaluru showing such... https://t.co/qLz2DubB8n— Sandeep P (@sarpame) November 28, 2015— Nischal Rao (@RaoNischal) November 30, 2015I just cancelled an order from @Flipkart Will never shop until they give service in #Kannada#SayNoToFlipkart#NoKannadaNoBusiness— Akash D (@AkashDGowda) November 30, 2015@Flipkart better u change ur name as Hindhkart. Always responds in Hindi or English. #NoKannadaNoBusiness#SayNoToFlipkart@KannadaGrahaka— ಕೀರ್ತಿ ಕುಮಾರ್ ಎಸ್ (@keerthikumarsr1) November 30, 2015ನಿಮಗೆ ಕನ್ನಡ ಬೇಡವಾದರೆ ನಮಗೆ ನೀವು ಬೇಡ. (If you don't want Kannada, then we don't need you) #NoKannadaNoBusiness#SayNoToFlipkart@sakannadiga— Arjun Doddamani (@Arjun_Doddamani) November 30, 2015— Raghuprasad GS (@Raghuprasad_GS) November 30, 2015Stop buying from them @Flipkart , they proved they dont want us. We have to show that we dont need them. #NokannadaNobusiness@sakannadiga.— Swaroopಸ್ವರೂಪ್ಕುಮಾರ್ (@swaroopdc) November 30, 2015Flipkart if you say no to kannada then we will say no to your buisness @Flipkart Respect our language we will respect you. #saynotoflipkart— Vishal Kumar (@vishal87pai) November 30, 2015Its my rights to get the services in Kannada from @Flipkart and its u r duty to provide it. If you dont give it v say #saynotoflipkart .— srikanth HR (@srikanthhr01) November 30, 2015No business to @Flipkart from me, if they show this disregard towards my mother tongue. #SayNoToFlipkart— Shreyas Gowda (@ShreyasGowda88) November 30, 2015@Flipkart you need Bengaluru & its resource base for business but doesn't want to use #Kannada. So Selfish & Callous. #SayNoToFlipkart— Shirazz (ಶಿರಾಜ್) (@SHIRAZSHER) November 30, 2015