Harassed for not speaking in Kannada, Salman alleges

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Actor and choreographer Salman Yusuff has alleged in a video that he was harassed for not being able to converse in Kannada at the Bengaluru International Airport. Popularly known for the show 'Dance India Dance', Yusuff explained the entire incident that happened with him on Wednesday in a video.

The actor tagged the Kempegowda airport handle and said, “On my way to dubai and I meet this immigration officer who speaks to me in Kannada ... and I in my broken Kannada try to tell him that I understand the language but can’t speak so well to which he continues to speak in Kannada and shows me my passport and points out my name and my birth place and my fathers name and his birthplace and has the audacity to tell me that .. you and your father are born in Bangalore and u can’t speak Kannada .. to which I replied .. that being born in Bangalore doesn’ t mean I’m born with the language … I could be born in Bangalore and travelled the world like I have been always a Saudi child bought up in Saudi .. (ps: I have never had Kannada as a language as I never lived in the country during my schooling ... what ever little that I know is through my friends ) to which he goes to the extent of saying that .. if u can’t speak Kannada I can suspect you …"

Salman alleged that while he tried to converse in Hindi with the officer, the officer threatened to treat him as a "suspect" on the basis that he does not know Kannada.

He further added, "I told him that I know my nation's official language Hindi and my mother tongue is Hindi. Why should I know Kannada? I asked him again to suspect me for what? And, he says, 'I can just suspect you for anything.' I told him, 'Try me.' And got a little louder and repeated, 'TRY ME' .. thrice … To which he kept quiet. I told him that if uneducated people like you continue to live in this country, this country will never grow …To which he just kept his head down and murmured. Trying to report this incident to the airport authorities but no one seems to be guiding me.

Well, this is what I get to represent my city and win national accolades. That I have to prove myself to these uneducated Brutes. Ps: I am a proud Bangalorean but what I’ve faced today is unacceptable … you should always encourage people to learn any local language not demean them for not knowing it .. and pulling your parent's name into it.”