This American woman can speak Kannada almost like a local | Bengaluru News
Vickie Belcher, a lake researcher from Austin, Texas fell in love with Kannada while working at Benniganahalli Lake. She learned basic spoken Kannada from NILE Institute of Languages and Education in about three months, and continued to attend classes for ten months. She also used online lessons (Italki) and is now working to read and write Kannada more confidently. Vickie came to India on a scholarship during her Master’s in Community and City Planning. She says learning Kannada helped her connect with people during her research. “It also brought unexpected warmth in everyday situations, like at a post office where staff were delighted I spoke Kannada,” she says. “My mom sent me a parcel, and I had to go to the India Post Office to pick it up. Staff at the post office were amazed as I spoke to them in Kannada. They offered me chai and sweets. That’s when I realized learning the local language can bring so much joy. It motivated me to learn more Kannada words,” she recalls. Vickie would brim with pride while conversing with locals in Kannada. “There is a lot of indigenous local knowledge in Karnataka related to water,” says the 30-year-old, adding, “I didn’t know a single Kannada word before coming to Bengaluru.” She notes that overcoming fear of mistakes is key, and that Kannadigas were encouraging when she made errors. Vickie says her Kannada is now good enough to have a meaningful conversation with auto drivers in Bengaluru. She graduated and currently works for a non-profit in the US. She revises her Kannada lessons, and is looking forward to moving back to Bengaluru.How Vickie has become a source of inspiration for Bengalureans NH Subramanian, a lake activist who works with Benniganahalli Kere Community Development Trust (BKCDT) had a chance meeting with Vickie. Inspired by her heartwarming story, Subramanian who is also the secretary of the Pai Layout Residents Welfare Association decided to start Kannada classes primarily for non Kannadigas in the layout. The Pai Layout Residents Welfare Association (RWA) office now becomes a lively learning space on Sundays, hosting free spoken-Kannada sessions from 4pm to 6pm for learners ranging from children to senior citizens. Students actively take notes, ask questions, and try to speak mostly in Kannada, driven by the need to learn the local language for daily life and interactions.
LEARN KANNADA FOR FREE: Pai Layout RWA hosts free Kannada classes
The classes are taught by S Bala, a non-Kannadiga who studied Kannada in school (Classes 1–10) and now volunteers as an instructor. Learners say his teaching approach makes Kannada easier and more enjoyable to pick up. Geetha Ramachandran, a retired bank employee who has lived in Bengaluru since 2001, says residents of Pai Layout often manage with other Indian languages and miss opportunities to learn Kannada, but knowing it helps especially in government offices and earns goodwill from locals. Subramanian said the classes are offered free of cost and open to all.
