Pick up the basics of Kannada on this autorickshaw ride

On the busy streets of Bengaluru, where the sounds of traffic and diverse languages merge, Azzu Sultan, an autorickshaw driver and content creator known as ‘Auto Kannadiga’, stands out with a unique mission.

On the busy streets of Bengaluru, where the sounds of traffic and diverse languages merge, Azzu Sultan, an autorickshaw driver and content creator known as ‘Auto Kannadiga’, stands out with a unique mission.

A die-hard fan of legendary Kannada actor and director Shankar Nag, Azzu has taken it upon himself to bridge the language gap for non-Kannadiga passengers who board his vehicle. He doesn’t just offer rides, but also teaches basic Kannada phrases through a laminated placard stuck inside his auto, to help his passengers navigate the city.  

The placard, titled ‘Learn Kannada with Auto Kannadiga’, features everyday phrases in Kannada translated into English, with the hope of helping non-Kannada speakers communicate better in the local language. The placard includes phrases to be used inside an auto like – ‘Namaskara sir’ (Hello sir), ‘Naanu Kannada kalitha ideeni’ (I am learning Kannada), ‘Sir, swalpa nidanakkae hogi’ (Sir, go slow) and phrases to be used outside an auto like – ‘Sir, elli ideera?’ (Sir, where are you), ‘booking cancel madbedi’ (Please do not cancel the booking) and more. The placard also comes with two QR codes, which provide a video demo of Azzu translating a couple of phrases from English to Kannada. 

Speaking to The Hindu, 31-year-old Azzu, who grew up in Bagalkot and has been making a living in Bengaluru for a decade now, says he started the ‘Learn Kannada with Auto Kannadiga’ initiative to erase the dishonour the city has been receiving lately due to driver-commuter conflict. “The recent auto driver-customer conflicts have brought a bad name for Bengaluru and its auto drivers. We are known to be bad drivers all over India now, but I wanted to bring a change and want all auto drivers in our State to be recognised for a different reason,“ he said. 

Azzu says that though he is well-versed in Hindi, he chose to print the placard in English to make sure a majority of his customers learned the phrases. “I shared my plan with auto sanghas in the city and all of them said that they would support the initiative,“ he added.  

As of Monday, Azzu has printed 500 placards and asked his fellow auto drivers to place them inside their autos. “I started the initiative on Saturday, and so far, we have received a good response. Since I am an auto driver, I know where to place the card, and which is the right position to grasp the attention of customers. For now, I have printed only 500 placards out of my own earnings that I make by driving an auto and a minimal earning I get from the videos I post on social media. I am looking for sponsors and hopefully, I will be able to have enough placards for every auto and cab in the city. I have also put up the placards at a couple of autorickshaw stands near metro stations, which help many customers while they are waiting for a booked auto or cab to arrive,” he said.

Azzu made his social media presence prominent many months ago by vlogging his daily life as an auto driver, dancing on trending music and sharing his love for Kannada. He learned video editing a couple of months ago. He says that his friends and family have been his strength and support, and help him create content for social media.