People of Karnataka

Perhaps the most cosmopolitan of the people of south India, the people of Karnataka - ‘Kannadigas’, as the Kannada speaking people of Karnataka are called, are among the most easygoing you’ll ever meet. Bangalore, with its jet set executives, hard working and mad partying is really an exception. The city is more a reflection of metropolitan India than of the state that it administers. The north of Karnataka is dominated by the Lingayats while in the south, Vokkaligas, a peasant caste, are the most powerful. The state government has implemented a system of reservation for backward classes and certain scheduled castes and tribes in order to redress the imbalances of a traditionally caste-based society. The nomadic Lambani tribe are a colourful people who have managed to preserve many of their customs.

The Kannadigas are easygoing, almost laidback and deeply content, till of course, they feel culturally threatened. Fiercely protective of their language, arts, customs, heritage, and film stars even, they will not stand for anything that has the teeniest hint of disparagement.