Videshis that are Desi: Using Local Languages to Connect and Learn the Indian culture

They call themselves "desi videsi". And, to understand why, one can simply check their work on their social media, where these people from the origins of varied countries can speak the local Indian languages fluently and talk like a local. 

Meanwhile, the battle for imposing - somewhere Hindi and somewhere the regional language - continues in the country, and there are people simply exercising their right to freedom of speech by choosing the medium they want to speak in. The right might not be used for actively bringing any change, for which this right is often reiterated, but it just shows their acceptance of the language they want to speak. 

Agu Stanley realised how the language is also connected to the people in India soon after he came here from Nigeria. "The locals made me feel that I was one of them when I tried speaking the local language, hence, I picked it up (Hindi) to show that language can be a bridge, not a barrier," he says, adding that it has become his way of "showing respect to the culture". "It's my way of saying that I want to understand it from the inside, not just as a visitor."

Stanley, the Mumbai-based resident, now speaks in Hindi fluently and he credits his friends, auto drivers, chai shop owners, and street vendors for learning the language. "The biggest challenge was that people speak fast, and they mix in slang or words from other languages; however, I also realised that people actually love it when you try, even if you get it wrong," he further says.

Another Mumbai resident, Mayo Japan, even took up a B.A. degree in Hindi on her father's recommendations, a Himalayan climber, who, as per Mayo, loved India. "I learned Hindi at my university. I felt it to be easy and similar to Japanese. But Hindi has many words from Sanskrit, Urdu, and Arabic, so sometimes it is hard," she says. 

The Indians with foreign origins are not behind

Ved Maddison, who might be living in Stockholm, Sweden, grew up in Goa. Though he dropped Konkani to focus on Hindi, which he didn't use until he moved to Mumbai to work in a film casting at the age of 17. "I fell in love with Bollywood, and the language improved even further when I came back to Mumbai after completing my Bachelor’s in Stockholm to pursue acting full time," he says.

While Maddison learnt to read and write in Hindi back in his school, his knack for learning and imitating languages, he can also speak in Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Telugu, and Tamil and makes funny videos in all these languages. However, a lot of times, Google Translate and its "good memory" help.

Similarly, for Amin Adegoke, picking any local language was just a matter of learning new words, as he was born and brought up in India. "I've always been impressed by how languages in India connect people and cultures," he says and credits such a culture to be the reason behind learning Hindi with fluency. "A major role was played by Bollywood movies," he adds.

Lionel Ngotchi Ya Kabengwa from Congo does it even uniquely. He is known within his community for blending French, English, Hindi, and Haryanvi. Living in Gurugram with only the French language, he could soon master the language through friends, movies, and daily interactions. "I learned Indian languages to truly connect with locals and be part of the culture, not just an observer," he says.

Language to livelihood, still a dream

While all these Indians and foreign nationals, with their large following on their social media, are using the best of the regional languages to connect with the Indian culture, it is still way behind to be seen as a source of any livelihood. Lionel Ngotchi Ya Kabengwa works as an analyst, says, "That is a long way to go." 

With the massive upheavals in the socio-political landscape of the country, where language has not just become a debatable issue but is also leading to violence, unfortunately, it can't even provide a sustainable livelihood, not even to those who are putting their hearts and souls in not just learning the languages but also in creating videos for the masses. 

"Making a consistent and reliable income can be challenging," says Ved Maddison, while for Amin Adegoke, it is not as simple as it looks. "You can't just rely on one thing until you master the art of doing it in the right way. Brand deals, channel monetisation and selling your own product are the most stable sources of income online for us (using local languages online), but one has to treat it like a business to make a living out of it," he says. 

However, not all of them think this way. For Agu Stanley, "When you focus on a segment like promoting a local language or cultural traditions, you’re not just chasing trends, you’re building a loyal, engaged community. For the livelihood, it opens doors beyond brand deals, workshops, speaking gigs, and collaborations.

Mayo Japan, who is already a popular name on YouTube, though, plans to learn more about Hindi and Indian culture. Her love for India shows when she says, "I will learn more about Hindi and Indian culture. Even if my YouTube career is over, I will either be a Hindi teacher, an Indian cuisine teacher or whatever work I want to do will be related to India."