Machaiah Kalengada

Over the last few days I have sensed some really strong sentiments emerging around the jobs for Kannadigas campaign. Personally, I don't think this is necessarily a company Vs Kannadiga issue. A large part of the problem could lie in the hiring dynamics within organisations. For instance, a manager from Andhra Pradesh may naturally gravitate towards hiring Telugu speaking candidates while a North Indian manager may prefer people from his own region or familiar networks. Over time this could have created teams dominated by people from outside Karnataka. I think the frustration among locals stems from a feeling that they are being outnumbered in organisations in their own city & certainly not because they lack talent or capability. Companies need to look closely at their own hiring data and introspect on internal recruitment practices & biases within senior management. This is an issue that needs to be addressed by govt through policy and constructive dialogue with the corporate sector. While I may not agree with all the methods adopted by KRV and other similar groups but their campaign has certainly brought an important issue into the spotlight. It is now up to the govt & pvt companies to take a closer look & address the underlying concerns.