Deepika Padmanabhan, a PhD candidate at Yale, dives into the intricate ties between language and identity in South India. She discusses how dominant languages like Hindi and English shape the identities of regional speakers in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The conversation highlights the politics of linguistic diversity, exploring how language acts as a nation-building tool and the implications of imposed languages on local identities. Additionally, she reflects on the complexities of bilingualism and the impact of technology on language accessibility.