That's the startling -- if not entirely shocking -- conclusion of a new report from the Gaali Band Ghar Abhiyan, a decade-long campaign spearheaded by social activist and professor Sunil Jaglan. Over 70,000 participants across urban and rural India were surveyed, from autowallahs to aunties, students to sanitation workers. The goal was to understand just how casually India throws around cuss words, especially within families.
The findings
Let's just say, if verbal abuse were a sport, Delhi would take home the Olympic gold, followed by the full North Indian contingent in hot pursuit. And while men may dominate the loudest decibels, 30% of women also admitted to using or tolerating abusive language regularly. A whopping 20% of Gen Z respondents even blamed OTT, video games, and social media for their colourful vocab.
Here's the official leaderboard.
1. Delhi -- 80%
Stress, traffic, and one too many red lights? Dilliwale go full throttle with their gaalis -- from road rage to rage at the ration line. Equal parts rage and rhythm.
2. Punjab -- 78%
In the land of bold hearts and buttery parathas, gaalis are often served warm (sometimes even with love). But make no mistake, they're still gaalis.
3. Uttar Pradesh -- 74%
From political rallies to playground spats, UP's tashan often comes laced with language that's "less than Parliamentary".
4. Bihar -- 74%
Street-smart wit meets sharp-tongued realism. Biharis don't waste syllables or sentiment.
5. Rajasthan -- 68%
Desert storms aren't limited to weather. In local lingo, even a gentle nudge can carry a spicy phrase or two.
6. Haryana -- 62%
Rural roots meet direct dialogue. Seedha bol, bindaas bol. Often with a gaali for punctuation.
7. Maharashtra -- 58%
From the lanes of Mumbai to bylanes of Nagpur, slang-rich Marathi street-talk adds its own flavour to this list.
8. Gujarat -- 55%
Generally polite, but when the filter breaks, it breaks. Especially among youth circles on social media.
9. Madhya Pradesh -- 48%
Mild in tone, but don't be fooled. MP's lingo blends earthy dialects with flashes of unfiltered emotion.
10. Uttarakhand -- 45%
Peaceful hills, but rising stress and migration seem to be bringing in some verbal spice.
11. Kashmir -- 15%
The softest speakers in the country, Kashmiris are proof that restraint can be cultural and cool.
12. North-East -- 20--30%
Relatively lower in usage, but growing digital influence is shifting conversational codes among youth.
What did the netizens say?
As soon as the list went viral, Delhi folks leaned in unapologetically. As Amitabh Bachchan's character quips in English Vinglish: "Beshak, befikra, bindaas!"
While some were mortified, most were amused. An Instagram user commented, "Maja nahi aata gaali ke bina", while another wrote: "Delhi har mamle mein aage hai bhai".
"Gaali toh pyaar ka dusra naam hai," one user posted on X. Another added, "I've heard aunties drop F bombs in the sabzi mandi before 8 AM. We built different".
And of course, there was the classic: "dilli se hun b*******d" (IYKYK)
So, the next time someone cuts your lane at one of the Ring Roads, just remember -- statistically speaking, they're probably just expressing themselves. Or go by the age old adage: No comment and move on!
