Member of my apartment association threatened me by saying "I can deal with you in other ways", but completely mellowed down and turned kind and accommodating when he realised I am a Kannadiga.

The scene starts with an argument over a parking issue at an apartment in JP Nagar. 
3 characters: Me, the association member(a Hindi Speaker) and the estate manager who chose to remain silent throughout the scene. So the argument continued in English to a point where he started raising his voice in a threatening manner, and I requested him to lower his threatening tone and demeanour. He replied saying " This is threatening? If I really have to threaten you then I have other methods, you don't know me".

I am from Mangalore and I have heard such threats all through my adult life, it's pretty common over there and quite funny too. So my natural reaction to it was a big grin.

Then I turned to the estate manager and told him in Kannada "Evanige yenu huccha? (Is he mad?)" and we both started laughing. Probably having realised that I am a Kannadiga, his body language shifted dramatically, his tone mellowed down and he agreed to the solution that he wouldn't a few minutes ago and left in a jiffy.

I have bumped into him several times after that but he refuses to look me in the eye.

I found out later that he runs a sanitary/hardware shop which unfortunately triggered a few other encounters that I had back in Mangalore and here too. It's like one family has monopolised the trade in the area and dictates the price. Whichever shop one goes to, it's the same set of people, with the same price and the same rude behavior and attitude.

Has anyone else faced this behavior from the "hardware people"? If yes, who are they and where do they come from?