Rabble Rousing Random Ramblings: Bangalore -> Bengaluru?

December 08, 2005

Bangalore -> Bengaluru?

The Karnataka Government is currently coming up with its action plan to celebrate fifty years of the state's existence (as Karnataka).

One of the suggestions, given by noted Kannada writer UR Ananthamurthy was to rename Bangalore as Bengaluru as part of the celebrations.

Why on earth would anyone suggest this, if not to rake up a Bangalore v/s the rest of Karnataka issue yet again? Why didn't he suggest renaming Mysore to Maisuru, or even pertinently to Mahishasuru or something like that? The city provides a rare instance of getting its name from a Hindu mythological demon, Mahishasura, slayed by Durga.

What next? Renaming important roads? Brigade Road to what? Old ~~Madras~~ Chennai Road to what? Perhaps rename Airport Road using the Kannada word for Airport?

Has renaming cities actually done any good? Bombay to Mumbai, Madras to Chennai, Trivandrum to Thiruvananthapuram, Calcutta to Kolkota, Calicut to Kozhikode, Cochin to Kochi, Pondicherry to Puducheri etc. Has any of these cities seen better living conditions, infrastructure, employment opportunities, lesser riots/chaos etc. because of the name change? Do the people of those cities necessarily feel better because of the name change? Does having the city named in the local language, as opposed to having British, French or Portugese influences in the name, make them feel proud about living there?

I venture to hazard a guess. No. I can certainly speak for myself. I couldn't see any difference between living in Madras or Chennai. I couldn't understand what the name change meant to peoples' daily lives. Unless threatened at gunpoint, and except in moments of weakness, I continue to refer to the city as Madras. Ditto when I refer to Calcutta or Bombay.

So what would be gained by renaming Bangalore as Bengaluru or perhaps even Bendha kaluru, given that the apocryphal story about the place's name. Is this paranoia at work again?

Labels: bangalore, chauvinism, kannada, karnataka, renaming

Rambled @ 11:05 AM

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6 comment(s)

Well it is fashionable to do anything to degrade Bangalore nowadays, especially when Deve Gowda is in power. He isn't in power? Yeah, right!

By Jagadish (Dec 8, 2005, 1:12:00 PM)

Intellectual to jingoist in a flash. Sad to see these people resorting to such things. If identity is what we seek, then, pray tell me, are we defined by our names? Is our name our identitiy or is it what we do that gives our name an identity. Feel kannadiga in your heart. Then the name won't matter.

By Srini (Dec 8, 2005, 2:59:00 PM)

Supremus: The counter argument of course is why change it then, if it isn't going to do any good?

Srini: Yeah. I wouldn't say jingoist, but certainly he has been thinking along the wrong [imnsho] lines

By Jagadish (Dec 8, 2005, 11:52:00 PM)

Bangaloreguy: Yeah, but the next election is like four years away [or is it?]! The irony is that the same folks who keep complaining about how Bangalore hogs all the investment, attention etc. while the rest of Karnataka languishes are behind this renaming suggestion, thereby dragging more attention towards Bangalore by doing so!

By Jagadish (Dec 9, 2005, 7:30:00 PM)

sign the petition. Stop name change

http://www.ipetitions.com/campaigns/Bangalore/

By Anonymous (Dec 24, 2005, 6:56:00 AM)

I would have, if you had bothered to disclose your identity _and_ if I felt that this online petition thingy works. I don't think it works.

By Jagadish (Dec 27, 2005, 12:05:00 PM)

I'd prefer if you posted comments with your real name to add more credibility to your opinions. Obviously comments containing offensive and unsuitable language will be deleted. The opinions in the comments are your own views. You are welcome to provide a URL to your own blog, especially if it discusses issues you find here.

Bangalore -> Bengaluru?

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