Have your say!
When the proposal for changing the name of Bangalore was initiated, there were heated debates on why it should and why it should not. Now is your chance to air them and be heard:
The Bangalore Mahanagara Palike has invited objections from the public to the resolution that it had passed in its council tochange the name of the city from Bangalore to Bengaluru. The public have 30 days time to send their objections to the BMP commisioner. So now your chance and Nov 1 is fast approaching.
Hi Usha, when Bombay was changed to Mumbai, I had a tough time (having been born and raised in Bombay, oops Mumbai) to bring myself to refer to my hometown by a different name. Whilst ‘a rose by any other name……etc’ appears logical, fact is that a city’s name captures the spirit and essence of everything that the native associates with the place. Years after Bombay became Mumbai, I still find myself slipping into Bambaiya as opposed to Mumbaikar.
The other angle is that these names ought not to be imposed on people as if any of us want these names to be changed and as if it makes any positive difference if these names are changed. It is the manner in which these changes are sought to be imposed that raises my ire.
‘Bangalore’ being called ‘Bengaluru’ and ‘Madras’ changing to ‘Chennai’ can’t really be equated to the Bombay thing, AFAIK…
Well we made a big mistake originally when we continued to adopt british names for all these cities. It is justified that we wake up and undo it atleast now. Which country would want to have a british accent mangling the original names (Chennai/Bengaluru etc) for all it’s grand metro cities? As a prallel, imagine your own name mangled in pronounciation by a foreigner, even as you rush to correct her – and imagine now that it sticks with you for life – how would it feel?!
So.. GO BMP!
Bangalore to Bengaluru is welcome if it can change the improve the state of Bangalore.