Why Assam to be Asom?

#55
I thought people actually say `Amdavad` and in contrast `Karnavati` would be an unwieldly mouthful.

jang, you mean, upon ``reversion?``

muslims upon conversion insist on giving an arabic name. so why the rant?

The only place I imagine the Modi gang is desperate to rename is Ahmedabad- we can`t have a nice Hindu city named after these friggin Mohammedans understand?

and why not -- the friggin Hindus should name that `nice Hindu city` -- Modi Kebab House.....:)

it`s not surprising that the author, being a member of Darool whatsisname and editor of the impressive sounding Green Crescent magazine, would try and obfuscate the issue of renaming by dragging in the good ole BJP, secular India`s universal scapegoat.

Just FYI, when Bombay changed to Mumbai, the Congress was in power both at state and centre. When Bangalore, where sanity had prevailed oh so long, succumbed and became Bengaluru (or Bengalooru, it isn`t yet clear which) it was the good old Janata Dal (Secular) in power; though Congress CM Dharam Singh, who`d just been rudely shunted out by the Gowda clan, had no qualms about doing it himself (if only he`d stayed in power). Tamilnadu has never had a BJP government, nor has West Bengal, so blaming the charming-sounding Chennai and the monstrous Kolkatta on the Beej is to give them too much credit.

The only place I imagine the Modi gang is desperate to rename is Ahmedabad- we can`t have a nice Hindu city named after these friggin Mohammedans understand?- but so far everyone who`s heard their alternative- Karnawati- goes green (no pun intended) so that`s out for now. Delhi more properly should be Dehli, but that`s so similar that no political party worth its salt would ever back such a foolhardy move.

On a serious note, it`s a myth that name changes are perpetrated in the name of religion alone, as the author would have us believe. It`s a common ploy of politicians across the party spectrum to prove their son-of-the-soil credentials. It bodes badly for India, which as it develops, is becoming increasingly cosmopolitan and tolerant on one hand, and parochial & narrow-minded on the other. name changes are foolish, they`re a waste of everybody`s time and money and for the most part, ineffective since nobody bothers using the new name anyway.

I was wrong about NWFP -- three names are being proposed for the tongue twister -- none of them pretty: Pakhtoonkhwa/Pakhtoonistan/Afghania....Afghania?

How about the name that we all knew since old days `Sarhad` of Zia Sarhadi -- not Zia Pakhtoonistani -- Zia Pakhtoonkwhaee -- or Zia Afghaniaee....

#52 point is that was a colonial construct which was abolished.

Re: # 51

possibly, not sure. It was long time back. There used to be only one state now there are seven.

#50

Are you sure? Were Meghalaya and Mizoram also not part of NEFA?

Re: # 49

India too had NEFA( North East Frontier Area) which is now Arunachal Pradesh, though China refuses to acknowledge it as part of India.

If therfe is one name between India and Pakistan -- that defintely needs chaning is NWFP -- what the heck is that archiac colonial jumble of consonants doing in this day and age.

The Pakistanis are such colonialophiles -- they won`t part with that goddam tongue twister even a century after independence......:)

re: Zeemax # 45

Just got the joke (what a tubelight!). Luckily, most kannadigas will miss it entirely :)

#33 bagalore was part of adilshahi (bijapur) in medieval times. it was jagir of raja shahaji (sivajis dad).

Re: # 43

Blah... blah...bleat...bleat... you babble a lot old man... if you pakis love your nizams, zamindars and mega agriculturalists and other feudal scum, so be it... But we don`t, and we have abolished all such fiefdoms, a democracy has on place for such feudalism... if that makes us ``socialist``, so be it... Like I said - you got your homeland, we got ours... that`s the reason we gave you your patch... go kill yourself over your nizams and zamindars...

I have no respect for fools - dead or alive... :)...

But my favourite name change is `Bhangi-lauroo`.

Re: # 18

I believe Bombay was called Mambhay by the locals after the city deity Mumbadevi and not Mumbai.