I am a Kannadiga. On the eve of “Suvarna kannada mahostsava” Karnataka government decided to rename Bangalore as Bengalooru.
Most of them commended this decision, many others applauded it. It is sad to see that no views were posted against the decision. Best argument those in favor of the decision were able to put was “if Bombay can be Mumbai, Calcutta can be Kolkatta, why not Bangalore be Bengalooru?”(!!) Others intellectuals say it was for rejuvenating “Kannada”, a language moribund in its own state. And those who chose to remain silent over the issue, probably did so for the fear of being branded “Anti Kannadigas”
Is changing the name of their capital the best possible measure for the governance to improve the language? Ironically in a Kannada conversation (or writing) Bangalore was always “Bengalooru.” Then who are we changing the name for? A Punjabi will continue to call Bangalore (or Begnaloru) “Bungloore”, just like a Hindi news reader pronounces Kannada as Kannad No matter what the spelling is. As I see it as only a choice of accent. There is no point in changing the name of the city. If it is so necessary we must also put some thought towards changing the names of Oklipuram (Oklipura) Malleshwaram (Malleshara), etc. which have been influenced by the neighboring Tamil.
We must see the cost incurred in the process of changing the name. It could be a small amount but still an amount from each taxpayer’s money. Is it worth the investment? Do we have any kind of returns from the Changed name? Bangalore is like a brand name that sells. Bengalooru with bad roads and poor infrastructure won’t sell better. Imagine the amount of work, money spent, and the corruption it spawns in changing all the name plates, boards, electronic displays, advertisements, and so many websites featuring Bangalore in them.
Most of them commended this decision, many others applauded it. It is sad to see that no views were posted against the decision. Best argument those in favor of the decision were able to put was “if Bombay can be Mumbai, Calcutta can be Kolkatta, why not Bangalore be Bengalooru?”(!!) Others intellectuals say it was for rejuvenating “Kannada”, a language moribund in its own state. And those who chose to remain silent over the issue, probably did so for the fear of being branded “Anti Kannadigas”
Is changing the name of their capital the best possible measure for the governance to improve the language? Ironically in a Kannada conversation (or writing) Bangalore was always “Bengalooru.” Then who are we changing the name for? A Punjabi will continue to call Bangalore (or Begnaloru) “Bungloore”, just like a Hindi news reader pronounces Kannada as Kannad No matter what the spelling is. As I see it as only a choice of accent. There is no point in changing the name of the city. If it is so necessary we must also put some thought towards changing the names of Oklipuram (Oklipura) Malleshwaram (Malleshara), etc. which have been influenced by the neighboring Tamil.
We must see the cost incurred in the process of changing the name. It could be a small amount but still an amount from each taxpayer’s money. Is it worth the investment? Do we have any kind of returns from the Changed name? Bangalore is like a brand name that sells. Bengalooru with bad roads and poor infrastructure won’t sell better. Imagine the amount of work, money spent, and the corruption it spawns in changing all the name plates, boards, electronic displays, advertisements, and so many websites featuring Bangalore in them.
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