What’s in a name?
Apparently, a lot!
Bombay to Mumbai, Madras to Chennai, Calcutta to Kolkata, Rangoon to Yangon, and now Pretoria to Tshwane: the examples are plenty in India, Burma, Germany, Wales, South Africa, Japan, China, and Russia among others.
On one hand a name change signals empowerment. Its the reclaimation of heritage, its throwing off even the symbols of colonial rule. On the other hand, it introduces lots of bureaucratic work. It is also a populist move by politicians. It brings pride to some people, while to others it means irrational nit-picking. To some others it means freedom from the memory of oppression under the powers that gave the alien-ised name, while someone like Shashi Tharoor might ask whether we are "so insecure in our independence that we still need to prove to ourselves that we are free"
Muenchen not Munich … What says you?? Let me know your views.
May 26th, 2005 at 10:08 am
In America, everything is going to get a Reagan added to its beginning.
June 1st, 2005 at 5:22 am
I am thinking of changing my name to Onneshya….Just to confound people and also to assert my true bong identity.
July 16th, 2005 at 2:22 pm
Its a polpulist measure and like all populist measures, it stinks of empty pride and so called freedom. Politicians use it to distract the poor idiot, while they steal his real freedoms from right under his nose.