THE INDIAN state of West Bengal will now be known as “Paschim Banga” after state lawmakers voted unanimously in favour of the name change on Friday (September 2), despite some high-profile opposition.
The state becomes the latest in a long list of Indian places to have their anglicised titles dropped and replaced by a name drawn from the local or regional language.
“Paschim Banga” is a literal Bengali-language translation of West Bengal. Other prominent name changes in recent years include Bombay (now Mumbai), Madras (Chennai) and the West Bengal state capital Calcutta (Kolkata).
Banga is pronounced “Bongo” in the Bengali language.
While local nationalist sentiment has often been the driving force behind these changes, in the case of West Bengal there were also more pragmatic considerations at work.
As state parliamentary affairs minister Partha Chatterjee explained, the state was tired of its position at the bottom of the official alphabetical lists of India’s 29 states.
“In meetings where all states make representations, West Bengal comes last (and) those listening are often exhausted when our turn comes,” the politician said.
“We wanted a change in the name of the state to get administrative advantage.”
Some critics in Kolkata, including Bengali film director Buddhadeb Dasgupta, say that argument defies any logic.
“Look at strong countries like the United Kingdom or the United States of America,” Dasgupta said.
“The names of these countries start with a ‘U’ and so the rationale based on the alphabetical upgrade doesn’t have any relevance in today’s world.”
A top regional industrialist joined the chorus of show business personalities opposed to the name change.
“The word ‘Paschim’ is not necessary because it has no relevance these days – I would have been more comfortable with Banga,” Harsha Neotia, chairman of Ambuja Realty Group, said.
