Paschim Banga: What's in a name

Many of my Bengali friends are a furious lot these days... they are now 'almost' officially from Paschim Banga. One of my friends facebook status even read 'I am now a Pashimbangowli.'

I did not dare ask him if it was a happy or an angry expression. 'Happy' was good but it was the other emotion that I feared, given his well-known struggle with verbal diarrhoea.

The main reason for the name change (besides the historical one) given by the Mamata Banerjee government is definitely a first of its kind. The reason did not go down well with many people who considered it to be rather absurd.

Politicians felt that the 'W' in West Bengal was a disadvantage for the state for administrative reasons. Their argument was that they were almost last in line to make representations at various meetings.

The state government might have a couple of reasons for the name change but for the many Bengalis I know there's more than one reason for their anger.

Some of them (in the increasing order of seriousness) being:

The name sounds funny.

Did they even think once what the average Bengali wants?

It is not really a name change, just a literal Bengali translation.

From Calcutta to Kolkata and now Paschin Banga. Why?

The ruling party and the state Opposition are never on the same page while discussing important policies but chose to join hands on the issue that does not make much sense to the public.

Why not change the name to Bangla or Banglabhoomi, with the 'B' coming just second in the alphabetical order?

Joining the common man's chorus are the many intellectuals from the state who did not find any essence behind the name change. For many, the state lost an opportune moment to do away with the 'West' or in this case 'Paschim' in Paschim Banga. Otherwise a simple direction, for a Bengali the word is a painful reminder of the land's bloody past.

A few others like noted comedian PC Sorcar think differently. Happy that Bengali sentiments have been finally honored, Sorcar said and I quote: "The name will remind the coming generation about the painful history of division of Bengal. It will help them grow strong."

Whatever the public opinion, the decision has already been taken. The new name will now make its way through the Union home ministry, Parliament and finally the President of India for approval

And just like Madras became Tamil Nadu, the state of Mysore became Karnataka, Pondicherry became Puducherry, Uttaranchal became Uttarakhand... West Bengal will soon become Paschim Banga.

The list of cities that have been renamed in the past runs longer. Some notable ones include Chennai (Madras), Mumbai (Bombay ), Kolkata (Calcutta ), Bengaluru (Bangalore), Panaji (Panjim), Vishakapattnam (Vizag), Vadodara (Baroda), Kochi (Cochin), Thiruvanathapuram (Trivandrum)

Other name changes proposed or in the pipeline include Delhi (Indraprastha), Patna (Patliputra), Hyderabad (Bhagyanagaram), Mangalore (Mangaluru), Mysore (Mysooru), Kerala (Keralam), Orissa (Odisha) among many others.

But behind the entire hullabaloo over renaming is a grim fact that is always conveniently ignored. It is the losses incurred by the state governments following a name change... loss in terms of changing numerous boards and sign boards all across the city/state, loss in terms of scrapping/reprinting the huge amount of stationary (letter heads, files, brochures, visiting cards etc) in all government offices and private companies alike... losses that collectively run into crores of rupees.

An example is the Indira Gandhi Nahar Pariyogina (IGNP) in Rajasthan. Formerly called the Rajasthan Canal Project, the name was changed to IGNP in November 1984.

It was alleged by people previously associated with the project that the new signboards alone cost the government crores of rupees. Buried under all these figures were also allegations of corruption. Allegations of ministers and contractors making hay while the sun was shining bright abound. The project also got funding from the Centre, which could have led to a free for all... Add this greedy loot to the actual figure and the amount may shock you.

And this was some 27 years back and for just one project in the state. Fast forward to the present (skyrocketing prices and with corruption at its peak) and one can only count the extra zeroes if a state or a city is rechristened.

Many will argue that such consequences are inevitable and that one has to look at the larger picture. But a loss is a loss nevertheless. At a time when we are demanding that black money be brought back to the country, here we are wasting precious white money for historical, vernacular or quite simply political reasons

And for what? Many questions arise.

Is it really worth all the fuss, especially when there are so many other issues which need immediate attention? Will the name change really change anything for you and me? Will it make any difference whatsoever and more importantly will the Pashim Banga episode now flag off a train of thought for other state ministers to hop on to? Only time will tell.

Source: IBNLIVE.COM