Hi guys I am starting this thread to track, discuss and argue about new name for West Bengal....we can track all future discussion and articles here.

It's time we got rid of old baggage
Alyque PadamseeAlyque Padamsee | Aug 7, 2011, 06.10AM IST
The state must look at the road ahead - through the windscreen of future and not through the rearview mirror. 'West' Bengal is past tense now, writes Alyque Padamsee

Thank heavens people have finally realized they need to change the state's name! I never really understood why the state was named West Bengal in the first place.

Obviously, it was in reference to Partition and the existence of another Bengal to the east. But why cling on the idea of an old Bengal? It's high time we got rid of old baggage and moved on to a new Bengal that offers a future. Changing the name offers a great opportunity to break free from the shackles of existing notions and perceptions and evolve a brand that best represents the new objectives and aspirations.

In Bengal's case, the major objective of the Mamata Banerjee government is to attract investment. Unless it does so, the state will be doomed to slide further to where Bihar used to be prior to Nitish Kumar steering the turnaround drive. That is what is needed of Bengal as well. It must look at the road ahead, not through the rearview mirror, but through the windscreen of the future. West Bengal is past tense. Uska zamana khatam ho chuka. The new name should have a kind of glow about it. It should be inspirational enough to turn negative perceptions about the state into positive. That is what Narendra Modi has cleverly done. Given the stigma attached to his state after the infamous riots, he does not talk about Gujarat anymore. He talks of Vibrant Gujarat.

By simply putting an adjective in front of Gujarat , the state has managed to turn around its image and attracting a lot of investment. Taking a cue from this, I propose that West Bengal be called Sonar Bangla, or Golden Bengal . Not only does it instantly add a glitter and glow to the name, it refer to Bengal's past glory while representing a golden future. The tag line should be: "A Golden Future for All" . The symbol for the new state should be a Royal Bengal Tiger in gold, representing the golden future that the state beholds. The key factors that one should remember while choosing a name is that it should not be dull and forgettable.

Instead, it must be inspirational and dynamic. I love Kolkata. My first memory goes several decades ago. But it is since the turn of the century that I have been going to Kolkata for a week every month. So, in the past 11 years, I have spent nearly two-and-a-half years in the city. I simply love the place. If I speak about Kolkata, the first thing that comes to my mind is that the people portray real culture. And though people say Bengalis are more interested in cricket than work, I don't believe it. If they feel positive, Bengalis will work harder than Mumbaiwallas. I believe their intellectual power, their level of intelligence across all strata of society, is higher than in any other state. It is true from rickshawallah to babus in Writers Buildings. While Bengal is outstanding in thinking, it has fallen behind in action. There is a lot of doing that needs to be done. An inspirational leader can completely change the attitude and inspire the people to act upon their ideas and words. A rebranding of the state can complement this by making everyone feel Bengal is a dynamic powerhouse of the future and not a land of the past. It is a state that can make miracles.


- The writer is an advertising guru and theatre personality



http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Its-time-we-got-rid-of-old-baggage/articleshow/9512988.cms

I would prefer Bengal in english and Bangla in bengali...

The naming gamePabitra SarkarPabitra Sarkar | Aug 7, 2011, 06.05AM IST

The naming game isn't all that fun.

Perhaps it was sort of fun for the Creator, if there was one, who had reportedly named objects and beings in the universe, but it is no longer so for us mortals. We have so much to think of. Suggest a name, or a change of name, and people will come rushing to you: What do you mean? A new name? Was the old name hurting you in any way? Have you solved all the problems of the state and giving it a new name is the only thing remains to be done? Although the logician has told us that names do not necessarily mean anything , they are just marks of identification, distinguishing one item from another, things do not always go the logician's way. Names come to assume 'meanings' that the logicians wouldn't care to acknowledge. Does the sound good and easy to utter? Is it patriotic? Does it conform to the history of the named? Does it reek of an ideology we don't like? How does it fare when listed alphabetically? Will the Americans and Chinese, the mightiest peoples on earth, like it?

All these, and many other such questions may not be equally important to everyone. But in this exercise of renaming West Bengal , a re-run of what the earlier government did some months ago, many issues are being raised that need serious consideration. The name Bangla had been accepted by the previous government of the state, and passed by the assembly, as far as I can remember , uninanimously. However, the government at the Centre somehow forgot to bring up the issue in Parliament, and the Indian Constitution was left in peace. Now that a friendly government has been installed in West Bengal, the Centre may come out of the amnesia.

Options are many. But two are being peddled prominently. One is Banga, as everyone seems to know, and marked as the stronger contender. I hope it is written in that spelling, otherwise, Vanga wouldn't mean much of a climb up the alphabetical order, and one of the better reasons for change will remain unaddressed. The name Vanga can be finally traced to the Austric (the languages spoken by Santals, Mundas and other such peoples) source, but that is beside the point that is worrying us.

There are two problems with this name though. One may sound somewhat silly, but I still proceed to note it, for everyone's benefit and entertainment. Banga, in the mouths of our esteemed Hindi-speaking brethren, will naturally be pronounced as Bang, which is dangerously close to the word 'Bong' , a funny nickname of Bengalis used by others, not in a very complimentary way. I'm sure they have every democratic right to nickname us any way they want, but it's our choice whether we like it or not. Our legislators and authorities may give the matter some thought. Banga can soon become 'Bang' all over India, to the jubilation of many others.

Secondly, Banga, although a part of Bangadesh , a name much used during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and also in Bangabhanga (partition of Bengal) meant an undivided Bengal. This is the way it is listed in our national anthem, Janaganamana, and in D L Ray's song Banga Aamaar Janani Aamaar etc. Bangabaasi meant Bengalis. But placed further back in history, it had stood for East Bengal for a much longer period. Simply adopting the name Banga will, therefore militate with the earlier identity of the name. Sukumar Sen locates the earliest area of south and south-western Bengal as that of Vanga. It was only a part of the whole Bengal , of which the other three parts were, Varendri (North Bengal), Suhma (Rarha or West Bengal, and Kamarupa (North-eastern Bengal). Gaud, another familiar name, mostly meant north and western Bengal.

The closest rival of Banga in this naming race is Bangla. Mention of Vanga can be found in the Vedas and the epics, but Bangla comes from Bangaal, a name recorded from the eleventh century onwards. The ultimate source may be Vangapaala, as Sen assumes. In the Charyapadas, arguably the earliest recorded samples of Bengali language and literature, the word 'Bangaali' meant an east Bengali. It was the Mughals who named Bengal as Subeh Bangala, or the province of Bengal. The Portuguese called it Bengalla, and the name Bangala was the universally accepted name among the Bengalis during the nineteenth century . Colloquially, the middle 'g' and the 'a' following it were dropped, making it Bangla, the 'ng' in this case representing the velar nasal sound. That is how it figures in hundreds of poems and songs of the pre-partition Bengal, including what later became the Bangladesh national anthem, Amar sonar Bangla.

One can take up the issue that Bangladesh has already used up Bangla in its name. I wouldn't consider it as a problem, as it also contains a solution. Bangladesh has, quite appropriately , added desh as the last member of a compound, and that I think has made things easier for us. Bangladesh will always mean a 'desh' , a whole country, while Bangla, in its truncated shape, may more properly represent what remains as a part. This is clumsy and somewhat twisted logic, but it is the best one can offer at this point of time.

I have one more thing to add. People of Bangladesh have already seen to it that the language we share should also be called 'Bangla' in English, and not Bengali. It has been accepted by that somewhat esoteric group, the linguists, and is widely used now in current linguistic literature. In this context , how about renaming us as Bangalis, abandoning the anglicized 'Bengali' ? There are of course people who may stand up in arms against the proposal, as even 'Kolkata' hasn't found favour with them.

To underscore the obvious, I vote for Bangla.

And here I may share a state secret with my readers: those I voted for in the last elections have lost.


- The writer is an academic and former VC of Rabindra Bharati University

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/The-naming-game/articleshow/9512972.cms

Bengal is good,gets my vote.:)

But i used to love Calcutta.:(

Wats in a name........Be it Bengal or Bangla or West Bengal.....will it by anyway change our daily livelihood????.......will the people of Bangal be disciplined???.......will the work culture which has been f****d up in the past years change???.....will the name-change would let the people use footpath instead of hawkers who are enjoying the space in the name of pety votes.....i guess the answer would be A BIG NO.....only the work it would do is increase the state's coffer...and then again the 'Kana mama' would be called for help!!!!........though...if given an option i would prefer Bengal to West Bengal....

India loves Numerology..A name change may bring in lots of Prosperity! What are the numbers for West Bengal and Bengal?

^^then we should contact Bejaan Daruwala.....i guess he is a numerologist also....

if the name has to be changed just drop the west and make it banga in both bangla and english.

I think Bengal or Bangla should be fine.

Whatever Didi says is good for us. Let Didi decide.

Whatever Didi says is good for us. Let Didi decide.
"Green Bengal":cheers:

Whatever Didi says is good for us. Let Didi decide.

also 'Kana Mama'....v cant forget him....:tongue2:

Whatever Didi says is good for us. Let Didi decide.

:lol: Sun, looks like you have surrendered yourselves to the charms of this honorable lady. Do we need a thread for this ? Why not move it to the Adda thread?

"Green Bengal":cheers:

^^I think they need a name up the numerical pecking order..so my choice is just Bengal.

Bengal is the most apt name...."West" never had any significance.

State name: Bangla Mati
People of state: Bangla Manush

State name: Bangla Mati
People of state: Bangla Manush

Puhlease!!!!:ohno:

How about calling it 'Former West Bengal' like 'Former Yugoslavian republic of Macedonia'.

in stead of CM we will have the position of Banglar Ma.

Is this really going to happen :ohno:

yes, poriborton

:rofl: Bhalo

West Bengal renamed Paschim Banga....

@sun: Please do the needful...

West Bengal renamed Paschim Banga....

Shoot in UR comments guyss....

60 years too late and that too with the excess paschim.

Paschimbanga?

Huh?

That was already the Bengali name for the state. What a waste of time and energy.

Looks like TOI's campaign flopped and failed to sway the politicians of the state.

uhu.....failed to impress DEED-E.....it was 1 of the names that was put up !!!!

uhu.....failed to impress DEED-E.....it was 1 of the names that was put up !!!!

Ah yes. Nowadays it is only one person's opinion that counts in Pashchimbanga. The rest are all cheerleaders.

:cheer:

Hello Paschim Banga

What a waste of tax payers' money this has been and this will be.

Pashchimbanga? (pronounced Poshchim Bongo?) It's not really new. That's been the official name in Bangla. And in hindi Paschim Bangal. So now in English people will have to type Pashchimbanga.

Give me back my West Bengal in English.

^^Dil me mere hai DARD-E-DEED-E.....:lol:

Poshchim Bongo theke Poschim-e Byango khub taratari-e habe... !!!!

^^Dil me mere hai DARD-E-DEED-E.....:lol:

Poshchim Bongo theke Poschim-e Byango khub taratari-e habe... !!!!

It would be a good youtube video if you can go around asking people of different states and nationalities to read out Pashchimbanga.

:lol:

why do they continue with pashcim/west....as if east bengal is a part of india...they should have renamed it bengal or banga ....

why do they continue with pashcim/west....as if east bengal is a part of india...they should have renamed it bengal or banga ....

In Pashchimbanga, you can have many committees but only one person decides and everyone sways their heads in agreement. There is an urge / wish to turn Kolkata into London, Digha into Goa, Darjeeling to Switzerland - a fascination for everything to the west Of Bengal.

More than new name the state politicans should take state to olden day glory. That is more of a priority.

More than new name the state politicans should take state to olden day glory. That is more of a priority.

We don't want the days of Sati and child marriage back.

Please mail your name suggestion to:governance@aitmc.org and send protest letter against Poschim Bongo name...Please Hurry up..send E-mails as much as you can.
The name Poschim Bongo sucks..Its :weird: name also....

Please mail your name suggestion to:governance@aitmc.org and send protest letter against Poschim Bongo name...Please Hurry up..send E-mails as much as you can.
The name Poschim Bongo sucks..Its :weird: name also....

West Bengal renamed Paschim Banga....

Shoot in UR comments guyss....

:doh:

West Bengal renamed Paschim Banga....

@sun: Please do the needful...

Please mail your name suggestion to:governance@aitmc.org and send protest letter against Poschim Bongo name...Please Hurry up..send E-mails as much as you can.
The name Poschim Bongo sucks..Its :weird: name also....

West Bengal renamed Paschim Banga....

@sun: Please do the needful...

What can I do?

We don't want the days of Sati and child marriage back.
I am talking about the days when Kolkatta was on par with Mumbai.:)

@Suncity Please be the Anna Hazare of our state and go on a hunger strike.We shall support you.Parle CM o baniye dite raji achi.Anything but paschim bongo!

@Suncity Please be the Anna Hazare of our state and go on a hunger strike.We shall support you.Parle CM o baniye dite raji achi.Anything but paschim bongo!

I cannot go on hunger strike. I love food. I am having a chocolate mousse right now to celebrate the namkoron.

I am talking about the days when Kolkatta was on par with Mumbai.:)

You mean Mumbai was at par with Kolkata? Well that's a long time ago and Mumbai has fallen behind.

Today Kolkata has 30% people living in slums. Mumbai has 60%.

:)

Just joking...

I would support just vanga. better than bongo (drums) or bongO.

What a waste of tax payers' money this has been and this will be.

Pashchimbanga? (pronounced Poshchim Bongo?) It's not really new. That's been the official name in Bangla. And in hindi Paschim Bangal. So now in English people will have to type Pashchimbanga.

Give me back my West Bengal in English.
So it will be pron. Paschim Bongo and written in English as Paschimbanga. I don't know Bengali but doesnt Paschim Bangla make more sense?

Please mail your name suggestion to:governance@aitmc.org or cm-wb@nic.in and send protest letter against Poschim Bongo name...Please Hurry up..send E-mails as much as you can.
The name Poschim Bongo sucks..Its :weird: name also....

Please mail your name suggestion to:governance@aitmc.org or cm-wb@nic.in and send protest letter against Poschim Bongo name...Please Hurry up..send E-mails as much as you can.
The name Poschim Bongo sucks..Its :weird: name also....

Please mail your name suggestion to:governance@aitmc.org or cm-wb@nic.in and send protest letter against Poschim Bongo name...Please Hurry up..send E-mails as much as you can.
The name Poschim Bongo sucks..Its :weird: name also....

Please mail your name suggestion to:governance@aitmc.org and send protest letter against Poschim Bongo name...Please Hurry up..send E-mails as much as you can.
The name Poschim Bongo sucks..Its :weird: name also....

As if we would be heard....when alredy the DEED-E...has given the green signal...dont expect a change now...btw, MMS is coming on Sunday...

Seriouosly even i find the name :crazy:

As if we would be heard....when alredy the DEED-E...has given the green signal...dont expect a change now...btw, MMS is coming on Sunday...

Seriouosly even i find the name :crazy:

But at lest we can try to stop this,just sending a protest letter to her in the

governance@aitmc.org or cm-wb@nic.in will not too much time or nor even a single paise.So DUDE please try to protest first.If we don't protest this decisions den we can't be able to create pressure on her and will not be able to stop her dictatorship.Please dude send a protesting mail.

But at lest we can try to stop this,just sending a protest letter to her in the

governance@aitmc.org or cm-wb@nic.in will not too much time or nor even a single paise.So DUDE please try to protest first.If we don't protest this decisions den we can't be able to create pressure on her and will not be able to stop her dictatorship.Please dude send a protesting mail.

Dude, why do you want to put us in the bad boy list of an unpredictable dictator?

WELCOME to PASCHIMBANGA.

So are we now Paschimbangalis?

The Star Ananda journalist seems to be happy that we have jumped from "W" to "P". Sunil Mukherjee and Shirshendu Mukherjee seem to be unhappy.

bgZotxuw9NI

Also "P" is for Poriborton.

So are we now Paschimbangalis?

Why still “Paschim”? Then what was wrong with West Bengal? Even they wanted to have a Bengali name, only "Bongo" would have been fine. Looks like the current politicians of Bengal need a rest..

Dude, why do you want to put us in the bad boy list of an unpredictable dictator?

WELCOME to PASCHIMBANGA.

So are we now Paschimbangalis?

I sent an email to cm-wb@nic.in .expressing my opinion.

P for Potty o hoy....:P

^^ Dirty mind :doh:

When is the name of this thread going to change the name West Bengal to Poschim Bonga in its title? :poke:

let's not worry about proper nouns too much.

in the beginning, i was a bit disappointed with Paschim Banga. Then I realized it is my own perverted colonial mind that is making me think this way: how will others pronounce it (shudder!!!); how will the British, French, American people roll their tongues (head hangs in shame!!)?

of less concern to me is how Indians from north/south/central/north-east will take this name change. We are good at adapting and this will also sink in. after all, paschim banga is nothing new to inhabitants of paschim banga. Others -- well, learn it. there's so much to learn. if you are incorrect, you will be corrected by those who know till you get it right.

I see there will be some backlash from western minded Indians, mainly from their concern for the whites. my suggestion is not to bang your forehead too much. Why hurt yourself over a proper noun? When an American mispronounces my name, i take a minute or two to help that person roll his/her tongue in the proper way so that the sound comes out correct. We do that routinely for London (Lunhdunh) and not so frequently for Quebec (Kebec). No big deal.

most other states use variants of paschim banga in their local tongue like paschim bangal etc, won't be much of a problem.

Dude, why do you want to put us in the bad boy list of an unpredictable dictator?


you meant Prakash Karat (http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-05-16/india/28201043_1_left-parties-sabha-speaker-somnath-chatterjee-general-secretary-prakash-karat), right?

oops... an entire thread on this topic

reposting from here (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=83042943&postcount=2762)

let's not worry about proper nouns too much.

in the beginning, i was a bit disappointed with Paschim Banga. Then I realized it is my own perverted colonial mind that is making me think this way: how will others pronounce it (shudder!!!); how will the British, French, American people roll their tongues (head hangs in shame!!)?

of less concern to me is how Indians from north/south/central/north-east will take this name change. We are good at adapting and this will also sink in. after all, paschim banga is nothing new to inhabitants of paschim banga. Others -- well, learn it. there's so much to learn. if you are incorrect, you will be corrected by those who know till you get it right.

I see there will be some backlash from western minded Indians, mainly from their concern for the whites. my suggestion is not to bang your forehead too much. Why hurt yourself over a proper noun? When an American mispronounces my name, i take a minute or two to help that person roll his/her tongue in the proper way so that the sound comes out correct. We do that routinely for London (Lunhdunh) and not so frequently for Quebec (Kebec). No big deal.

Addendum: Airlines crew need to improve their terrible pronunciation.

Ah yes. Nowadays it is only one person's opinion that counts in Pashchimbanga. The rest are all cheerleaders.

:cheer:

The reason why Paschimbanga has been chosen is not Didi but RSP, Forward Block, Congress and the BJP. Mamata wanted "Bangabhoomi"..

This is the article from today's Times of India:

Politics Overrules Logic As State’s Leaders Fail To Shake Off Crippling Colonial Legacy

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kolkata: West Bengal will soon be called Paschimbanga, a name even more difficult to pronounce for non-Bengalis and not too high up the alphabetical ladder of Indian state names either. So why was it chosen? Chief minister Mamata Banerjee admitted on Friday the name was selected not because it was the best option but because it was politically ‘unanimous’.
Even Mamata was not very keen on Paschimbanga. If her partymen are to be believed, the CM was in favour of Bangabhoomi but had to “surrender” to pressure from Congress and Left parties RSP and Forward Bloc. The renaming of West Bengal — that began with high expectations after Mamata Banerjee took over — has thus ended in a whimper.
Bengal has squandered its opportunity to turn a new leaf, get a new brand image and reinvent itself for the new world. If people wondered earlier ‘West Bengal’ was west of what, they will be even more flummoxed by the new name. If there is no Purba-banga, how can Bengal be Paschimbanga?
The people of Bengal – intellectuals to commoners — were aghast at the choice. Luminaries like Goutam Ghose, Sunil Ganguly, Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay and Buddhadeb Guha said there may be a debate on other names but Paschimbanga was not acceptable. Feedback from TOI’s readers, for instance, was overwhelmingly in favour of Bengal.
The new name sparked heated discussions on internet forums and at para addas. Facebook users have already opened a page called ‘Not Paschimbanga’. Although it is being touted as a politically unanimous choice, a significant number of leaders cutting across party lines also oppose Paschimbanga. Privately, they admit it does nothing to help Bengal overcome decades of neglect and decadence.
The CM also conceded the new name might not meet everyone’s aspirations or weed out all the administrative difficulties the state was facing for being last in alphabetical order. Yet, she chose the name for the sake of “unanimity” — that is the most sought after word in Bengal politics now. “Paschimbanga was the unanimous decision at the all-party meeting,” Mamata said, adding, “This will take us a step forward.”
A step forward for the political cause, perhaps, but not necessarily for the cause of the state.
The new name — once approved in Parliament — will help Bengal crawl up only seven places (ahead of Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh), a position not worth the effort. It defies the logic often put forward by Bengal bureaucrats and Mamata herself. Senior Bengal officials have long been cribbing that central ministers holding meetings in Delhi often run out of patience by the time West Bengal is called upon to speak. The new name will hardly redress this disadvantage.
It seems that a nostalgia for the past — that has held back the argumentative Bengali in many spheres — has scuppered an opportunity to break away from the trauma of Partition. The other half — erstwhile East Bengal and East Pakistan — has already overcome its Partition pangs by renaming itself and emerging as sovereign Bangladesh. Bengal’s politicians have robbed its people of the golden opportunity for a new beginning.
The result of the all-party meeting on Friday was a consensus for minimum change by pushing in English a Bengali name that was already in circulation. What were the other options before the state renaming committee comprising parliamentary affairs minister Partha Chatterjee and leader of the opposition Surjyakanta Mishra? Chatterjee said they had picked Banga, Bangla, Bangabhoomi and Bangapradesh after talking to “historians and intellectuals”.
But during the discussion, the desire for political consensus overrode all other rational considerations. “We picked some of the names and placed them for the CM’s consideration. Representatives of all parties arrived at a consensus for Paschimbanga. We decided to go for it. The CM agreed to this proposal, taking into consideration history and administrative reasons,” Chatterjee said.
Mishra, who earlier rooted for ‘Bangla’ (former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s suggestion in 1999), modified his stand for the sake of “consensus” within the Left Front because Forward Bloc and RSP insisted on Paschimbanga. Even BJP’s Rahul Sinha insisted his party wouldn’t agree to any name other than Paschimbanga.
But what about the strong opinion of a majority of intellectuals that the state has to get rid of the ‘West’ tag? Chatterjee argued the new name “accommodates the historical perspective”. “This name will call for the least change in the implementation procedure,” he said.

TIMES VIEW

Changing the name of the state from West Bengal to Paschimbanga is no change. First of all, this is merely a Bengali translation of the current name and gives a more inward-looking feel to a state which is hoping to look ahead and beyond after years of relative isolation under the Left Front. Secondly, the name Paschimbanga has always been used in the vernacular. It would have been far better if the state government and the opposition had recognized the anachronism of having “Paschim” or “West” in the state’s name. After all, if this is Paschimbanga, where is Purba (East) Banga? That is a country called Bangladesh now. Just as what was once eastern Punjab is now known simply as Punjab in India, so too should Bengal (or Banga) have shed its directional indicator. Come to think of it, it doesn’t even meet Mamata Banerjee’s stated reason for a name change — that the state would move up in the alphabetic order and get to speak earlier in state-Centre meetings when the audience is still attentive. Now, her state will get to speak only ahead of Punjab, Tripura, Tamil Nadu and a few others, but after Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Nagaland, Manipur, not to speak of Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Delhi, Jharkhand, and many others. Frankly, what has been done is more a pretense at a change of name that serves no purpose. We would strongly urge Ms Banerjee to initiate a rethink on the issue. Call our state just Bengal or Banga.

LEFT WITH ‘P’ NUTS

The ‘P’ of Paschimbanga is better than the ‘W’ of West Bengal because it does help pull the state out of the doldrums in the alphabetical order of Indian state names, a huge bureaucratic problem for our administrators. But by how much? While ‘Bengal’ with its lofty ‘B’ would have moved the state to the top rung, ‘P’ will lift it by just seven places, above Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand

IN THE NAME OF POLITICAL UNANIMITY

In July 1999, the Left Front government under Jyoti Basu had proposed the name Paschimbanga. Congress wanted it to be Bangla. For the sake of unanimity, the government agreed and passed a resolution seeking a name change to Bangla. This time, Bangla was proposed by the Left as it’s first choice, but Congress wanted Paschimbanga

WHAT NEXT?

The ruling coalition will table a non-official resolution in the assembly, seeking the name change. The resolution, once adopted, will be sent to the Centre. The Union home ministry will forward it to the President for assent because it would call for an amendment of the First Schedule of the Constitution. Once it gets the President’s nod, the Union government will table the bill in Parliament for passage

NOT SO FAST...

Orissa (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2009 took a little over three years to be enacted; Uttaranchal (Alteration of Name) Act, 2006 took even lesser. West Bengal wasn’t so lucky, it was kept waiting for the last 12 years. Years before, Madras State (Alteration of Name) Act, 1968 was already effected, giving a roadmap on the legalities involved.

i live in Paschim Vihar in Delhi, so looks like some paschim banga connection!

Guyz ,the state government has decided to change the name of west bengal to "paschim banga".IMO its all vague bcoz today we live in a globalized world and kolkata is home to not just bongs but people from other communities as well who find it difficult to pronounce paschim banga .Moreover,it will lead to unnecessary expenditure for renaming .It wud hv been better if the word west was dropped from west bengal.Didi, and her team is only busy singing tagore songs and talking of bengali culture only,instead of focussing on real development.I can only pray that some sense prevails in this government.i wud lyk to listen up from u guyz.in the end I will only say "god save west bengal"

Dear Madam Banerjee, Are dese wot v r waiting 4??
1. Salt Lake to 'Nonta Pukur'
2. Diamond Harbour to "Hirer Bondor"
3. New Market to "Notun Bajaar"
4. Millennium Park to "Shatabdi Uddaan"
5. High Court to "Unchu Aadalot"
6. Park Street to "Uddaan Raasta"
7. Science City to "Bigyaan Shohor"
8. Lake Town to "Pukur Elaka"
9. Bypass to "Pasher Rasta"
10. Writers Building to "Lekhokder Bari"

Plz spare us the horror !

Dear Madam Banerjee, Are dese wot v r waiting 4??
1. Salt Lake to 'Nonta Pukur'
2. Diamond Harbour to "Hirer Bondor"
3. New Market to "Notun Bajaar"
4. Millennium Park to "Shatabdi Uddaan"
5. High Court to "Unchu Aadalot"
6. Park Street to "Uddaan Raasta"
7. Science City to "Bigyaan Shohor"
8. Lake Town to "Pukur Elaka"
9. Bypass to "Pasher Rasta"
10. Writers Building to "Lekhokder Bari"

Plz spare us the horror !

hilarious as these translations may sound, but use the plural pronoun with discretion. no individual here is "our" representative.

Dear Madam Banerjee, Are dese wot v r waiting 4??
1. Salt Lake to 'Nonta Pukur'
2. Diamond Harbour to "Hirer Bondor"
3. New Market to "Notun Bajaar"
4. Millennium Park to "Shatabdi Uddaan"
5. High Court to "Unchu Aadalot"
6. Park Street to "Uddaan Raasta"
7. Science City to "Bigyaan Shohor"
8. Lake Town to "Pukur Elaka"
9. Bypass to "Pasher Rasta"
10. Writers Building to "Lekhokder Bari"

Plz spare us the horror !

:lol:....:hilarious:

Guyz ,the state government has decided to change the name of west bengal to "paschim banga".IMO its all vague bcoz today we live in a globalized world and kolkata is home to not just bongs but people from other communities as well who find it difficult to pronounce paschim banga.

this is an absurd logic. i don't see what is the connection between globalized world and the renaming of west bengal. just in case there's some confusion regarding globalization, the word does not mean standardization. that will make the world very boring.

no harm has been done because "maharashtra" is not named "great nation". regarding the pronunciation, learn how to pronounce "paschim banga" correctly. doesn't take much time or effort.

Dear Madam Banerjee, Are dese wot v r waiting 4??
1. Salt Lake to 'Nonta Pukur'
2. Diamond Harbour to "Hirer Bondor"
3. New Market to "Notun Bajaar"
4. Millennium Park to "Shatabdi Uddaan"
5. High Court to "Unchu Aadalot"
6. Park Street to "Uddaan Raasta"
7. Science City to "Bigyaan Shohor"
8. Lake Town to "Pukur Elaka"
9. Bypass to "Pasher Rasta"
10. Writers Building to "Lekhokder Bari"

Plz spare us the horror !

:rofl:

@Suncity Please be the Anna Hazare of our state and go on a hunger strike.We shall support you.Parle CM o baniye dite raji achi.Anything but paschim bongo!


Poschim Bongo Sucks big time.....

Sonar Bangla

you meant Prakash Karat (http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-05-16/india/28201043_1_left-parties-sabha-speaker-somnath-chatterjee-general-secretary-prakash-karat), right?

Your answer lies in saurav_68's comment (which I had quoted and replied to in this case).

:cheers:

i live in Paschim Vihar in Delhi, so looks like some paschim banga connection!

:cheers:

Unfortunately the connection to Bengaluru is now lost.

oops... an entire thread on this topic

reposting from here (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=83042943&postcount=2762)

let's not worry about proper nouns too much.

in the beginning, i was a bit disappointed with Paschim Banga. Then I realized it is my own perverted colonial mind that is making me think this way: how will others pronounce it (shudder!!!); how will the British, French, American people roll their tongues (head hangs in shame!!)?

.

So what really was the objective of name change? Wasn't it about how others react to West Bengal? That is they do not pay attention to West Bengal's presentation because it came in last in various important government meetings?

We were told that West Bengal needed to go up in the list so that others who had money bags or were decision makers could react favourably to the state's demands and claims.

Banga or Bengal would have put the state in top 10 list. Paschim Banga bring us in the top 30 list. But not to worry we are told. Apparently some bright light of the state has said that the attention span of others (the big guns of GOI) is best midway between long boring meetings. It is low at the beginning of such meetings and tapers off towards the end. So being in the august company of Punjab and Puducherri, Pashchimbanga is all set to dazzle planning commiteee meetings with state of the art power point presentations.

of less concern to me is how Indians from north/south/central/north-east will take this name change. We are good at adapting and this will also sink in. after all, paschim banga is nothing new to inhabitants of paschim banga. Others -- well, learn it. there's so much to learn. if you are incorrect, you will be corrected by those who know till you get it right.

I guess only Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand are now shivering in their boots. They may soon change their names to Maya Pradesh and Himalkhand. Emergency sessions have been called by top bureacrats of other states to see how they can go up this coveted ranking list.

I see there will be some backlash from western minded Indians, mainly from their concern for the whites. my suggestion is not to bang your forehead too much. Why hurt yourself over a proper noun? When an American mispronounces my name, i take a minute or two to help that person roll his/her tongue in the proper way so that the sound comes out correct. We do that routinely for London (Lunhdunh) and not so frequently for Quebec (Kebec). No big deal.

Who are the western minded Indians here? The ones who want to turn Kolkata into London and Darjeeling into Switzerland or the ones who cannot get rid of "paschim".

Best Idea batata hu....

Change the name of all the states...make it INDIA......

....:uh:....MOD...fir country ka name kya hoga???

lets celebrate with bongo drums

jk jk

Your answer lies in saurav_68's comment (which I had quoted and replied to in this case).

:cheers:

not "your" answer... i guess you meant "my" (or suncity's) answer

So what really was the objective of name change? Wasn't it about how others react to West Bengal? That is they do not pay attention to West Bengal's presentation because it came in last in various important government meetings?

We were told that West Bengal needed to go up in the list so that others Apparently some bright light of the state has said that ...

not light but lights. plural. it was decided by an all party consensus.

We don't want the days of Sati and child marriage back.

sorry but you must be really ill informed if you think child marriage and sati is all there is when we speak of glory days of bengal. that is a very offensive comment.

....:uh:....MOD...fir country ka name kya hoga???

I said all states!!!!

One country one state....salla say khatam...no regionalism no bhaiya marathi punjabi...no city vs city .....khatam karo yaar

The reason why Paschimbanga has been chosen is not Didi but RSP, Forward Block, Congress and the BJP. Mamata wanted "Bangabhoomi"..

This is the article from today's Times of India:

Politics Overrules Logic As State’s Leaders Fail To Shake Off Crippling Colonial Legacy



TOI clearly says that if If her partymen are to be believed.

RSP and FB - two insignificant and irrelevant political parties did like Pashchimbanga.

Bartaman - the newspaper which eats, sleeps and breathes Mamata has said this:

"the fourth suggestion of Pashchim Bangla came from the chief minister. Ultimately Pashchimbanga in English was decided.

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/7508/paschimbanglabartaman.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/89/paschimbanglabartaman.jpg/)


Anyway - my point is do we believe what our journalists write? They can easily make up stories and attribute to someone.

Dear Madam Banerjee, Are dese wot v r waiting 4??
1. Salt Lake to 'Nonta Pukur'
2. Diamond Harbour to "Hirer Bondor"
3. New Market to "Notun Bajaar"
4. Millennium Park to "Shatabdi Uddaan"
5. High Court to "Unchu Aadalot"
6. Park Street to "Uddaan Raasta"
7. Science City to "Bigyaan Shohor"
8. Lake Town to "Pukur Elaka"
9. Bypass to "Pasher Rasta"
10. Writers Building to "Lekhokder Bari"

Plz spare us the horror !

You forgot to add the names of famous people..
Joy Baba Felunath Nonta Pukur
Byomkesh Bokshi Unchu Adalat

Lover's Lane'r naam ki habe?.....Prem Goli???

that is a very offensive comment.

be grateful the cause is not yet linked to TMC and Mamata Banerjee.

Consensus that was only in name
OUR BUREAU

Calcutta, Aug. 20: The “all-party” team that chose the name “Paschimbanga” was entirely made of people who speak Bengali as their mother tongue and had no voice representing other groups in the multi-linguistic state, a fact that seemed to be slowly dawning on the name-changers a day after the “consensus” decision.

“Our leader has got the feedback about the name change. Even she preferred ‘Bangabhumi’ over ‘Paschimbanga’ but agreed with the rest for the sake of a consensus. She may have a rethink on the name,” a senior Trinamul Congress minister said today, referring to chief minister Mamata Banerjee who headed yesterday’s meeting.

Mamata did not make any public statement on the subject today.

Except G.D. Gautama, who attended the meeting only in his capacity as home secretary, every other participant was well-versed in Bengali and did not seem to have taken into account the sensitivities of a large mass of population to whom Bengal is home. (See chart)

“‘Paschimbanga’ is so difficult to pronounce. Non-Bengalis will end up saying ‘bonga’ or ‘bango’ and it will get completely mutilated,” Jayashree Singh, a musician, told The Telegraph.

“No one (among non-Bengalis) can pronounce ‘Kolkata’ correctly yet. That’s what will happen to ‘Paschimbanga’. It’s like setting yourself up for a lot of unnecessary ridicule!”

Bonani Kakkar, an environment activist, said: “It (Paschimbanga) will certainly turn off non-Bengalis. The new name should be inclusive and not inward-looking.”

Trinamul MLA Rukbanur Rahman admitted that pronouncing “Poschimbongo” would be difficult for those not used to speaking Bengali.

Several groups in north Bengal, which has large chunks of population that do not speak Bengali, too said the state government should not have bypassed them.

“We don’t understand the need to change the name.... Even if any such decision was to be taken, opinion from people across the society should have been sought,” said Praveen Zimba, secretary of the Darjeeling-based Gorkha Dukh Nibaran Samiti.

He was echoed by Tezkumar Toppo, state general secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad.

At least one group — the Greater Cooch Behar People’s Association, which wants a Cooch Behar state carved out of Bengal — said it was “indifferent” to the name change, a pointer to how the state government may have missed an opportunity to reach out and be inclusive.

Sensing the popular mood — even many Bengalis, including writers, have opposed the suggested name — leaders of several political parties today admitted that a wider cross-section of society should have been consulted.

“There was surely more scope for consultation. It seems the decision has been taken in haste,” said Om Prakash Mishra, state Congress general secretary.

Mishra’s Congress colleagues — legislative party leader Md Sohrab and MLA Asit Mitra — had joined the “Paschimbanga” chorus at yesterday’s meeting.

The RSP’s Manoj Bhattacharya, who had attended the meeting, said: “There should have been a wider debate. Views of people from all sections of society should have been taken. There was no need to rush.”Yesterday, he had said: “Any other name (than Paschimbanga) would have meant forgetting the history of Partition.”

It was Bhattacharya’s party colleague Subhas Naskar who had suggested the name “Paschimbanga”.“

I suggested ‘Paschimbanga’ as it was already in use but I didn’t know that it would finally get selected,” Naskar said rather apologetically, aware of the widespread disappointment over the proposed name.
After an earlier all-party meeting on August 3, Mamata had announced that minister Partha Chatterjee and Opposition leader Surjya Kanta Mishra would seek experts’ opinion on the name change.

Chatterjee spoke to personalities such as writers Mahasweta Devi and Suchitra Bhattacharya and painter Suvaprasanna, and collected past quotes on the subject by eminent people. But there was no wide consultation process.

http://telegraphindia.com/1110821/jsp/frontpage/story_14404444.jsp

Wish some sense prevails and and we get the best choice!!!!

not light but lights. plural. it was decided by an all party consensus.

Maybe you have insider information about the lights who thought that attention span was best midway between the meetings.

not "your" answer... i guess you meant "my" (or suncity's) answer

I apologize for my poor English. I thought that the phrase "your answer lies (somewhere)" is the same as the "answer to your question lies". If not, then sorry.

sorry but you must be really ill informed if you think child marriage and sati is all there is when we speak of glory days of bengal. that is a very offensive comment.

Context and sarcasm. Glory days also came with a baggage of unglorius things. The sonar Bangla is yet to be achieved (my personal opnion; you may disagree).

Any name will bring some criticism. Agreed that 'Paschimbanga' will be a flop among non-bong, not to mention the difficulty in pronounciation. But then 'Bengal' is an anglicised name and why should we have that when we are renaming. Plus the emotion of partition to keep in the name is a valid point.

^^

While some people may have difficulty in pronouncing Pashchimbanga, I do not buy the arguments put forth in several newspapers that non Bengalis will suddenly feel excluded because of this name.

suncity, the late ancient period like pala and sena eras were the true glory days of bengal, when bengal was a maritime power which traded widely with SE asia and bengali was even the court language in some of those places.

as far as we know there is no evidence of the inglorious baggage in those times. anyway, a perfect civilization is a utopian idea, no civilization has ever satisfied it.

also, what we know as child marriage was more like a betrothal, the bride and bridegroom would continue living under their parent's care until puberty.

in case you think it was unique to bengal, I can point out evidence that in 19th century london 12 or 13 was considered 'normal' age for a girl to start consensual sex. this was prevalent in all but the gentry. it was only after the development of modern physiology and the effects of early pregnancy became known that child marriage came to be frowned upon.

“‘Paschimbanga’ is so difficult to pronounce. Non-Bengalis will end up saying ‘bonga’ or ‘bango’ and it will get completely mutilated,” Jayashree Singh, a musician, told The Telegraph.

Bonani Kakkar, an environment activist, said: “It (Paschimbanga) will certainly turn off non-Bengalis. The new name should be inclusive and not inward-looking.”


jayashree singh and bonani kakkar have shown how narrow minded they are.

Wait guys. "Paschim banga" may not be the final one.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110821/jsp/frontpage/story_14404444.jsp

It shucks anyway. We might have something starting with a 'B'.

suncity, the late ancient period like pala and sena eras were the true glory days of bengal, when bengal was a maritime power which traded widely with SE asia and bengali was even the court language in some of those places.

as far as we know there is no evidence of the inglorious baggage in those times. anyway, a perfect civilization is a utopian idea, no civilization has ever satisfied it.

also, what we know as child marriage was more like a betrothal, the bride and bridegroom would continue living under their parent's care until puberty.

in case you think it was unique to bengal, I can point out evidence that in 19th century london 12 or 13 was considered 'normal' age for a girl to start consensual sex. this was prevalent in all but the gentry. it was only after the development of modern physiology and the effects of early pregnancy became known that child marriage came to be frowned upon.

There was no Bangla language in Pala era. In Sen era it was more Sanskrit than Bangla. True Bangla language evolved after Pathan invasion of Bengal. Current Bangla bhasa as we see today evolved from Maithili language.

so ?

Its totally absurd that non-Bengalis will have difficulties to pronounnce 'Pashchim Bango"

for instance how these people have no problem with these names:

Uttarpradesh, Uttarakhand, Ahdhrapradesh, Himachalpradesh, Arunachalpradesh, Maharashtra ... Vishakhapattanam, Kurukshetra etc. etc. in Indian names.

and foreign names like:

Massachusetts, Switzerland, Scandinavia, Madagascar, Philadelphia, Mantogomery,
Kazakhstan, Tajikistan..... and of course the famous - Schwarzenegger(actor and governor)........ I do not want to make list endless.

and .... "Paschim Bango" is more difficult than those names!!!!

In India almost everybody knows "Paschim" means "West" and only "Bango" is added to that(Is Bango very difficult to pronounce?). then how is it difficult for them to pronounce it whereas they have no problem with "Uttarpradesh" where "Uttar" and "Pradesh" joined together. Likewise, Andhrapradesh Arunachalpradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand.

Although the name Pashcimbango is not acceptable to me as there is no Purbabango nowadays. We must choose between Bango or Bangla. That will be more meaningful, suitable and above all, easy to prounce and acceptable(and alphabetically will be fore runners among Indian states).:cheers:

Its totally absurd that non-Bengalis will have difficulties to pronounnce 'Pashchim Bango"

for instance how these people have no problem with these names:

Uttarpradesh, Uttarakhand, Ahdhrapradesh, Himachalpradesh, Arunachalpradesh, Maharashtra ... Vishakhapattanam, Kurukshetra etc. etc. in Indian names.

and foreign names like:

Massachusetts, Switzerland, Scandinavia, Madagascar, Philadelphia, Mantogomery,
Kazakhstan, Tajikistan..... and of course the famous - Schwarzenegger(actor and governor)........ I do not want to make list endless.

and .... "Paschim Bango" is more difficult than those names!!!!

In India almost everybody knows "Paschim" means "West" and only "Bango" is added to that(Is Bango very difficult to pronounce?). then how is it difficult for them to pronounce it whereas they have no problem with "Uttarpradesh" where "Uttar" and "Pradesh" joined together. Likewise, Andhrapradesh Arunachalpradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand.

i agree.

these smarties cannot even sing along the national anthem, i think.

Bango will face ridicule from english speakers who do not know bangla and bangla will face confusion with bangladesh. better go with Vanga. but wait, the ridiculous alphabet order rationale is violated.

suncity, the late ancient period like pala and sena eras were the true glory days of bengal, when bengal was a maritime power which traded widely with SE asia and bengali was even the court language in some of those places.

as far as we know there is no evidence of the inglorious baggage in those times. anyway, a perfect civilization is a utopian idea, no civilization has ever satisfied it.



You are not getting my point. I am not saying Bengal did not have some things to be proud about.

We should look back at the past - glorious and otherwise - specially to learn what mistakes not to make. I do not want communal riots. I do not want partition. I do not want the leaders of the country run away from their palaces when attacked by invaders. I do not want shackles of caestism. I do not want the women to be mistreated and given a lower status and so on.

I can live without magnificent monuments, amazing temples and opulent palaces.

Let the 21st century leaders lead us to a glorious future where there is 100% literacy, 100% high scool education, 100% gainful employment, 100% housing, 0% hunger etc.

I got your point alright and completely agree with the above points as well. but I do not see why we have to p!ss on our past. it had bad and good, like any other place on earth, we should take the good and move on.

Bango will face ridicule from english speakers who do not know bangla and bangla will face confusion with bangladesh. better go with Vanga. but wait, the ridiculous alphabet order rationale is violated.


Are English speakers do bother if you say "Ingrezi" in stead of "English" or "Engobhumi" or "Engodesh" instead of "England" in your native language?

Why you are so concerned about English speakers, I do not understand.

what has my native language got to do with anything ?
anyway, if bangkok survives so will we.

if bangkok survives so will we.

:rofl:

what was wrong with just "Bengal"

what was wrong with just "Bengal"

anglicized. same reason why

"great nation" sounds awkward for "Maharashtra"
"central province" sounds awkward for Madhya Pradesh
"northern land" sounds awkward for Uttarakhand
"Northern Province" sounds awkward for Uttar Pradesh
"Land of the Rising Sun" sounds awakward for Arunachal Pradesh
"Abode of the Clouds" sounds awkward for Meghalaya
"Abode" sounds awkward for Bihar
"Land of the Kings" sounds awkward for Rajasthan

what was wrong with just "Bengal"

Nothing was wrong with just "Bengal".

These are all political dramas. In reality Poshchimbongo / Pashchimbanga will have no special advantage over West Bengal or Bengal.

anglicized. same reason why

"great nation" sounds awkward for "Maharashtra"
"central province" sounds awkward for Madhya Pradesh
"northern land" sounds awkward for Uttarakhand
"Northern Province" sounds awkward for Uttar Pradesh
"Land of the Rising Sun" sounds awakward for Arunachal Pradesh
"Abode of the Clouds" sounds awkward for Meghalaya
"Abode" sounds awkward for Bihar
"Land of the Kings" sounds awkward for Rajasthan

I like the answer.

For those who prefer Bengal:

The people live in the state were and are "Bangalee" and not "Bengalis"

One should not forget that the name of the state should be given by its own people and not by the oursiders. The Englishmen already have given so many names as per their convenience ignoring the prevailing local names : Germany(Deutschland), Japan(Nippon), Syria(Siam), Burma(Myanmar), Egypt(Mishr) Thailand(Syam) etc. leave alone India(Bharat) .....Chittagong(Chattogram), Contai(Kanthi), Burdwan(Bardhaman), Nuddea(Nadia), Cawnpore(Kanpur), Sylhet(Srihatto), Dacca(Dhaka) Delhi(Dilli)......list goes on.

(Sunder Lal Bahuguna becomes Beautiful Red Manytimes if you take everything the english-way:lol:

who is Sunder Lal Bahuguna...???

anglicized. same reason why

"great nation" sounds awkward for "Maharashtra"
"central province" sounds awkward for Madhya Pradesh
"northern land" sounds awkward for Uttarakhand
"Northern Province" sounds awkward for Uttar Pradesh
"Land of the Rising Sun" sounds awakward for Arunachal Pradesh
"Abode of the Clouds" sounds awkward for Meghalaya
"Abode" sounds awkward for Bihar
"Land of the Kings" sounds awkward for Rajasthan
None of the things you have listed above are examples of Anglicization. You have given the literal translation of the Indian name. Examples of Anglicization are:

Lakhnau -> Lucknow
Kanpur -> Cawnpore
BengaLuru -> Bangalore
Dehali/Dilli -> Delhi
Manahatta -> Manhattan
Moskva -> Moscow

There is nothing wrong with anglicization. Similar processes happen in all languages. In fact all the tadbhava words in Indian languages are "corruptions" of the Sanskrit original. In Hindi, we call Englishmen angrez, derived from the Portuguese ingles. We also spell London as लंदन with a dental d (द) rather than a retroflex d (ड) which would be closer to the English pronunciation! I have yet to meet a Briton who is offended by this! See the lyrics below:

Mera juta hai japani
yeh patloon inglistani
sar pe lal topi rusi
phir bhi dil hai hindustani

Should we change japani to nihoni, inglistani to inglish, rusi to russki, and hindustani to bharatiya? After all, रूस is not what the Russians call their country!

Anyway, I think we should keep West Bengal, Orissa, Calcutta, Bangalore, etc. in English.

I think the name change was total unnecessary.
If you had to change then why did you half change ? - My take is
Bengal - English
Bangla - Bengali and Hindi