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2 Nov, 2014

Indian state drops colonial-era names of 12 cities – Hindustan Times

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday announced changes to the names of 12 cities in the State on the occasion of the 58th Kannada Rajyotsava or founding day of Karnataka. Colonial-era names have been replaced with Kannada ones; Bangalore is now Bengaluru and the bitterly contested district of Belgaum has become Belagavi.

In the 57 years that the state government has been celebrating Kannada Rajyotsava, rarely has a Prime Minister of the country greeted the people of the state on the occasion. That Narendra Modi chose to deliver a special message to Kannadigas this year indicates the political significance of this change.

His acknowledgement of ‘Kannada pride’ is seen as a reminder of the fact that the change could not have happened without the nod of the union government. Not surprisingly, both the BJP and the ruling Congress jostled to claim credit for the move even as pro-Kannada outfits rejoiced on the streets.

Read the rest: Bangalore is Bengaluru, 11 other cities renamed too – Hindustan Times.