Assam to change name of cities contrary to Indian culture

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has announced that the state government will launch a portal to invite suggestions for change of names of cities, towns & villages.

The Assam Chief Minister tweeted saying, "Here is much in a name," and added that they shall be launching a portal to invite suggestions on change of names across Assam which are contrary to their civilisation, culture and derogatory to any caste or community.

Himanta Biswa Sarma emphasised that the name of a city, town or village should represent its culture, civilisation and tradition. 

THERE’S MUCH IN A NAME

Name of a city, town or village should represent its culture, tradition & civilisation.

We shall launch a portal to invite suggestions on change of names across Assam which are contrary to our civilisation, culture & derogatory to any caste or community.

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) February 16, 2022

Renaming of cities in India

The renaming of cities in India is not a new trend, it started as early as 1947 after the end of the British Rule in India. There have been several name-change proposals since then, some of them controversial. All proposals for the renaming of cities and towns have to be approved by the central government. 

The name change of several states and territories have also taken place since India's Independence including name change of Travancore-Cochin to Kerala in 1956, reorganisation of Madhya Bharat into Madhya Pradesh in 1959, Madras state to Tamil Nadu in 1969 and Mysore state to Karnataka in 1973 and Uttaranchal to Uttarakhand in 2007.  

There have also been changes in the English spelling of several states and cities to match with their local dialect such as Calcutta to Kolkata, Orissa to Odisha, Pondicherry to Puducherry, Bangalore to Bengaluru, Mangalore to Mangaluru, Gurgaon to Gurugram, Bombay to Mumbai, Trivandrum to Thiruvananthapuram, Madras to Chennai, Cochin to Kochi, Gauhati to Guwahati, Baroda to Vadodara, Poona to Pune, Mysore to Mysuru, Trichur to Thrissur

Most recently in 2019, the Union Government approved changing the name of the historic city Allahabad to Prayagraj, reverting to the city's original name Prayag, which means a "place of offerings". Faizabad district in Uttar Pradesh was also renamed to Ayodhya. 

List of Renamed States in India

East Punjab to Punjab (26 January 1950)

United Provinces to Uttar Pradesh (24 January 1950)

Hyderabad + Andhra State to Andhra Pradesh (1 November 1956)

Travancore-Cochin to Kerala (1 November 1956).

Madhya Bharat to Madhya Pradesh (1 November 1959)

Madras State to Tamil Nadu (14 January 1969)

Mysore State to Karnataka (1 November 1973)

Uttaranchal to Uttarakhand (1 January 2007)

Orissa to Odisha (4 November 2011)

List of Renamed UTs in India

Laccadive, Minicoy and Amindivi Islands to Lakshadweep (1 November 1973)

Pondicherry to Puducherry (1 October 2006)