India Renames Calcutta as Kolkata
Calcutta reverted to its indigenous name of Kolkata on Saturday, joining a growing number of Indian cities trying to shrug off their colonial legacy by bringing back their old monikers.
The capital of India’s West Bengal state will now be known by the Bengali version of its name, the federal government announced.
New Delhi deliberated on the request for 1 1/2 years before agreeing to the change. All government departments and agencies will have to change their names to comply with the directive, made after more than 50 years of Indian independence from Great Britain.
Among other cities, Bombay, India’s financial capital, was renamed Mumbai, although most Indians still call it Bombay. Madras in southern India was renamed Chennai, and Trivandrum was changed to Thiruvananthapuram.
For Calcutta, the change may not be so noticeable.
Bengali speakers have always called it Kolkata, preferring the local pronunciation.
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