I'm confused. I'm trying to plan a trip to Kerala, the southern tip of India, for April and I can't figure out which towns I want to visit. This is because most of the places there are known by two names. Often, the names are quite similar, but for the unfamiliar, it is quite confusing.
Today I learned that Kochi was Cochin, that Thiruvananthapuram was Trivandrum, and Alleppey was Alappuzha.
What makes this even more confusing is that many Indians still refer to cities by their old names. I even noticed today that many of the airlines (including the national carrier, Indian Airlines) still list some cities by their old names. One website even listed both the old name and the new name!
In fact, I found a whole list of Indian cities and public places that have had their names changed on Wikipedia, but here are a few of the more common ones (new name = old name):
Mumbai = Bombay
Chennai = Madras
Varanasi = Baranas
Shimla = Simla
Kolkatta = Calcutta
Pune = Poona
Many of these changes return cities to their "Indian" names after the British rule, but some of the proposed changes would also change Muslim names to Hindu ones. An interesting fact.
1 comment:
"but some of the proposed changes would also change Muslim names to Hindu ones. An interesting fact." Please give example. I dont know of 1.
If they can change these names to oroginal names, they should also change Sulthan Batheri to Sultan's Battery, a place in Wyanad. What a horrible Manglish!!!!
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