Should Delhi Be Renamed?
Should Delhi Be Renamed?
It seems Modi Government is in a rush to change everything without even considering the pros and cons of its decisions. The government now intends to junk Delhi’s historical name for no apparent reason. The plan is to have two different names, one for Lutyens' New Delhi, and another name for the 400-year-old Mughal-era walled Delhi that popularly is known as Old Delhi. If everything goes as planned, New Delhi will be renamed as the "Imperial City of Delhi", whereas Old Delhi will be called as the "Imperial City of Shahjehnabad". Do you support this move? Should Delhi be renamed?
Yes
- The government intends to change the name in order to persuade UNESCO to grant Delhi the status of a heritage city. There is no harm in trying that.
- If by changing the name, India can boost international tourism, it is worth giving a try. The benefits should outweigh the disadvantages.
- Again, the name would signal two different parts of the capital. It is in no way a bad idea to highlight the difference between the two cities.
- Change is the law of nature and if it doesn’t results in any harm, then there is no problem in opting for it.
- Here, it is not necessary that Delhi should be renamed as suggested by Modi government. It can be even renamed as Indraprastha which would appear more authentic and appealing.
No
- UNESCO has very strict rules for deciding whether a place qualifies for the Heritage tag, and just changing Delhi’s name would be of no use.
- UNESCO has a ten point guideline to determine whether a place is a Heritage City and Delhi doesn’t qualify as per the stated guideline.
- There is a huge difference between renaming a city and renaming the national Capital. There should be a strong reason to opt for rebranding exercise, which in this case doesn’t exist.
- There has been no public demand or local campaign to rename Delhi on nationalistic or ethnic grounds. The move is unwarranted.
- The various reasons for a name change include secession, splits, mergers, partition and decolonisation. Delhi doesn’t qualify on even a single parameter.
Conclusion
There is no apparent reason why Modi government wants to change the name of Delhi. There is a dignity attached to the name and changing it without reason is nothing but waste of time. The whole concept appears absurd. Perhaps, the government needs to remember the famous quote, "Don’t fix it, if it ain't broke". Instead of doing this rebranding exercise, government should take measures to improve the conditions in cities.
Discussion
- RE: Should Delhi Be Renamed? -amit mishra (04/09/15)
- Yes
It can be changed.Unesco has its strict rules but changing the name may have great impact in international tourism.Delhi is a historical city and after changing its name it will be focussed historical city in wthe world.Some people above are discussing that Modi govt. Should focus on its work rather than all this useless things.I condemmed this thinking .Yourism creates huge financial help to any nation.If the national capital got its name changed it will help in tourism growth which also boost the financial status of nation.
Delhi is the heart of India,by changing its name we must bring liveliness to it.It will help our Nation in various different ways . - RE: Should Delhi Be Renamed? -sai chaitanya Yadav (04/08/15)
- i do agree with the earlier discussions, that there is No need to change the name, because things like fame, dignity, status does not rely on how great the name is, but simply depend on the quality how it represents it self in reality.
- RE: Should Delhi Be Renamed? -vivek singh (04/08/15)
- Just changing it for the sake of UNESCO recognition is not at all a sensible step. What Old Delhi or New Delhi needs to change is their old dilapidated governance. Give Delhi a structure to grow, a way to become one of the best capitals in the world, we should be worried about education , cleanliness , clean drinking water , safety , pollution free environment , that will automatically light up Delhi's name internationally . Mere changing the name ...might look good initially cause a change is always fresh but is it seriously the change that people are looking for...just like if daud ibrahim changes his name to swami vivekanand he wont be a saint. he will remain a terrorist likewise its not the name change we need its the change from the inside that really matters.
- RE: Should Delhi Be Renamed? -manish (04/08/15)
- Renaming the capital do not assure boost in tourism since UNESCO has very strict rule for it .At present govt. should care about improving the city internal condition. Making such an issue is of no use.
Government can go for industrial revolution at present. A clean INDIA using renewable energy. - RE: Should Delhi Be Renamed? -Deepa Kaushik (04/07/15)
- There is no requirement or urgency to rename the national capital. Correctly said, that there lies a difference between renaming any other city and a national capital. When we don’t have a strong reasoning to support the modification, we should not go for it.
India is already very fragile to changes. We often end up in confrontations and agitations across the nation with any attempt for change and transformation. Without a strong requirement, changing the name would be an open invitation to trouble. Just to meet the UNESCO’s heritage city lines we should not go ahead with transforming the basement of the structure. Delhi has its own pride and charm. Just renaming would not help in getting to the list of the UNESCO’s guidelines. We should win any battle remaining the way we are. Changing oneself, itself disqualifies from the game.
Renaming Delhi and diving the same to two different cities would also reduce the priorities of the citizens of existing Old Delhi. This would face another concern. Our Government has already plenty issue s to focus, mend and rectify. We don’t need any new additions to our existing troubles. It would be better if government aims to resolve the existing concerns rather than creating any new by renaming Delhi.
