Bengaluru is more bang for the buck

Bengaluru is more bang for the buck
Deccan Herald

"The real focus should be on improving the state of the City. Politicians might try gaining mileage from the whole controversy." - Shashi Deshpande, writer writer

All’s in the name, after all. Or at least, that’s what Bangaloreans seem to believe in. When it’s a question of choice – between Bangalore and Bengaluru – the City’s residents have an opinion, and a strong one at that.

State of Bangalore, an AC Nielsen survey initiated by CNN-IBN and Deccan Herald, revealed that a majority of the Bangaloreans want the City rechristened as Bengaluru.

To the question “Do you support the move to change the name of Bangalore to Bengaluru?” 55 per cent of the respondents said yes. While 42 per cent disapproved and a measly three per cent gave an indecisive verdict, reflecting the extreme views endorsed by the City’s residents on the issue.

The survey, which had Radio City as its radio partner, was conducted among a sample of Bangalore residents cutting across age and classes. “There is a contention that renaming the City as Bengaluru smacks of regionalism, which is incorrect for the simple reason that the very term ‘renaming’ is not accurate. Bengaluru was the real name of the City, before it was anglicised and made Bangalore,” says IT consultant Shyam.

“Changing the name of Bangalore to Bengaluru is purposeless, and even eccentric,” says Alexander, marketing manager with a City-based company. He believes that the Bangalore brand would be dented by the move, which involves extensive revamping of addresses, signboards, billboards and train numbers.

“It will be time-consuming and very expensive. We should give attention to civic issues, rather than haggling over a name,” he says.

“I can’t see the difference. The City is anyway called Bengaluru in Kannada. It is not like Madras changing to Chennai. I don’t think this issue is worth arguing on,” says Dinesh Kedlaya, an IT professional.