‘What’s in a name? Identity’

‘What’s in a name? Identity’
We Asked Whether The Name Change Will Affect Bangalore’s Brand Value
The Times of India

Yes. As the Bard of Avon said, ‘What’s in a name? A rose by any other name is just as sweet’. So many cities and countries the world over have returned to their roots by going back to the original names. There may be some problems initially but it will settle down over a period of time, when people get used to the changed names.
— Usha G Rao, Bangalore
No. It will damage Bangalore’s world-famous image. The name Bangalore is globally recognised. Just to fulfil the wishes of a few people, the government is committing a blunder by changing the most enchanting name of a world-famous city. — P A Sukumaran, Bangalore Yes. In any case, the brand value does not change. What is immediately needed is to maintain the beautiful and pure essence of Kannada, its Kasturi Kampa in speech and writing. The Kannada TV channels have more responsibility in this regard. — M N Kesari, Bangalore
No. By changing the letter, the brand value will not change. Yes, we have to retain the brand value, but we should also take pains to improve cleanliness and the government must work out ways to increase safety by reducing crime, accidents and pollution. — Vimala Kesari, Bangalore
Yes. When cities like Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata have reverted to their original names, we also have the right to change the name of our city. — Hariharswamy, Bangalore
No. Bangalore sounds stylish and standardised. It’s recognised the world over as the Garden City and IT City. A sudden change in name will affect its present image. There will be problems in changing passports, ID cards, visas, etc.
— Elizabeth T Luckos, Bangalore
‘What’s in a name... ‘, Shakespeare wrote so aptly. But then again I may be condemned for quoting him too. We have to get our priorities right. There are so many more pressing matters to deal with than changing the name of a city. For instance, the water problem, pollution, to name a few. For God’s sake, Bangalore or Bengalooru, it refers to one place. Even in advertising the name makes a difference to the sales of a product. It should be short, catchy and easy on the tongue, not to mention sweet. If I may add, Bengalooru doesn’t fit the bill. — Shanta Kumar, Mangalore
Yes. The name change is just a political gimmick. It’s the politicians’ way of getting sympathy from people, by showing they care for Bangalore. Instead of giving importance to this topic, they should be interested in bringing back beauty to Bangalore. — Tarun K Jain, Bangalore
It’s just a name game of the netas. It involves only change of personality and not change in originality. Certainly, the peace-loving nature, ‘live and let live’ policy, salubrious climate, tolerant attitude, which are all the feather in the cap of Bangalore, will remain unchanged. — Jagadish Kalmath, Yelahanka
I think Bangalore will retain its brand value after getting renamed as Bengalooru, because Bengalooru is not too far from Bangalore. Bangalore has become a powerful force in Information Technology
by its efficiency and not by its name. Let Bangalore be recognised as Bengalooru so that people will recognise the value and heritage of our language. It takes time to get used to it but one day Bengaluru will also have its own brand value. — Chaitra B R
No. Bangalore’s brand value is due to its name. The name Bengaluru will not have the same international appeal. — Mamata Sandeep Let us keep Bangalore and the greenery alive.
— Ramaswamy
No. There is no need to change the name. The name Bangalore is much better for a booming city. — Stephen
We will be destroying this brand. Can’t we stop this high-handed anarchy? — Rhea When metros like Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata have been able to retain their brand value, why can’t Bangalore after being renamed Bengaluru? — Satish Kumar Shakespeare said ‘What’s in a name?’! Bangalore will always remain the IT hub. — Karan
People relate the name change to infrastructure woes because people think their taxes are used for nothing else other than on such activities. If you buy a car and it has problems, you go to a dealer and if he just changes the name and says everything should be fine, won’t you feel angry? I don’t understand why people take so much pride in a name. You can take pride if your city is clean or crime-free but not because it’s named in Kannada. — A
It’s a shame
t h at
politicians have nothing better to do than to take a name known around the world and turn it into a name no international customers of Bangalore can pronounce. Why don’t you spend all your energy in modernising the city in terms of infrastructure, including roads, electricity, telephone service, etc. — Suresh
Renaming Bangalore is a ridiculous idea. Nonsense. But it ain’t gonna dilute Bangalore’s brand equity for sure. — hysteria
Changing the name to Bengaluru is a good move. I am not able to understand why people are relating infrastructure woes with name change. Those are two different issues which should be dealt with separately. Bengaluru is a Kannada name and is the pride of Karnataka and its people. We should be happy that politicians have dealt with the Anglicised names issue now. However, they should also concentrate on other issues like infrastructure, traffic, etc. — Sudeep
This is pure vote-bank politics. Instead of such gimmicks, the government should be more transparent in its policies. Brand Bangalore has built up a reputation worldwide as the hub of IT activity. — Anand
Indian politicians indulge in petty issues rather than pragmatic ones. What changes have taken place in Calcutta and Bombay after changing their names. Bangalore has become a brand name. Make it more vibrant and popular. Will changing its name mean the city will become cleaner, with a transparent administration, responsible police, good infrastructure, roads, and hospitals? — Bhupinder Singh I totally agree that
just changing the name of Bangalore is not going to serve any purpose unless and until the government takes concrete steps to improve the civic conditions. This is just vote-bank politics played by the state government to cover up its failure in keeping up promises. Instead, the government should try to free the city from rampant corruption. Today, Bangalore is a brand, not just a name. — Vivekanand Pandey
Changing the name of Bangalore to Bengalooru is not going to serve any purpose. Rather than changing the city’s name, why don’t we concentrate on development and infrastructure required for Bangalore. We need to understand that Bangalore has become a brand for India. And generating a brand is not a one-day process. The values that people associate with Bangalore will not go well with Bengaluru. — Shipra
Our politicians are driven by vote banks and are playing dirty politics to please people by appealing to their sentiment. — Bhagwan