I prefer Gandi
(actually, that is who I use)
Oh, it was Shiv Sena that did that? I thought Bombay was called “Mumbai” by (at least a fair proportion) of its citizens, sort of in the way that “Constantinople” was called Istanbul by its citizens long before the West caught on. So, it there a chance Mumbai and Kolkata will switch back?
T-Buck works for me.
I hope so for Bombay.
Mumbai is the name for the city in Marathi. That is derived from Mumbadevi, the name of the goddess of the Koli fishermen who inhabited the city in the 12th-13th century.
In Hindi, we refer to it as Bambai (pronounced bum baee). That is derived from what the first Portuguese settlers called the city Bom Bahia (good bay). Then the British come and anglicise that word to Bombay. And which has remained the official name till 1996.
The reason why the name Mumbai sucks…
Short story … coz the vernacular name misrepresents the identity of the city and disrespects its history.
The long story below…
Bombay was an archipelago with seven major islands. It was inhabited primarily by Koli fishermen. Geographically, it nearly borders Maharashtra and today is state capital for half the year.
In the 1400s, it was controlled by the Sultan of Gujarat. Who then passed it onto the Portuguese. Who then passed it onto the British. And in 1668, they founded the modern city. They also encouraged trade. So, communities from Gujarat flooded the islands increasing the population from 10000 in 1661 to 60000 in 1675. Then in the 18th century, shipbuilders (Wadias) and artisans (weavers, goldsmiths…etc) also from Gujarat moved to Bombay. Then the British began the construction projects that joined all the islands and made them into one major landmass. This attracted workers from all over the region from as far as Andhra Pradesh. Then, in 1854, the first cotton mill was opened. And now came a lot of Marathas from the mainland (Maharashtra). From then on, there has been mass migration from all over India giving the city a stong cosmopolitan identity.
Fast forward to 1980s. You have this party called the Shiv Sena whose plank is Maratha pride in their identity. They’re a small party. They grow. In 1996, they finally get power in the state. And very quickly, they change the city’s name to Mumbai although 60% of the city’s population is not Marathi speaking. They project Bombay…oh, sorry Mumbai as Maharashtra’s and the Maratha community’s pride. So, their reason is that Bombay is a leftover of colonial rule and that after independence the name should be changed.
Now, changing the name is fine, but choosing the Marathi name projects a Maratha identity that belies the history and heritage of the city. Atleast Bombay is neutral in that respect and should have been stuck with.
/rant
Gyan: Fascinating story. Thanks for enlightening us!
I spell ghandi the way I do because I am a horrible speller. I have a button that has it spelled correctly, and I couldn’t even remember how to spell it when I had it in front of me.
At least I admit that I can’t spell.
I can’t dispute the rest of your rant, because I don’t know much about Bombay’s history (My father’s being Marathi means I get a rather skewed version of events, so I try not to let his biases color my own thoughts).
But could you clear up what you mean by “nearly borders Maharashtra”? If you mean that it’s mainly islands off the coast of the mainland, then sure, although I imagine that metropolitan Mumbai covers a large portion of the mainland as well. But other than that, it rather firmly in Maharashtra. It’s in the northern portion of the state, to be sure, but there’s the whole district of Thane to its north before you get to Gujarat.
Also, for my own edification, what do you mean by state capital for half the year? I was under the impression that Mumbai was the capital of Maharashtra, period.
Yeah, what’s that bit about ‘half the year’?
Mumbai sux, GO BOMBAY!!!
To continue with the hijack of this thread, I’d like to point out that, while I don’t mind renaming Bombay to Mumbai too much (mainly since it got called Mumbai a lot at home anyway), I can’t stomach renaming VT. That’s just taking things too far.
Yeah, another Marathi/Konkani (I’m a mutt) person checking in. I had never heard that story before. Although, your rant just shows why it’s so difficult to ever please anyone in India.
Shiv Sena really is creepy, though. Recently they harassed some poor history teacher from Carleton college that had the apparent audacity to note that Shivaji had a half-brother in South India and a difficult family life.
Maybe they make Pune the capital for the other half of the year since it was the historic seat of the Maratha Empire.
anu: I was thinking the same thing, but I’ve never seen Pune mentioned as the state capital. And hell, you’d think that Shiv Sena would push for it, since Pune was Shivaji’s capital.
And yeah, they’re a scary bunch of people. My dad’s family is a pretty conservative lot of Maharashtrans, but even they think that Shiv Sena is a little… extreme.
The same reason they can’t spell colour, humour, centre,metre,jewellery,organise, minimise; et al, ad nauseum.
Mine, too! My dad writes Marathi tamashas and literary Marathi dramas and stages them with his little theatre group and HE is anti-Shiv Sena. He’s a big feminist, though so it’s really weird-a vague BJP supporter, Republican voter on one hand-a strident feminist and one-time socialist on the other. So it’s very Hail! Shivaji! in our house, as well.
I’m being packed off to a BMM Youth Convention this summer :P.
Oh boy, time to take this thread way off track. You do know what BMM stands for, right*? I’ve been to the main conventions with my parents once or twice, but never to the youth ones - I guess my parents haven’t reached that point yet.
*[sup]Ostensibly Brihan Maharashtra Mandal, but, in reality, Big Meat Market[/sup]
Sooooo Offtrack:
I’m going to graduate lawschool in a year and a half, I’m turning 25 later this year, and my little sister is hooked up with someone that she will in all likelihood marry. So yeah, they are eager to see me settled with someone “nice.” I went to the New York one right after I graduated undergrad and it was actually pretty nice if you weren’t there to be married off post-haste. The damn thing was held in the World Trade Centre…it still brings back the weirdest memories.
Honey, anything that has to do with un-married Desis getting together is a Big Meat Market (NETIP etc. too). I’ve learned to let go of that aspect of it and just enjoy getting a free vacation on my parents’ bill when they’re held somewhere I could see myself playing hooky from the purported “cultural” activities while still having definitive party plans at night. 
Gaudere’s Law.
Why do people who live on Vine Street in West Lafayette, Indiana spell “Behaviour” with a “u”, like British people?
Ooh look, 5,460 results for “Ghandi” in the UK alone.
Wait, who lives on Vine Street?