"This is not a cosmopolitan city any more. People who insist on using 'Bombay' should be thrown out of this city."
Shirish Parkar, spokesperson for the Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) party. (Quoted in Hindustan Times, October 15 2009).
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11 comments:
Chaliye - baat saaf ho gayee!
Not a cosmopolitan city any more? LOL. If Bombay is not one, what else is cosmopolitan city in India?
Well, till MNS has some role to play, how can Bombay even prosper. IMO, they will soon be thrown away like what happened with CPI in WB. Btw, is that Calcutta or Kolkata there? When did you last vist Madras? Sigh, must ask again - whats in a name?
It can still be a cosmo city even after calling it Mumbai.
Why do people have problems in calling it Mumbai?
On the same point, these guys have no right forcing people into calling it "Mumbai" or beating people up cause they called it "Bombay".
Kshitij
Dilip,
I wish for you and your family a very happy Diwali
-Long time blog reader
kshitij: I think the issue here is not about 'Bombay' or 'Mumbai'. The problem is the degree of intolerance that has crept in the veins of these so called caretakers of the culture. That is what is scary.
Let's wait for the election results.
Not cosmopolitan? Things must have changed since I lived there in 2007, then, when I sampled one of the best mojitos of my life there.
Another tired case of What!! You dare to question my authority?!!??
Where are the snowdens of yesteryear
Just a random passer by... but I refuse to call it Mumbai. I was born and brought up in Bombay. I do realize the whole 'trying to get away from the British raj' and all.. but no reason to start renaming everything just for that. In that case, what's next? No British English? No English as first langugage schools? Phulease :)
Kshitij, I have no problem calling it Mumbai. I'm frankly uninterested in what's cosmopolitan or not -- what I do know that there are plenty of bigots in this city.
What I have problems with is people forcing things down my and others' throats.
There's this.
This morning in Jalgaon, I asked someone in Marathi which road to take for Mumbai. (I used that name, which comes more naturally when speaking Marathi). He explained to me in Marathi, but used "Bombay". Will Shirish Parkar throw this man out of this city if he comes here? All over MP this last week, speaking Hindi, people referred to it as "Bambai" (which comes more naturally when speaking Hindi). Will Parkar throw out those people?
These are guys who know they have zero of any substance to offer the electorate, so they pretend that this is the most important issue in the world. I wonder when the Marathi manoos will finally see them for the empty guys they are.
Mumbai Paused: OK, the results are in. What now?
Michael, come back soon and let's go have mojitos together, man.
Anon and all else here: Diwali wishes to you too from this long-time blog writer! Thanks.
On place names:
Read an interesting discussion on a site thru Rahul S, horadecubitus, at I think Rahul Bose's, abt place names. It was a bit of a scrap they had with some other person who insists on calling the place Bombay.
Somebody was 'explaining' to their visiting friend that Mum is an artificial name being imposed by rightwing Marathi hardliners.
IIRC both Rahuls had a problem with that attitude. Somebody said this is a mirror image of SS attitude.
Thx,
Jai
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