India has a long history of renaming cities, streets, and other significant places. The practice started after India gained independence in 1947 when there was a concerted effort to replace Anglicised and English colonial names with native words, restore old Indian names of cities, and use names of Indian freedom fighters and rulers or other personalities relevant to Indian history. The latest in the long line of name changes is renaming Delhi's iconic 'Rajpath' to 'Kartavya Path', meaning the 'path of duty'.
The renaming of
Rajpath comes ahead of the inauguration of the revamped Central Vista Avenue,
part of the Modi government's pet Central Vista project to give a makeover to
the Raisina Hills area, which constitutes the country's main administrative
block in the capital. The decision was taken during a special meeting of the
New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) convened to decide on the proposal presided
over by the Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture Meenakshi
Lekhi. The NDMC approved the proposal to rename the street on Wednesday amid
mixed reactions to the renaming.
The renaming of
Rajpath is not an isolated event. In the last few years, the country has seen
an increasing number of name changes under the Narendra Modi-led BJP government
at the Centre. The Modi government's push for renaming has given many important
and historic cities like Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh a new name. The changing of
foreign names with native words, restoring old Indian names of cities, and
using names of Indian freedom fighters and rulers or other personalities
relevant to Indian history is seen as a way to reclaim India from the colonial
shadows of the British, who had ruled over the nation for over 200 years.
Since 2014 when
the Modi government came to power, several streets and other important
addresses in Delhi have got new names. Here are five of the significant name
changes in Delhi since 2014:
Aurangzeb Road
(2015)
The elite
street, named after Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, was changed in 2015 to APJ Abdul
Kalam Road after the death of the latter in 2015.
Race Course
Road (2016)
Nearly 36 years
after its construction, the Race Course Road which is home to some of the most
powerful personalities in India was renamed in September 2016 by the NDMC. The
street is now known as Lok Kalyan Marg.
Dalhousie Road
(2017)
After first
proposing to rename Dalhousie Road in 2014, the NDMC implemented the change in
2017. The name of the street was changed to Darah Sikoh Road as a tribute to
Dara Sikoh, the son of Mughal ruler Shah Jahan.
Teen Murti
Chowk (2018)
The roundabout
around the historic war memorial in Central Delhi, which was formerly known as
Teen Murti Chowk, was renamed Teen Murti Haifa Chowk in 2018 to mark 100 years
of the historic Battle of Haifa in Israel.
Feroz Shah
Kotla Stadium (2019)
In 2019, the
Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) renamed Feroz Shah Kotla Cricket
Stadium as Arun Jaitley stadium after former DDCA president Arun Jaitley.
The government
has given the ostensible reason for the name changes as a way to discard the
colonial hangover and restore pride in Indian heritage and pride. In his
Independence Day address this year on August 15, PM Modi said that a
majority of the names were changed to do away with "symbols" relating
to the "Colonial mindset".
The Modi government has nevertheless faced criticism over selective name-changing and favoring.
