Kolkata: Will it be "Bongo" or "Bangla" or "Bongodesh"?
West Bengal is getting the blues over a proposed re-naming of the state as new Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee pushes for "poriborton" or change in every area of functioning of this much neglected state.
State Commerce and Industry Minister Partha Chatterjee has said a change of name is essential as West Bengal, which begins with the letter W, figures last at inter-state discussions when it comes to the alphabetical order of things.
"Since the name of the state starts with W, our representatives get to speak only at the fag end of any function when most of the audience has left. To do away with the problem, the chief minister has suggested the name be changed," he said.
While the opposition Communists have supported the idea, the move has left Bengal's famed intellectuals polarised.
"If West Bengal's name is changed, then I will support it. The name should have been changed much before. There is no significance of the name ‘West Bengal' when ‘East Bengal' does not exist," said renowned Bengali poet Shankha Ghosh.
East Bengal is a reference to the region that makes up present-day Bangladesh that was once part of India.
The Sahitya Akademi award-winning poet suggested ‘Bangla' as an alternative name after Rabindranath Tagore's song ‘Banglar mati, Banglar jal' (Soil of Bengal, water of Bengal).
Eminent writer Atin Bandyopadhyay, however, disagrees: "East Bengal and West Bengal came into existence after the bifurcation of Bengal. East Bengal became Bangladesh. The name West Bengal signifies that Bengal has been divided."
Bengali writer Samaresh Majumdar said: "It is difficult to find a new name. I think the government should take the views of common people of the state about the new name. It could suggest two to four new names and the people could cast their vote to select one," he said.
"I think the name West Bengal is fine. Because if we change the name to ‘Bongodesh', then it would be thought that we are imitating Bangladesh in changing the name," felt veteran Tagore song exponent Dwijen Mukherjee.
Magician P.C. Sorcar said there were more important issues facing the state than choosing a new name.
Builder Bengal Peerless' head Kumar Sankar Bagchi said: "To be in the front row is good. But we should have the moral strength to occupy the front seat."
