KOLKATA: The name's Bengal, just Bengal. “Banga“ is too small, maybe even a little funny , even if you say it in Bengali.“Bangla“ sounds a little better. Again, saying only “Bengal“ would deny the state of its history , even though it would help us move up the alphabetical pecking order.
Reactions to the chief minister's latest efforts on changing the name of the state were varied, as expected. But youngsters -especially college-goers and professionals between 25 and 30 years old -were cool to dropping the “West“ and calling it Bengal, just Bengal.
“I see no reason why West Bengal should still carry its fragmented identity , when half the population doesn't even understand it,“ said Arana Sengupta, second-year student at Presidency University . “East Punjab has long shed the prefix it had earned after Partition; why can't we?“ Similar sentiments were echoed by Sankhadeep Mukherjee, a second-year student at City College. “The term `West Bengal' was coined by the British during Partition, keeping the neighbouring region in mind. If East Pakistan could change to Bangladesh, `Banga' is fine. It's there in our national anthem -`Dravida Utkala Banga'.“
If the youngsters had their reasons for welcoming the name-change, Bhowanipore resident Suman Chatterjee is upbeat. “Bengal sound smart. It's short, too.It's a wise decision to change the name, and will help the state move ahead,“ he said. But Niladri Sankar Roy , a student of media science, thought it “sounds funny“. He turned up his nose, saying: “Bengal? I don't know. It's strange. I'm not used it.“
Most, however, approved of Bengal minus the “West“, saying it would make online applications, at least, easier. Artist and academic Paula Sengupta, said: “I think Bengal is a step forward, a shedding of many decades of baggage and pain, which will hopefully lead to the forging of a new Bengali identity .“
For Dhriti Banerjee, scientist and deputy director, Zoological Survey of India, there is no denying the operative part of the renaming. “Bengal is easy for documentation. Without the prefix, it will be up on the list that is presented at central government meetings.“
For others, mostly older Kolkatans, the name change doesn't make sense.“These are purely political decisions, which help nobody ,“ said consultant cardiologist Satyajit Sarkar, adding, “Partition divided the real Bengal and placed her eastern and western parts in different countries. By naming one part Bengal, we disown our fellow Bengalis across the border, just as they disowned us by naming their country Bangladesh. Both them and us are Bengal together, divided by a line on the map.“
The renaming exercise has left many with a sense of despair, with some calling the exercise futile and childish. Among the others who though the renaming would be historically inappropriate is corpo rate worker Sudeshna Chattoraj. “The nostalgia is lost. The new name has been enforced on us, and for no reason at all,“ she said. “What's wrong with West Bengal? Did the government make any attempt to ascertain the opinion of the common people? Who decides the name change?
The political parties. The government is only imposing its whims on us.“
IT professional Bratati Aich felt the decision is not arbitrary . “When the chief minister first talked about it in 2011, she had suggested `Paschimbanga'. At that time, intellectuals like Sunil Gangopadhyay had said it would be better to adopt `Banga' in Bengali and `Bengal' in English, because the rest of the country refers to the state as `Bengal' and `Bangla' in Hindi.“
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