Announced to acknowledge local sentiments and prayt towards Indian cultural heritage, 15 places across uttarakhand will be renamed by Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami.
Top Name Changes:
Dehradun: Renamed Mianwala (will from now on also be called Ramjiwala)
Aurangzebpur in Haridwar district = Shivaji Nagar
Reason for changing name :
Dharmiji said that these were done on the lines of sentiments of the local residents and the need to preserve cultural heritage She also said changes will inspire people from Indian culture and great souls who have established its foundation.
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Some Other Name Swaps
Dehradun: From Peerwala to Kesari Nagar, Chandpur Khurd to Prithviraj Nagar and Abdullahpur to Dakshnagar;
The Notified – Nainital: Nawabi Road to Atal Marg and Panaichak Road to ITI road is Guru Golwalkar Marg.
Udhamsingh Nagar: PO SL Sultanpur patti-> NBP Kaushalya Puri
All over the district in Haridwar, have experienced changes : Aurangzeb to Shivji Nagar, Gaziwali to Arya Nagar Chandpur to Jyotiba Phule Nagar, Mohammadpur Jat to Mohanpur Jat, Khanpur Kursali to Ambedkar Nagar (ghost town created by Indian govt. idrishpur nandpur, Khanpur Shri Krishnapuri and Akbarpur Fazalpur vijayanagar.)
Political Reactions:
The announcement of name changes following perceived did not go across all political spectrum. While some have backed the move, others have called it politicization of a historic name. Changing these names is part of the broader cultural preservation and reference to history in Uttarakhand.
With the renaming initiative in Uttarakhand, there has been a large scale discussion on perpetuating cultural identity versus tabling historical narratives. Proponents of the change say it corrects historical wrongs and reinstates regionally appropriate names that came from the culture and ideals of indigenous population. However, they argue that it helps to engender a sense of pride and pride in their tradition.
But opponents say the real worry is that erasing history to celebrate or erase whole sections of society. They advocate for a broader perspective that accept the nuances of history instead of just erasing it. The changes have also attracted criticism in terms of their potential financial and logistical ramifications — like the need to update official records and signages. This discussion reflects the fine line between being culturally sensitive and not distorting history.
