MANGALORE: The decision to shed the anglicised names of the cities in Karnataka has no doubt a good intention behind it, but does it matter? The citizens of Mangalore differ in their views on many issues and this issue also had a degree of disagreement though the name Mangaluru has no opposition.

The city is a multi-linguistic region where Konkanis, Tuluvas, Bearys and Kannadigas live in harmony. The Konkanis call it Kodial, Tuluvas call it Kudla, Kannadigas call it Mangaluru and the Keralites know it as Mangalapuram. The city gets its name from the Mangaladevi temple, which is said to be one of the oldest temples in the country.

When did "Mangaluru" become Mangalore? It is said that when the colonial forces marched into the coastal city after the defeat of Tipu Sultan in 1799, it became Mangalore.

Speaking to The Hindu, Minister for Medical Education V.S. Acharya said the name of Udupi had also been changed in 1969. When Dr. Acharya was the municipal president of Udupi, people had started using "Udipi" and some of the North Karnataka organisations referred to it as "Udupy".

According to president of the Dakshina Kannada District Kannada Sahitya Parishat, Pradeep Kumar Kalkura, "Mangaluru" will be apt. However, for Girish Karnad, playwright, who hails from Karnad, a suburb of Mangalore, it was a not an issue. Whatever the political leaders name the places, people would still refer to the cities and towns in their own way. It was heartening to note that the anglicised names were being given back their colloquial brands, he said.

Secretary of the Urban Development Department Subhash Chandra told The Hindu that the change in names would take sometime as it had to be approved by the State Cabinet and later would have to be cleared by the Union Home Ministry before it was gazzetted, he added.

Similarly, Uppinangady is known as Uber, Moodbidri as "Moodubidiru" (Eastern Bamboo) and Padubidri as "Padubidiru" (Western Bamboo). It will be only a matter of academic interest if the Government changes the names of these towns in Dakshina Kannada.

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