Why was Bombay changed to Mumbai?

Answer 1

India was formerly colonised by the British, and gaining independence is something that Indians are proud of. It is remnant of the British era that a large number of cities and towns still have Anglicised names, as probably the British could not pronounce the original Indian names or just didn't try.

Recent conservative movements have seen a major push towards replacing all the Anglicised names with the original Indian ones. These have major repercussions, but the concerned state Governments have decided to go ahead anyway.

Some of the Back-to-Indian names are Mumbai (Bombay), Chennai (Madras), Kolkata (Calcutta), Kochi (Cochin) and in the pipeline is Bengaluru (Bangalore).

Some instances where the change of name have not been brought into effect are in airline destination coded. So Mumbai is still BOM, and Chennai is still MAA.

It is national pride that has brought about the change, as India has now become comfortable enough on the international stage to tell the world 'Tough if you don't know how to pronounce our names'.

Hope this helps..

Answer 2

Yes the names such as Bombay, Calcutta etc were imposed by the colonial rulers (the British) who in many cases just simplified and Anglicised the spelling of the place names that the Indians used. There have been moves made over the last 10-20 years to restate them in the more authentic local spellings or in some cases change the name totally back to the original. Its a laudable move but seems on one level a bit pointless as they have to state the British version as well so it takes up twice as much room/time! Maybe over time we will get to a point where people will be able to say Mumbai and not have to refer to formerly know as Bombay etc. They will eventually also have to change the airlines' airport codes - Mumbai airport has the code BOM for example and Kolkata has the code CCU

Answer 3

The appellation Mumbai is an eponym, etymologically derived from Mumba or Maha-Amba— the name of the Hindu goddess Mumbadevi, and Aai — mother in Marathi.[3] In the 16th century, the Portuguese named the area Bom Bahia (Good Bay), later corrupted to Bomaím or Bombaim, by which it is still known in Portuguese. After the British gained possession, it was anglicised to Bombay, although it was known as Mumbai or Mambai to Marathi and Gujarati-speakers, and as Bambai in Hindi, Urdu, and Persian.[4] The name was officially changed to Mumbai in 1995, but the former name is still used by many of the city's inhabitants and famous institutions.

Answer 4

Mumbai was the original Indian name it had before the Age of Colonialism. The name Bombay was English, not Indian.

Answer 5

The original town was named after "MumbaiDevi" which is a Marathi word. The Brits Bastardized and anglicized the name to Bombay. The City is currently overrun by more non-native Marathis than Mrathi speakers. The Marathis wanted a sense of identity -- they are represented by a local political party called Shiv Sena. They put the new name into effect when they last gained political power.

Answer 6

The appellation Mumbai is an eponym, etymologically derived from Mumba or Maha-Amba— the name of the Hindu goddess Mumbadevi, and Aai — mother in Marathi. In the 16th century, the Portuguese named the area Bom Bahia (Good Bay), later corrupted to Bomaím or Bombaim, by which it is still known in Portuguese. After the British gained possession, it was anglicised to Bombay, although it was known as Mumbai or Mambai to Marathi and Gujarati-speakers, and as Bambai in Hindi, Urdu, and Persian. The name was officially changed to Mumbai in 1995, but the former name is still used by many of the city's inhabitants and famous institutions.

Answer 7

In my opinion,I prefer if they just left Bombay alone,whoever changed it. DUH...not all there.The name MUMBAI kinda sucks.
BOMBAY ROCKS, it goes very well along with the rest of the world.
I hope one day, they will not change the universe to booniverse.

Answer 8

The Indian politicians could not change the Bombay for good they changed its name. That is what they are capable of doing, something that is neither good for the country nor for its people. Take for example Madras to Chennai, Calcutta to Kolkatha. They can claim that they have changed India

Answer 9

mumbai is marathi name where as bombay was the name of britishers

Answer 10

All I can think of is that it's the original Hindi name of the City - kind of a Peking/Beijing type of thing. I had no idea until the horrific train accident last month. I'm not used to Beijung yet!