After all, we still call Lisboa Lisbon and Nippon Japan, and the French still call London Londres.... Wasn't Bombay just the English version?
2006-10-23 00:29:51 · 10 answers · asked by Alyosha 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
Mumbai is the name in the local dialect. It has become more popular as Mumbai gained in importance as a business centre (especially in IT).
It is a bit tough to read for an outsider. You call Mumbai, you get there everyone being locals call it Mumbai - but then you get to another part of the country and they prefer to call it Bombay because theirs in not the same dialect.
Such examples abound in the world, though they're lesser known. San Sebastian, in Spain, located in the Basque Country which has long used terrorism to seek independence from Spain, is called "San Sebastian" in Spanish, and "Donostia" in Basque. Depending on the circle you're in while in the Basque country, it can vary between funny and major faux-pas to say "San Sebastian" (or Donostia, for that matter).
I don't think there are any rules. But just think of another example, Beijing, which used to be Peking. But again, it still IS Peking, depending on which Chinese dialect you speak - only that dialect has lost importance.
2006-10-23 00:42:23 · answer #1 · answered by AntoineBachmann 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
When the British took over India, they could not pronounce certain Indian words the way they should have been. So they picked their own pronunciations. After the independence in 1947, India has been struggling hard to become completely Independent and get back to her old glory after forgetting the British reminiscences. Renaming the names of various cities back to their original shapes has been a part of this movement.
The changes in any of the names are not sudden. They are the results of repeated demands made by the common/local people of that particular city/state over a period of time.
A lot of cultural emotions are attached to these changes.So if the people of Bombay want their city to be called Mumbai, I think we should honor their feelings and call Bombay Mumbai.
2006-10-23 04:49:53 · answer #2 · answered by Ashok Pipal (India) 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It changed because Bombay was the name from the days of the British Empire in India. Other Indian cities have changed as well:
Madras, now Chennai
Calcutta, now Kolkata
There are others, can't remember them all.
2006-10-23 03:00:03 · answer #3 · answered by Katya-Zelen 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Like Deep Purple: Toe-kay-yo
2016-05-22 00:44:46 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mumbai is it's proper name. We renamed it Bombay when we conalised India, it has now rightfully been given it's proper name back.
2006-10-23 00:32:14 · answer #5 · answered by RRM 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You say Bombay, I say Mumbai
Let's call the whole thing off
and good riddance
2006-10-23 00:44:36 · answer #6 · answered by zoomjet 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its changed because of religious as well as regional concerns.
People chose to adopt the old name as it was homely and also because it was derived from the name of a Hindu godess Mumba.
Thank You.
2006-10-23 00:34:11 · answer #7 · answered by Rock 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
because the Boms went out and the Mums came in hehehehe
2006-10-23 05:02:40 · answer #8 · answered by Izzy10 S 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
lucky it wasn't change by a dyslexic or it could have been "Bumbai", with an airport code of BUM.
2006-10-23 00:44:37 · answer #9 · answered by hog4ubaby 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
good grief...they'll be wanting to change Peking next!
2006-10-23 00:40:01 · answer #10 · answered by mainwoolly 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋