Every successive ruler wants to leave their mark on the land they occupied and Allahabad is no different. Even the historic Istanbul had few name changes, originally a fishing village called Byzantium during Greeks era, Augusta Antonia and New Rome during the Romans reign then Constantinople in the honour of Constantine the Great and lastly the present during the Ottomans.
Provided the general public appreciate and the history resonates with the meaning and origin of the name then it should be welcomed. But trust BBC to come up with ‘alt’ argument as usual in their ever-unsated appetite to make the Muslims (wherever in the World) look ‘victims’ as per this link which appeared online under the crying title ‘Allahabad: The name change that killed my city’s soul’
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-46015589
As a British Hindu and someone who also grew up in sprawling Bombay in 1960s, I know a thing or two about connection the media makes between religion and politics. BBC have, relentlessly since Modiji’s win and becoming the most popular PM been trying to underscore his achievements by always referring his government as ‘right wing Hindu nationalist’, Hindu being the key word. When the Mughals ruled India there were no proper records of the atrocities they carried out, the zakat they levied and how hundreds of thousands were forced to convert.
They changed the names of places, converted temples into mosques giving Muslim identity to what was and is naturally a Hindu nation. I am sure any protestors would have been hanged and they had to accept the brutal change just to survive.
The reporter brings in the protagonists in the form of couple of Muslims (so obvious) arguing that Prayag Raj was not a sprawling city. Probably, but that was the original name representing the confluence of three holy rivers. It has nothing to do with the expansion which is predictable when a ruler settles it as admin hub no different to Delhi or London. Would this reporter hypothetically be speaking objected to Akbar on the basis that it is one of the four holiest of Indian cities where the Kumbh mela takes place.
The current Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath has taken the right step on the anniversary of Akbar to affect the name change.
History is written by the Victor and unfair history can be reversed by the next Victor so dear BBC do not try and stem the flow of what is taking place in India, a majority Hindu but secular democratic country. The articles you publish online are hardly noticed by masses of Indians and those like myself and many I represent would question your impartiality and waste of licence payer’s money to keep favouring anything Islamic or for Muslims at the cost of our peaceful religion.
Jai Hind
DESHPREMI
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