TNN Feb 28, 2006, 01.03am IST
GUWAHATI: The northeastern state of Assam could fall off the Indian map soon. Assam is likely to become the second state, after Karnataka, to change its name after the state cabinet decided they would move to restore the traditional Asom.
A cabinet decision on Monday said the state government wanted to bring the curtain down on the 180-year-old name given by the Britishers, who found that Assam rolled off colonial tongues easier than the native Asom.
"It is now Asom," said a triumphant Himanta Biswa Sharma, the cabinet spokesman and minister of state for finance.
"The cabinet today discussed the matter and accepted the suggestion made by renown Assamese literature Chandra Prasad Saikia that state's name should be changed to Asom from Assam," he said.
However, the state cabinet cannot decree a change of name and the move must be approved at various levels at the Centre. The state government will first issue a gazette notification and then approach the Centre for a name change.
The demand for the change dates back to the days of Independence and has come up on and off with every wave of cultural resurgence.
President of Assam's highest literary body, the Asom Sahitya Sabha, Kanaksen Deka hailed the decision and said the deviation in pronunciation created by British will now be corrected.
"Madras has changed to Chennai, Bombay has become Mumbai, Calcutta became Kolkata and Gauhati has already changed to Guwahati. This is a good move by the state government," he said.
Although many Indian city names have been changed, the state to revise its name after the states reorganisation was Karnataka, previously known as Mysore.
"The word Assam was coined during the colonial period. Historically, it was Asom, but during British rule Assam Tea became so famous as a brand that colonial rulers did not attempt to correct the state's name," said Priyam Goswami, head of Gauhati University's History department.