WHATS IN A NAME

RISATA GHAAV

When USA won its independence from Britain on 4th July 1776, the first thing they did was to destroy the entire culture, rules, infrastructure and even the language of English. *_Wiping out every proof of invasion._*

Today a modern American does not even know who they won their independence from.

You don’t celebrate the birthdays of your partners who you got a divorce from due to an abusive relationship, you don’t keep the last name of your partner, you go back to your madian names. You keep the alimony and destroy everything that reminds of him or her because it hurts your sentiments.

*It’s that simple.*

*_That’s what India and Indians are doing to their city names and culture that does not belong to it._*

What is in a name?

When communists came to power in East Germany after the WW2, the first thing they did was to change the names of a number of streets and towns.

*Chemnitz was renamed as Karl-Marx Stadt.*

*Leipzig University was renamed as Karl-Marx University.*

*Streets all across East Germany were named after Lenin, Stalin, Ernst Thälmann, Rosa Luxembourg, Marx, Engels and other Marxists.*

*Statues of communist leaders were erected across East Germany.*

.

Again when Germany was unified in 1991, most of the names were changed to their pre-WW2 names by the government of *unified Germany. Statues of Lenin and Stalin were demolished across East Germany. Streets and Alleys of East Germany were renamed.*

We can go on and on with numerous examples from West and World over .

If there is nothing in a name, why did the invaders at the first place, *change the names of Prayagraj to Allahabad, Karnavati to Ahmedabad, Ishwarpur to Islampur, Hanumanpur to Humayunpur, etc….?*

Irrespective of how liberal you are, will you name your son as Kans or Duryodhan?

Will you name your daughter as Shurpanakha or Pootna ?

Why do parents name their daughters Aditi, and not Diti ?

Why do parents name their sons Arjuna and not Shakuni?

Forget the characters from scriptures, will anybody name their kids “paraajay (defeat)”? However, Vijay is a common name.

Will anyone name their children “Daanav” ? However, Dev is a common name.

*_Let us Stop acting like a fool in the name of appearing cool. Have some respect for our ancestry and forefathers, who faced the oppression of invaders – first Islamic and then British_*  – *but still managed to pass their traditions, culture, customs and faith despite all the odds.*

*_Have some self-respect about our identity, about our existence and about our past!!!_*

Our cities were named Prayagraj, Karnavati, Ishwarpur, Hanumanpur, Lakshmannagar, etc. our forefathers were killed, our ancestors raped, murdered and oppressed by those who established these very signs. Have some pride. Have some self-respect. Spare some thoughts for your ancestors and what they braved when the *barbaric invaders* were trying their best to behead, convert and rape your forefathers.

They never compromised with their pride.

They never compromised with their ideals.

They never gave up their identity.

They never relinquished their dharma.

*_If we troll, ridicule, loathe, mock and make fun when those very symbols of oppression & tyranny are being erased one by one,_* *there is something severely wrong with our identity!!!!!* There is everything in a name. *It stands for our identity.* It represents our culture, our heritage, the values that our society stands for, and the icons the soc