Is Mumbai the new name for Bombay? Probably a *stupid* question

[Mind_your_head]

but I haven't been on DU/checking the news AT ALL today, until now (and it's just a quick peek b/c I'm off to bed b/c I have to get up in 5 hours to stuff & cook a turkey)......

I did see this though, which leads me to ask the question about Mumbai/Bombay:

Mumbai (Marathi: मुंबई, Mumbaī, IPA:<ˈmumbəi> (help·info)), formerly Bombay

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumbai

[regnaD kciN]

1. It's the same city...

...but, to put it more accurately, "Bombay" was an Anglicization of Mumbai -- just as "Peking" was of Beijing, for example.

[indie_voter]

4. exactly, India is going back to the names of yore. chennai = madras

Mumbai is Bombay, etc.

[backscatter712]

6. Yep. They switched to the Hindi names...

instead of the British names for their major cities. Bombay is Mumbai, Calcutta is Kolkata, Madras is Chennai...

[cemaphonic]

19. actually the weird thing is that it was an Anglicization of *Portuguese.*

The Portuguese either got the name from the local deity that the city is now named after, or just named it after its harbor.

[XemaSab]

2. Yes, same city, different name

n/t

[Mind_your_head]

3. Thank you. Got it! n/t

[meowomon]

5. Yes, but don't feel bad

I only knew it from watching The Amazing Race.

[Quantess]

7. Is there a US city whose name is similarly bastardized in another language?

I'm sure there must be several...
Does anyone know?

[Doctor Cynic]

8. Yes.

In Chinese the name for San Francisco is "Jiu Jin Shan", or Old Golden Mountain, which harkens back to the Gold Rush of 1849. "New Golden Mountain" referred to Melbourne during the Australian gold rush, but that is not used anymore.

The name for Honolulu in Japanese and other Asian languages means "Mountain of Sandalwood Incense".

Philadelphia is just referred to as if it were Philly in Chinese.

[indie_voter]

9. This is a little different, it was officially named Bombay by the Europeans

After Partition, India didn't rename it's cities until 1996. India itself isn't "right" either.

Bhārat is it's Hindi name. I've often wondered if they would rename the whole country at some point, but I don't think they will.

[Hissyspit]

11. Do you know what Bharat means in Hindi? "India" comes from Hindi itself

meaning the Indi, Indus - river, waters that are the origin of life.

[indie_voter]

13. Yes, but Bharat (official sanskrit name is Bharata) is India. Shakuntala's son as the founder.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etymology_of_the_names_of_India


Shankuntala's son's name was Bharat

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakuntala


eta: If I had a second boy, I was going to name him Bharat, because Shakuntala was my favorite Indian comic book growing up. But alas I didn't... D'oh!


LOL.

[Hissyspit]

14. Ah, I have missed this part of India's history.

I have a basic history of the different cultures and empires over the past four millennia or so, but don't necessarily have a good grasp on the mythology, or the veda. My brother, who is doing doctoral work in South Asian culture, explained the difference in the the religious and secular texts (I'm sure I'm not putting that right), but I still get confused.

He gave me a comic book from India on the history of Delhi that I have right in front of me. In the back is an advertisement for "Tinkle" comics.

It amazes me that I didn't have a good grasp, despite all my education, on the history and nature of Islam until I was about 30 or so.

[indie_voter]

16. I'm Indian by heritage. I grew up reading Amar Chitra Katha in the early 70s

I read the comics first (along with my DC Superman and Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane) and then the prose.

When we used to visit my grandparents in India I used to go to the local shops for the latest comic books.

So I know this stuff because it's part of my family history...

It was very important to my grandparents that my siblings and I understood where we came from along side with our American roots. I didn't appreciate it at the time, but now, at 44 I understand why it mattered to them.

I've been reading the Mahabharata and Ramayana to my kids (my old comic books! ;) ) . We're non theists (as were my parents) but the stories are rich. As are the Upanishads.

[Hissyspit]

17. Yes, this is an Amar Chitra Katha comic. Kind of reminds me of the Classics Illustrated comics

I used to get as a kid.

Titles they publish:

"Stories of Shiva"
"Tales of Humour"
"Further Stories from the Jatakas"
"Great Freedom Fighters"
etc.

You can get them online at http://www.AmarChitraKatha.com

[indie_voter]

20. I've got tons of them. I've seen them on-line too

I'm glad because mine are worn to the nub, and my son has been reading the Mahabharata ones.

eta: loved Classic Illustrated too!

I still read comic books to this day! Hence my avatar... ;)

[Hissyspit]

21. Duh, I didn't even make that connection.

I've been thinking about collecting DC's "Kamandi." I think there are some compilations that might not be too cheap. I always wanted to collect them as a kid, but never got around to it.

All I have now is my complete "Howard The Duck" originals and complete "Cerebus" originals (although I don't think I have #1 or #2).

[indie_voter]

22. Virgin Comics produced Ramayan Reloaded and other Indian influenced stories

until last August. I was sad to see it go.

I've been reading Superman, JSA, JLA, Batman, Wonder Woman,etc for what seems like forever. I'm not happy with the Final Crisis.

[Hissyspit]

23. The room with all the comic books in the Pop Culture museum in Baltimore

I forget the name, it's next to the Oriole's stadium, is a lot fun, examples of comic book (or picture narrative) history back to the Renaissance. Lots of original art, like Windsor McKay, etc. If you ever get a chance to go, it is worth it.

[indie_voter]

24. cool ! thanks! SF has a cartoon art museum

http://www.cartoonart.org/

it's a fun visit too.

[pnwmom]

26. Non-Hindis might object to changing the name to a Hindi name.

The one good thing about English in India is that it became a common language in a country with hundreds of competing languages and dialects.

[silverojo]

10. See how they're written/spoken in, say, Japanese or Korean

Those languages are based on syllables, instead of individual letters as our language is. So additional vowel sounds must be added to make them pronounceable.

In Japanese, for instance:

New York = Nyuu Yohku
Los Angeles = Rasu Anjerisu

What really makes me cringe, though, is how we destroy the word "karaoke". Carry-oh-ki? It's ka-ra-oh-ke, peeps! :crazy:

[Hissyspit]

12. Yes, that always bugged me about "carry O kee."

Americans don't usually say Okinawa correctly either.

[charlie]

15. Sookie yakkie

Karahtee

Sahkee

The Japanese are no slouches themselves at mangling English for everyday use, though. Terebi for television, for example. And they had a perfectly servicable word in Benjo, but dumped it for Toi-reh.

[Richard D]

27. Most of the cities in the southwest and west coast ,. ., .

. . . have Spanish names. The spelling isn't bastardized, but the pronunciation most often is.

Also, the original name for Los Angeles was El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de la Porciúncula.

[Mari333]

18. check out the weather report from mumbai

http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/local/INXX0087?from=search_city

[Jack_DeLeon]

25. Istanbul = Constantinople

guess they just liked it better that way.

[Edweird]

30. That's nobody's business but the Turks. Even old New York was once New Amsterdam

:7

[carlgardner]

28. It's a questionable change

Democrats shouldn't be too ready to assume the change to "Mumbai" is either an authentic reversion to an original name, or that it's a laudable, liberal, anti-colonial measure. The change was made when the state government was run by really nasty Hindu nationalists, the Shiv Sena, the leader of whom, Bal Thackeray, was in trouble when I was last in India for having said nice things about Hitler. Mumbai is the Marathi name for the city: instead of being happy with everyone calling the city whatever they liked in their own language ("Bambai", in Hindi, say, and "Bombay" in English), the nationalists wanted to impose the Marathi name on all minorities, and foreigners, in their own languages. Why would they want to do that? The whole idea of politicians being able to impose their preferred names on places in all languages is a strange and dictatorial one, if you think about it - does Bloomberg try to ban people from saying "Nueva York"?

The change does not have good liberal credentials, in my view. I insist on saying Bombay, myself, and risk being thought of as some kind of British Empire nostalgic, just to support the idea of a secular, multicultural India. Readers may be interested in this paper by Kenny Easwaran about the politics of these name changes.

[carlgardner]

31. Or try...

... this, if you want to know what Thackray's like and what this name change is about.

[Edweird]

29. All I know is that when I read 'Mumbai', I think of J. Peterman on Seinfeld.

I can't help it.....

[Kire]

32. The general scratches his belly and thinks

The general scratches his belly and thinks
His pay is good but his officers stink
Guerilla girl, hard and sweet
A military man would love to meet
The president looks in the mirror and speaks
His shirts are clean but his country reeks
Unpaid bills, in afghanistan hills

Bombs away
But were o.k.
Bombs away
In old bombay

The general only wants to teach france to dance
His army life doesnt give him any romance
Guerilla girl, hard and sweet
A military man would love to meet
The general scratches his belly and thinks
His pay is good but his company stinks
Guerilla girl, hard and sweet
A military man would love to meet

Bombs away
But were o.k.
Bombs away
In old bombay
Bombs away
But were o.k.
Bombs away
In old bombay
Bombs away
But were o.k.
Bombs away
In old bombay
Bombs away
But were o.k.
Bombs away
In old bombay

[Recursion]

33. "Mumbai" is how they have always *said* it

We have somewhat recently updated our spelling to match that.