(Editor’s Note: This story was first published on 1 December, 2018 and is being republished from The Quint’s archives in the light of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s remark to change the name of Hyderabad to Bhagyanagar.)
Shakespeare once said, ‘what’s in a name’, but in Hyderabad, the name is everything. Just weeks before the official announcement of the Telangana Assembly Elections, BJP leader Raja Singh had said if their party is voted to power, they would rename Hyderabad.
He said Hyderabad would be rechristened as Bhagyanagar, which he claimed was the erstwhile name of the city. Singh also said the names of Secunderabad and Karimnagar would be changed.
“Earlier, Hyderabad was known as Bhagyanagar. In 1590, Quli Qutub Shah came and changed Bhagyanagar to Hyderabad. At that time, many Hindus were attacked, many temples destroyed. In Telangana, BJP will win a majority and then our first aim will be developing the state and second will be renaming Hyderabad as Bhagyanagar,” he said.
A Political Gimmick?
However, when The Quint asked the people of Hyderabad what they thought of the proposal, the answer was a resounding no. “That’s not a prime concern. That should not be the prime concern. Because changing the name doesn’t change the standard of living of the people,” said a lawyer from Hyderabad.
Chanakya, a software engineer, said the proposal was a political gimmick. “They are trying to replicate what they did in Uttar Pradesh,” he said.
However, both agreed that in case the name is changed, they might get used to it.
Bhagyanagar Biriyani?
But then came the big question, what will happen to the famous biryani of Hyderabad? Will it be called Bhagyanagar Biryani?
“Bhagyanagar Biryani! It will be so funny. Biryani will be Hyderabad Biryani. Otherwise it won’t sell. So, they will not change,” said Hari, a fashion designing student from Hyderabad.
Even Ashok, a retired private firm employee, agreed. “You can’t say that. It will sound silly. It will still be known as Hyderabad and Hyderabad biryani.”
In short, for the proposal for a name change, the answer from Hyderabad is a ‘Nakko’ (no).
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)