2008 Woodie Awards
'Where are we exactly?'
Blog dispatch from students in India
Joshua Treybig
Issue: 7/14/08 Section: summer in india
Posted Aug. 9, 2008
Particularly interesting to me is the globalization aspect of our course, and India is such an amazing place to study it. The differing realities we've all been hearing and talking about are so apparent. India is caught in an interesting place in the postcolonial world--torn between a desire to shed itself of the British oppression of the past but also so greatly longing to for a Western.
All this made me think a lot about, where are we exactly? Are we in a "Western" Bombay or an "Eastern" Mumbai?
I keep having a debate in my head about whether to call this city Bombay or Mumbai. I want to call it Bombay because that is what most people call it. Naming is a tricky thing in a postcolonial environment. That is the main reason I want to call the city Mumbai, as a part of the postcolonial project. We've learned Bombay is basically an English derivative of Portuguese for "good bay" because of the harbor here. The city was called Mumbai by the Marathi, the native people of this state and by the Gujarti, the people of the state to the northwest. Through the colonial period, Bombay became the most commonly used name, but in the 1990s they officially changed the name to Mumbai in this postcolonial project. While I'm in favor of calling the city Mumbai because that is what the indigenous people call it, I also feel like maybe calling it what the citizens of the city want to call it is the correct choice. And I'm sure the philosopher in my mind won't let this debate die. I'll probably keep interchangeably using both and keep considering its use each time.
Another interesting naming project is that of the whole country. There are basically three names for India: India, Hindustan, and Bharat. India is rarely used by Indians as far as I can tell when they are speaking Hindi, so it's basically the English name. Bharat is, I suppose the "real" name of the country and is found on different registrations.
Particularly interesting to me is the globalization aspect of our course, and India is such an amazing place to study it. The differing realities we've all been hearing and talking about are so apparent. India is caught in an interesting place in the postcolonial world--torn between a desire to shed itself of the British oppression of the past but also so greatly longing to for a Western.
All this made me think a lot about, where are we exactly? Are we in a "Western" Bombay or an "Eastern" Mumbai?
I keep having a debate in my head about whether to call this city Bombay or Mumbai. I want to call it Bombay because that is what most people call it. Naming is a tricky thing in a postcolonial environment. That is the main reason I want to call the city Mumbai, as a part of the postcolonial project. We've learned Bombay is basically an English derivative of Portuguese for "good bay" because of the harbor here. The city was called Mumbai by the Marathi, the native people of this state and by the Gujarti, the people of the state to the northwest. Through the colonial period, Bombay became the most commonly used name, but in the 1990s they officially changed the name to Mumbai in this postcolonial project. While I'm in favor of calling the city Mumbai because that is what the indigenous people call it, I also feel like maybe calling it what the citizens of the city want to call it is the correct choice. And I'm sure the philosopher in my mind won't let this debate die. I'll probably keep interchangeably using both and keep considering its use each time.
Another interesting naming project is that of the whole country. There are basically three names for India: India, Hindustan, and Bharat. India is rarely used by Indians as far as I can tell when they are speaking Hindi, so it's basically the English name. Bharat is, I suppose the "real" name of the country and is found on different registrations.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 17
erica webster
Erica Webster
posted 8/13/08 @ 7:11 AM PST
i have the same problem. Mumbai or Bombay? before we arrived, i felt that it should be called mumbai as a matter of principle and a celebration of independent identity, etc, but ive been lapsing into "Bombay" because everyone else calls it that. (Continued…)
Melissa Heintz
posted 8/13/08 @ 7:34 AM PST
I thought that Hindustan meant land of the Hindus too. Its also interesting that the river it's named after is in Pakistan. The different names are definitely a reflection of the different realities seen throughout the country. (Continued…)
Jordan Belmonte
posted 8/13/08 @ 7:36 AM PST
hahhaa, wait are you a philosophy major? This post was so Josh, you just know a lot abotu everything, and its a very interesting subject, I notice myself always making a concious decision about what to call it when I say its name to others or type it in my blog. (Continued…)
Veronica Martin
posted 8/13/08 @ 7:45 AM PST
the battle between the two names continues with me... i always pause before uttering either Bombay or Mumbai. before coming i would always correct people when they said Bombay instead of Mumbai, upon return, i won't be so ready to so do. (Continued…)
Kassi Rodgers
posted 8/13/08 @ 8:07 AM PST
I agree that I find it slightly confusing when I'm in specific academic situations whether I should refer to it has Mumbai or Bombay. I also feel that my particular mood at a given point determines what label I choose to give this amazing place. (Continued…)
Sean Milton
posted 8/13/08 @ 8:13 AM PST
I like calling it Bombay instead of Mumbai because it sounds more authentic to me; plus most of the people we meet use the former more.
Laurel Saito
posted 8/13/08 @ 8:36 AM PST
This is an interesting topic. Before coming here I couldn't figure out the significance of the name. I thought, "Well, it's the same place, so what's the difference?" But only now do we all realize the multiple layers of this name and city. (Continued…)
Lauren Padgett
posted 8/13/08 @ 10:49 AM PST
I call it Bombay. It's Bombay. I feel Bombay in my speaking, it flows easily off the tongue, and, more importantly, it's the common understanding of this city. (Continued…)
Alyss Tsukayama
posted 8/13/08 @ 10:54 AM PST
I've been calling it Bombay since the beginning. I tried saying Mumbai but no one knew what i was talking about. i guess the name just hasn't made a lasting impression yet. (Continued…)
Jessica Miller
Jessica Miller
posted 8/13/08 @ 1:34 PM PST
I have just given up with the whole naming thing... it is Bombai or Mumbay to me. I agree with you that the multiple names and history of this multifaceted city do blend nicely into one lovely India. (Continued…)
Post a Comment