Bhubaneswar: With Odisha government proposing to change the English spellings of names for 24 places in the state, demand for similar modifications gained momentum in several other cities and districts.
A day after the state government issued a public notice for change of the English spellings of names, it was pointed out that names of certain other cities and districts also need to be modified to more accurately align them with their original Odia pronunciations and preserve the region’s linguistic, historical, and cultural heritage.
It was stated that spelling anomalies continue to persist in several other places in the state. Residents of several districts have begun pressing for rectification of spellings of names for other places. At the same time, dissatisfaction has surfaced in certain quarters over the exclusion of some prominent cities from the list.
Raising the issue, residents of Cuttack sought steps to change the English spelling ‘Kataka’. Similarly, residents of Berhampur have urged the state government to change its English spelling of the city ‘Brahmapur, stating that the revised version better reflects the Odia pronunciation.
Activists have raised questions over the omission of Cuttack from the list of districts proposed for spelling change, while people in Berhampur have termed the existing English spelling inaccurate and a deviation from the city’s historical and linguistic identity.
Notably, the state government has issued notice proposing changes in the English spellings of several districts and places. These include proposal to change from Balasore to Baleshwar, Keonjhar to Kendujhar, Deogarh to Debagarh, Angul to Anugol, Nayagarh to Nayagada, Kendrapara to Kendrapada, Jatni to Jatani, Pallahara to Palalahada and Aul to Ali.
