Bombay se Mumbai tak: Naam Badalne ki Puri Kahani!
Mumbai — Bharat ke sabse bade aur mashhoor shahron mein se ek, Mumbai, ka naam hamesha se aisa nahi tha. Ek waqt tha jab ise “Bombay” ke naam se jaana jata tha. Lekin phir aaya ek faisla jisne shehar ki pehchaan hi badal di.
“Bombay” naam Portuguese aur British colonial era se juda maana jata hai. Portuguese ne 16vi sadi mein is sthaan ko “Bom Bahia” yani “Good Bay” kaha, jo baad mein angrezi prabhav ke saath “Bombay” ban gaya. British raj ke dauran yeh naam adhikarik roop se istemal hota raha.
1990 ke dashak mein, Maharashtra ki regional political party Shiv Sena ne shehar ka naam badal kar “Mumbai” karne ki maang uthayi. Party ka kehna tha ki shehar ka asli aur paramparik naam “Mumbai” hai, jo sthaniya devi Mumbadevi ke naam par pada.
1995 mein Maharashtra sarkar ne adhikarik roop se “Bombay” ka naam badal kar “Mumbai” kar diya. Iske baad dheere-dheere railway stations, airport, government documents aur anya sansthano mein bhi “Mumbai” naam ka upyog shuru ho gaya.
Naam badalne ka faisla kuch logon ke liye asmita aur sanskritik pehchaan ka prateek tha, jabki kuch anya logon ne ise sirf political decision bataya. Aaj bhi kai log aadat ke taur par “Bombay” shabd ka istemal karte hain, lekin adhikarik taur par shehar ka naam “Mumbai” hi hai.
Yeh kahani sirf ek naam badalne ki nahi, balki itihaas, rajneeti aur sthaniya garv ki kahani bhi hai — jo aaj ke Mumbai ki pehchaan ka hissa ban chuki hai.
