Bangalore to be known as Bengalooru

The country's IT hub would shed its anglicised name, Bangalore, and be rechristened as Bengalooru in pristine Kannada.

Likewise, 10 other cities with anglicised names across the state would also undergo a name change. Mysore would become Mysooru, Hospet Hosapete, Tumkur Tumakuru, Bellary Ballary, Shimoga Shivamogga, Chikamagalur Chikamagalooru, Mangalore Mangalooru, Belgaum Belagavi, Gulbarga Kalburgi and Hubli Hubballi.

The decision on renaming was announced by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy to synchronise with the golden jubilee of founding of Karnataka at a function here yesterday.

"Bangalore and several other cities have Kannada names, but they have been anglicised in usage. It has also become a topic of debate. On this happy occasion of the golden jubilee, I am glad to announce the change in names", he said.

"The process has already been initiated," Kumaraswamy said as the year-long celebrations to mark the state's golden jubilee unfolded in all its splendour with an array of cultural programmes at the Chinnaswamy cricket stadium.

Bangalore, with a cosmopolitan tag, is home to giant global firms and considered India's IT capital with Karnataka alone accounting for about one third of country's software exports, mostly from the city which is seeing a change in its cultural and class profiles bred by the booming software sector.