It's all in the name

The politics of 'naming' is a culture embedded in the Indian democracy and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is a veteran at that. So, on the day of Mahalaya, three days after the city's longest flyover was officially inaugurated by Banerjee, Kolkata residents woke up to full-page newspaper advertisements announcing it would be called 'Ma'. Originally named Parama Flyover - as it connects Parama Island with Park Circus - the rechristening followed instructions from the CM's office. This opened the floodgates of conjecture, as people began speculating that the two flanks of the flyover would be called 'Mati' and 'Manush', fulfilling Banerjee's wish of leaving her signature on the city's most recent architecture. Since coming to power, she has taken it upon herself to name and rename roads, metro stations, flyovers and bridges of Kolkata, prompting a senior state government official to say, "Like every Bengali, Kolkata landmarks now have a bhalo naam (official name) and a daak naam (pet name)."