'New Delhi' vs 'Dilli': Which side are you?
Proper nouns CAN change
Topic owner: Saumya Ranjan: This thread is to discuss the notion that some people harbor, that proper nouns like Delhi cannot change.
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Arvind Joshi
hum toh dilli ko jaantey hain...ab aap kisi naam sey pukaaro, humain kyaa..
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Saumya Ranjan
Most hmm hmm "English-educated" (read, English obsessed) Indians think that a so-called "proper noun" can never change. This is inherently wrong. Many proper nouns change from language to language. Our country is called "India" in English, "Inde" in French, "Bhaarat" in Hindi, "Indien" in German and "Al-Hind" in Arabic. Germany (in English) is called "Allemagne" in French and "Nemka" in Russian, and "Deutschland" in German. Willian (English) is called "Guillaume" in French, "Gugleimo" in Italian, "Wilhelm" in German and so on. This is a great stupidity that English-obsessed Indians harbor in their minds, that proper nouns cannot change and that the "English" version is the correct one. What boils down is, the English name of Delhi is "Delhi" and the Hindi name of Delhi is "Dilli". Both are correct, and unfortunately, we the Indians have no right to change the English lexicon. Delhi's English name will remain whatever the native speakers of English choose it to be.
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