CHANGING NAMES
The adage, ‘What’s in the name’ though has a different meaning but in actual name of a thing, person or a place has much significance and therefore right perspective is needed to look into the issue. It is good that the Jammu Municipal Corporation has been mulling to rationalize the names of places in the right perspective as the City Chowk which was non-relevant in present context was renamed as Bharat Mata Chowk connecting the population with the greatness of the country especially the young generation which under the so-called modern education system is losing interest in the things of the past because for them India, the name given by non-aboriginals has become more important than the indigenous Bharat. It is good that the JMC has been taking pain to recreate Jammu in way which is apt and best for the people who reside in temple city. In this context, JMC has passed a resolution to change the name of two Chowks in the area. The Sheikh Nagar will be known as Shivnagar, and Amphalla Chowk will now be known as Hanuman Chowk. This vital announcement was made by none other than the Mayor Jammu Chander Mohan Gupta, who is leading the tirade in transforming Jammu in a way it should be and for this initiative, he deserved kudos. There are more places in the region which need to be renamed as per their glorious past and the rich legacy and for this JMC and other civic bodies in the Jammu region should go for a painstaking exercise to restore the lost pristine glory of places and monuments. As there could be no better name that Bharat Mata Chowk for the place in the heart of temple city and the one getting the new name of Hanuman Chowk, it is also imperative for the people to start recognizing these places with new names and shun the bygone era names which have no relevance. In this way, Jewel Chowk also deserves a new and relevant name because the cinema hall on which the name of this crossing was famous for has already been dismantled thus paving way for a new and appropriate name to be publicized as soon as possible. The evaluation for the names of places should be the continuous process as being the tourist place, it can be helpful for the visitors to remember the places with the right logic and right manifestation.