The T20 cricket team from the city of Belgaum in the Karnataka Premier League calls itself the Belagavi Panthers. It is the only team in the league that refers to the vernacular, non-Anglicised version of its district name, with the others naming themselves Mysore (not Mysuru) Warriors, Hubli (not Hubballi) Tigers and so on. The main university in Belgaum is called the Rani Chennama University, Belagavi. The name has also at times made an appearance on national highway signs.
Siddaramaiah couldn’t have chosen a better time to push through a proposal that has been on the backburner for more than eight years. Writer UR Ananthamurthy first suggested the renaming in 2005 to Dharam Singh, who was then chief minister, along with name changes for Bangalore and ten other cities. The central government withheld its approval after Maharashtra opposed the name change on the grounds that its border dispute with Karnataka over some villages in Belgaum district was pending before the Supreme Court.
A flashpoint
Siddaramaiah will hope to emerge a hero to the cause of Kannada and Karnataka by consolidating the state’s hold over Belgaum with the name change. The border district that has Kannada and Marathi-speaking populations has been a flashpoint between Karnataka and Maharashtra since the formation of the states almost six decades ago, with protests, clashes, and displays of loyalty for either state every now and then. The Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti is a Belgaum-based organisation with the single point agenda of getting Belgaum declared a part of Maharashtra that has often been the central entity in such incidents. In July, the MES got into skirmishes with the police after it repeatedly installed signboards in Belgaum’s Yellur village that claimed it was part of Maharashtra.
“This time Siddaramaiah has taken a bold decision, knowing that he, unlike Dharam Singh, has a majority government in the state and the MES attempts at re-bordering the border villages has been thwarted,” said Harish Ramaswamy, a political science professor at Karnatak University in Dharwad.
Building the Rs 400-crore Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belgaum, a smaller version of the Bangalore’s Vidhana Soudha, was Karnatka’s earlier attempt to mark the city as its own. The second seat of the secretariat was inaugurated in 2012 and been host to a couple of legislative sessions.
“It’s a game to expand political bases and Siddaramaiah will want to control Maratha chauvinism in Belgaum,” said Muzaffar Assadi, professor of political science at Mysore University. In 2006, the Maharashtra government filed a petition in the Supreme Court for some villages in Belgaum to be transferred to Maharashtra. The case is still pending. Karnataka doesn’t have to wait for the Supreme Court verdict and has the prerogative to change the district’s name, asserts Assadi. He also believes that the BJP-led government at the centre, which has to approve the decision, will play ball to safeguard the party’s interests in Karnataka. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasised good relations between the centre and states and argued for more power to state governments, all points that Siddaramaiah can capitalise on.
Waning support
The MES has declared its opposition to the renaming and although its something of a force to be reckoned with, its support has been eroded. Even though MES-backed have won many mayoral elections and currently control the city corporation, Siddaramaiah is considering banning the organisation. The Shiv Sena has often supported the Marathi cause in Belgaum but is on the back foot now after its falling out with the BJP. The Maharshtra Navnirman Sena, which usually champions Marathi pride everywhere, has been detached about Belgaum. MNS chief Raj Thackeray has declared that renaming Belgaum is Karnataka’s internal issue.
“Siddaramaiah is also trying to build up his image,” Assadi said. "He wanted to emerge as a second Devaraj Urs. The moment he succeeds in renaming Belgaum into Belagavi, his celebrity will increase He believes that renaming is import to complete the process of decolonisation, to reclaim the history the region."
But life will change little for people living in Belgaum after it is officially named Belagavi. The city’s residents are almost all bilingual who switch easily between Kannada and Marathi. The population uses dialects that co-opt words from one language into the other. Using both versions of the district's name is no different. “If I read a thesis from Rani Chennamma University, many of them write ‘Belagavi’ in Kannada and English but when they speak they say ‘Belgaum’,” said Ramaswamy.
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Belagavi, commonly used in north Karnataka to refer to Belgaum city, is on the verge of becoming its official name. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced last week that he would get the name changed by November 1, when the state celebrates Rajyostva to mark its formation.
Siddaramaiah couldn’t have chosen a better time to push through a proposal that has been on the backburner for more than eight years. Writer UR Ananthamurthy first suggested the renaming in 2005 to Dharam Singh, who was then chief minister, along with name changes for Bangalore and ten other cities. The central government withheld its approval after Maharashtra opposed the name change on the grounds that its border dispute with Karnataka over some villages in Belgaum district was pending before the Supreme Court.
A flashpoint
Siddaramaiah will hope to emerge a hero to the cause of Kannada and Karnataka by consolidating the state’s hold over Belgaum with the name change. The border district that has Kannada and Marathi-speaking populations has been a flashpoint between Karnataka and Maharashtra since the formation of the states almost six decades ago, with protests, clashes, and displays of loyalty for either state every now and then. The Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti is a Belgaum-based organisation with the single point agenda of getting Belgaum declared a part of Maharashtra that has often been the central entity in such incidents. In July, the MES got into skirmishes with the police after it repeatedly installed signboards in Belgaum’s Yellur village that claimed it was part of Maharashtra.
“This time Siddaramaiah has taken a bold decision, knowing that he, unlike Dharam Singh, has a majority government in the state and the MES attempts at re-bordering the border villages has been thwarted,” said Harish Ramaswamy, a political science professor at Karnatak University in Dharwad.
Building the Rs 400-crore Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belgaum, a smaller version of the Bangalore’s Vidhana Soudha, was Karnatka’s earlier attempt to mark the city as its own. The second seat of the secretariat was inaugurated in 2012 and been host to a couple of legislative sessions.
“It’s a game to expand political bases and Siddaramaiah will want to control Maratha chauvinism in Belgaum,” said Muzaffar Assadi, professor of political science at Mysore University. In 2006, the Maharashtra government filed a petition in the Supreme Court for some villages in Belgaum to be transferred to Maharashtra. The case is still pending. Karnataka doesn’t have to wait for the Supreme Court verdict and has the prerogative to change the district’s name, asserts Assadi. He also believes that the BJP-led government at the centre, which has to approve the decision, will play ball to safeguard the party’s interests in Karnataka. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasised good relations between the centre and states and argued for more power to state governments, all points that Siddaramaiah can capitalise on.
Waning support
The MES has declared its opposition to the renaming and although its something of a force to be reckoned with, its support has been eroded. Even though MES-backed have won many mayoral elections and currently control the city corporation, Siddaramaiah is considering banning the organisation. The Shiv Sena has often supported the Marathi cause in Belgaum but is on the back foot now after its falling out with the BJP. The Maharshtra Navnirman Sena, which usually champions Marathi pride everywhere, has been detached about Belgaum. MNS chief Raj Thackeray has declared that renaming Belgaum is Karnataka’s internal issue.
“Siddaramaiah is also trying to build up his image,” Assadi said. "He wanted to emerge as a second Devaraj Urs. The moment he succeeds in renaming Belgaum into Belagavi, his celebrity will increase He believes that renaming is import to complete the process of decolonisation, to reclaim the history the region."
But life will change little for people living in Belgaum after it is officially named Belagavi. The city’s residents are almost all bilingual who switch easily between Kannada and Marathi. The population uses dialects that co-opt words from one language into the other. Using both versions of the district's name is no different. “If I read a thesis from Rani Chennamma University, many of them write ‘Belagavi’ in Kannada and English but when they speak they say ‘Belgaum’,” said Ramaswamy.