Calcutta Changes Name to Kolkata

Calcutta reverted to its indigenous name of ''Kolkata'' on Saturday, joining a growing number of Indian cities trying to shrug off their colonial legacy by bringing back their old monikers. The capital of India's West Bengal state will now be known by the Bengali version of its name, the federal government announced in a statement. New Delhi deliberated on the request for a year and a half before agreeing to the change. All government departments and agencies will have to change their names to comply with the directive, made after more than 50 years of independence from Great Britain. Bombay, India's financial capital, was renamed Mumbai more than four years ago by the Hindu nationalist Shiv Sena government. Most Indians, though, still call it Bombay. Many other cities followed its example. Madras in southern India was renamed Chennai, and Trivandrum was changed to Thiruvananthapuram. For Calcutta, the change may not be so noticeable. Bengali speakers have always called it Kolkata, preferring the local pronunciation, AP reports.