The vast halls inside Rashtrapati Bhavan, the residence cum office of the President of India, have been recently renamed from Sanskrit to English at the behest of the President Droupadi Murmu to depict India’s Cultural ethos in its true sense.
Two halls have been given new names: the
“Durbar Hall” has been renamed the “Ganatantra Mandap,” and the “Ashok Hall” has been renamed the “Ashok Mandap. ”
According to a Rashtrapati Bhavan statement, this is a continuous process of making the historic building fully symbolic of the people, their culture, and the historical monuments of India.
The statement also specifies that the word ‘Durbar’ beforehand denoted the courts and meetings of Indian rulers and the British Administration of India, which ceased to exist when India became a republic. Indian culture includes the idea of “Ganatantra,” democratic rule since ancient epochs; that is why the “Ganatantra Mandap,” the hall where critical ceremonies, including the presentation of National Awards, take place, is more suitable.
Concerning renaming the “Ashok Hall,” the statement indicates that the term “Ashok,” denoting freedom from suffering and sorrow, is important. Also, it was involved with India’s rich culture and religious outlook, and it is an emblem of India, which contains the Lion capital of Ashoka from Sarnath.
The prospect of adopting this new name, “Ashok Mandap,” therefore eliminates linguistic regionalisms but seeks to retain the essences attached to the term “Ashok. ”
This latest action that the Rashtrapati Bhavan under the present visitor Nidhi Murmu has taken are an extension of the BJP government’s consolidated effort to eliminate any leftovers of colonialism from India and strengthen the Indian culture.
The changing of the names of these halls is another way that has been adopted in a bid to show effort in accommodating the nation’s cultural history and, in turn, enhancing the level of patriotism.
