Residents of Basavanagudi are campaigning against a change of name for the iconic neighbourhood.
In September, Basavanagudi got a new name — Dodda Ganapathi. It is among 14 wards given new names by the BBMP. “The change makes absolutely no sense,” says K R Mohan, who has been living in Basavanagudi for 70 years. Many organisations are coming together to protest against the renaming.
Basavanagudi was one of the first ‘sanitary layouts’ (plots with conservancy lanes) to be developed in the late 1800s. Today, it is known for its ‘old Bengaluru’ charm, culture and gulmohar and tabebuia trees that line the streets.
Mohan is an active member of Civil Society Basavanagudi Ward 198, an association with 300 members.
“There was no prior notification from the BBMP. No one was aware this was happening. Only when I checked the gazette on September 25 did I realise that Basavanagudi was not mentioned anywhere. The ward limits still remain the same. So why were we not informed?” asks Satyalaxmi Rao, president of the ward association.
‘Not necessary’
People living in the neighbourhood, who have already approached some political leaders, are shocked that no one is taking responsibility for the name change.
“Our MLA Ravi Subramanya says he wasn’t even aware about the decision and thinks the name change is unnecessary. He is in support of the name being changed back to Basavanagudi. But we haven’t been able to get any response from the BBMP,” she says.
The ward association has compiled signatures of 500-plus residents and is planning to go to court. “No resident is in favour of the new name. We have the support of various groups such as the Sports Organisation of Basavanagudi, Jana Dhwani, Kannada Paksha, Jaya Karnataka, and Basavanagudi Heritage Association,” she says.
The association plans to host a public discussion at Netkallappa Circle next week, and is inviting Basavanagudi residents and distinguished citizens to take part in it and raise awareness.
“Instead of fixing things that are wrong, why is changing names a priority? How does this benefit citizens?” asks Satyalaxmi.
What is the significance of ‘Doddaganapathi'?
Tushar Giri Nath,BBMP chief commissioner, says the decision to change Basavanagudi to Dodda Ganapathi was taken by the ward delimitation committee. ‘Delimitation’ refers to the redrawing of ward and constituency contours.
“It(the name change) has received the approval ofthe government. Before we made the decision, we took into consideration the population,the various landmarks and the historical significance of the area. We even collected public opinion,” he said.
Basavanagudi is home to the Dodda Ganapathi temple, one of the oldest temples in Bengaluru, adjacent to Basavanagudi, which means ‘Basava’s temple’. Basava is the bull associated with lord Shiva.
“Basavanagudi has some of the oldest and most prominent temples in the city. There’s the temple for the big bull, the Dodda Ganapathi temple, the Gavi Gangadhareshwara temple, and Pralaya Kala Veerabhadra Swamy temple. These are equally important,” says historian Dharmendra Kumar.
The neighbourhood got its name from the Big Bull Temple or the Dodda Basavana Gudi. “Early on, before Basavanagudi became a planned locality, it was filled with lush farmlands. Farmers would grow groundnuts there, and the legend
goes that there would be a bull that would run riot and ruin the crops year after year. The frustrated farmers came up with a plan to get rid of the bull, and later, in repentance, built the temple,” he explains.
The farmers started the now iconic Kadlekai Parishe (the annual groundnutfair), offering their first crop to the bull in the temple.
Who sought a name change?
The ward delimitation committee took the call, according to IAS officer Tushar Giri Nath. The committee was headed by himself, in his capacity as BBMPchief commissioner, and had the BDA commissioner and Bengaluru Urban deputy commissioner as members.The BBMP special commissioner(revenue) was its member-secretary. The committee was appointed in June. The earlier commission, by the BJPgovernment, came out with its final notification on July 14, 2022. The BJP was accused of redrawing borders to skew the elections in its favour. After the Congress came to power, its government was prompted by the High Court to complete the delimitation within 12 weeks, which is when it appointed the second committee.