I arrived back in Bangalore at 2AM Tuesday morning this week. This was my 3rd trip into the Bangalore airport, and I have never arrived in the middle of the night. Getting off an international flight, there is always a mad dash to the customs line, as you never know how many staff are going to be working the booths. As always, one hour before landing, I expect the overhead intercom to say “We will be passing through the cabins with customs declarations cards”. Well, on this flight, I hear “We will be unable to provide customs declaration cards; you will need to get these upon arrival”. Oh my Lord. I know what this means. Fumbling for pens, writing while walking, and making mistakes or scribbles in the flurry (there are 2 cards, and you of course have 2 bags to carry, and the duty free bags you added.)
So we all de-plane, and there are agents in the airport giving out the cards to our herd. We are all walking towards customs and trying to write at the same time, and then jockey for a space in the line. Amazingly enough, looking at the head of the line (maybe 200 people in front of me, a 20 minute line?) I see there are at least 8 agents working at 2AM which is a bonus! Things are moving quickly. I am writing, and as I reach the customs guard, he points out that there are 2 lines I have neglected to complete. I pull out my pen, and the guy behind me sees that I am still filling out my form. Though it takes less than 30 seconds, it is 2AM and he makes a noise behind me. He is disgruntled. He must be tired. Oh dear! I, personally, have only been travelling for 2.5 days while sick. I am not the most pleasant person either, but I am not noticeably vocalizing my displeasure (Complete Travel blog to come!). I wonder if the Indian customs guy is going to be equally disappointed that I have failed to complete this card properly (and to my defense this appears to be a new card for 2015, as I am always on top of these cards!). I ask him should I move over. Handsome Indian customs guy gives me a nice smile and says “No problem, just fill out here”. The Indians have got to be the most accommodating, and friendly people I have ever met.
So, I returned to…the re-named city of Bengaluru!
Bangalore has recently officially been re-named as BENGALURU, one of the original historical Indian names for the city. Bangalore (now again Bengaluru), the capitol, is 1 of 12 cities in the state of Karnataka whose name has officially reverted back to original Kannada Indian origins, breaking free from the name change applied during British rule in the 1800s.
Bangalore is now officially, once again, Bengaluru.
Mysore is Mysuru.
And 10 other cities in Karnataka also have official name changes.
Apparently these city name changes were proposed to revert back in 2005, and the government has recently enacted the changes as of November 2014.
Historical names sounded phonetically, similar:
According to Wiki, “An apocryphal or a fabricated story recounts that the 12th century Hoysala king Veera Ballala II, while on a hunting expedition, lost his way in the forest. Tired and hungry, he came across a poor old woman who served him boiled beans. The grateful king named the place "Benda-kaal-uru" (literally, "town of boiled beans"), which eventually evolved into "Bengalūru". And naming noted back to the 9th century, "Bengaval-uru", meaning….the "City of Guards".
I decided I needed to make sure I was pronouncing this name correctly, so I listened to the official pronunciation on-line, and it appears that it is said just like it is spelled: Beng-A-Lu-Ru, with no emphasis given to one syllable.
Details on the travel blog, for expats and frequent travelers to India, to come next...
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