Stereotype busted whoa-time! My Lyft driver was from "India" 40 years ago over here

[UTUSN]

So... now I have to review my stereotypes?

* This dude was 6' up

* Spoke non-Brit English, sort of (I guessed, to him, Scandinavian)

* Hates the Brits - O.K., one point for my stereotype

* (My foolish internet question) - "India" changing its name? - Answer, YES, & tons of city names already changed - think: "Bharat*



*** O.K., all pile on here

[LeftInTX]

1. What?

Lots of cities in India have changed names


I heard Punjabis are tall and I thought it was BS. Then I met the new city council candidate. She's almost six feet tall!


Is India gonna change its name?

Accents change over time, especially if you come here as a kid.

[UTUSN]

2. Did I do something wrong here? Just asking. Thanks. Ain't it always the way.

[LeftInTX]

3. I don't quite understand your post!

[royable]

4. I _really_ don't understand your post.

So, odd responses could be due to people misinterpreting, or reading their own perceptions, into the ink blot.

[LeftInTX]

5. Sounds like he met someone from India who was over 6 feet tall and they are changing the name

of India

Then there was stuff about the accent that I didn't understand.

[diva77]

6. I think OP is remarking on how Bharat, formerly known as "India" wishes to "shed the legacy of

British colonialism." Similarly, Mumbai, formerly known as "Bombay" and other variations, also wanted to return to a historical name possibly based on the Koli godess, Mumbadevi.

https://www.timesnownews.com/mumbai/bombay-to-mumbai-why-did-the-city-change-its-name-and-what-were-the-reasons-article-95315907

========
The book and movie "A Passage to India" give a glimpse into the savage behavior of the pompous Brits in India in the 1920s.

[UTUSN]

7. Thank you. Very generous.

[LeftInTX]

8. Apparently Modi wants to change the name to Bharat. It's not a done deal.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/09/16/india-bharat-name-changes/

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/11/modis-plan-to-change-indias-name-absurd-rahul-ghandi

If Muslims have a say, it will not be renamed. I wish the Congress Party would kick BJP to the curb!

[diva77]

9. thanks for the info - and the fact check! I stand corrected.

I am not well-informed on this issue.

[LeftInTX]

10. I didn't know about it until this thread.

I hunted it down and apparently Modi hosted the G20 with "Bharat" on his placard. It's a big nod to his political party: Bharatiya Janata Party. Apparently Bharat has long been one of the official names, but it's seen as a Hindu Nationalist type name by some, so India persists. Modi could very well change it. But I just don't think it will go over very well.....

[LeftInTX]

11. Not India, but there's this: Turkey is now officially Turkiye.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/6/2/un-registers-turkiye-as-new-country-name-for-turkey

Erdogan was butt-hurt over the reference to American birds. Problem is: Turkiye is harder to pronounce and requires special characters to type correctly.

Turkey was always called Turkiye in Turkey and it was always officially the Republic of Turkiye within Turkey. However, on international documents it had always been known as the Republic of Turkey, when it was established in 1923. It's a world diplomatic thing.



There are other countries, such as Spain, which do not insist that the world call them Reino de España

India has two official languages. It will take a 2/3 vote in Parliament to change the English name of India to Bharat

https://www.reuters.com/world/india/is-india-changing-its-name-bharat-g20-invite-controversy-explained-2023-09-06/