(A quest for regaining our glorious past)
According to our historians, Pataliputra was believed to be established in 487 BC. The modern Patna was established hardly 500 years ago and acquired the status of state capital only in 1911. Pataliputra was the largest city during the reign of Chandra Gupta Maurya.
Very few Patnaites know that in the year 1982, Patna's Literati put their heads together and formed an organization named Pataliputra Jagaran Abhiyan Samiti, as part of the effort to rename the state capital.
With this rich history in the back drop, intellectuals had sparked a movement to renames Patna as Pataliputra. Yet decades after the movement first took, it remains a distant dream. The government on its part, remain ambiguous on the issue.
The prominent Bihari's have quoted;
"Pataliputra represents the culture and tradition of real India. And name of place or person is of great significance. If Patna becomes Pataliputra, the capital will definitely get back its lost glory and can even re-emerge as a powerful state."
Vishudhanand, Writer, Film director.
"Patna should definitely be renamed as Pataliputra. After all, it has a great culture and glorious history and I am proud to be a citizen of his city. The renaming will only motivate us to revive the past glory".
Sunity Lal, History Lecturer, (MU).
"Through the renaming will not help in developing the state immediately, the very name will inspire the present generation to work for the state's progress."
SNP Sinha, V.C. (P.O.)
According to our historians, Pataliputra was believed to be established in 487 BC. The modern Patna was established hardly 500 years ago and acquired the status of state capital only in 1911. Pataliputra was the largest city during the reign of Chandra Gupta Maurya.
Very few Patnaites know that in the year 1982, Patna's Literati put their heads together and formed an organization named Pataliputra Jagaran Abhiyan Samiti, as part of the effort to rename the state capital.
With this rich history in the back drop, intellectuals had sparked a movement to renames Patna as Pataliputra. Yet decades after the movement first took, it remains a distant dream. The government on its part, remain ambiguous on the issue.
The prominent Bihari's have quoted;
"Pataliputra represents the culture and tradition of real India. And name of place or person is of great significance. If Patna becomes Pataliputra, the capital will definitely get back its lost glory and can even re-emerge as a powerful state."
Vishudhanand, Writer, Film director.
"Patna should definitely be renamed as Pataliputra. After all, it has a great culture and glorious history and I am proud to be a citizen of his city. The renaming will only motivate us to revive the past glory".
Sunity Lal, History Lecturer, (MU).
"Through the renaming will not help in developing the state immediately, the very name will inspire the present generation to work for the state's progress."
SNP Sinha, V.C. (P.O.)
"If Bombay can be renamed Mumbai, Poona as Pune, Calcutta as Kolkatta, Madras as Chennai, Bangalore as Bangalaroo, Trivendrum as Thiruvananthapuram and so on, why can't Patna be renamed as Pataliputra?"
Lt. Gen. S.K. Sinha, Governor (J.K.)
According to me, renaming of Patna as Pataliputra, isn't for inspiring the today Patnaites, nor for generating a competition with other cities, but is for reviving true cultural aspects of Patna; regaining out lost glory and reminding people about the contribution made by this ancient city to the entire world.
It’s a quest for our lost values which made it a great and a glorious city in the past, so that we may regain the same in present. It is like reminding Patnaites of their own roots.
Redeveloped from Ariticle of Sunday Times; Courtsey: Sunday Times of India, Patna Edition.
