Bangalore a land of Bengalis

Bangalore: Bangaloreans don’t seem to know this yet, but Bangalore is a land of Bengalis where people spoke Bengali!

This is what the reputed The Oxford Concise Dictionary of World Place Names, edited by John Everett-Heath, wants them to believe.

Another howler mentioned is that Kempe Gowda belongs to Hoysala dynasty. This is a chronological error because the dynasty had long ceased to be in power.

The state government, which is not amused with this ‘new history’, vows to ensure that the prestigious Oxford University Press apologises for the bloopers. ‘‘We are extremely upset with the errors. It’s such a shame and they will have to rectify it. How can there be such scant respect for history of the state,’’ asks Kannada & culture secretary I M Vittala Murthy.

The department, he said, will write a strong letter of discontent to the publishers demanding an explanation.‘‘They will have to withdraw the prints and apologise,’’ he said. The state, he said, will also assist the publication with the facts about the history of the state.

The editorial team at Oxford University Press’ headquarters in Delhi said they had so far not received any complaints. There was only one edition in 2005. ‘‘In case of errors, we usually go in for a reprint,’’ the editor said.

While historians like Ramachandra Guha wanted to dismiss it off with ‘‘collective laughter’’, Suryanath U Kamath rubbished it.

Written by Linu on June 3rd, 2007 with no comments.
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