Why did Bombay change its name to Mumbai, when did it happen and what was Shiv Sena’s reason?

MUMBAI is India’s most populous city and was until recently known as Bombay.

Yet many around the world still know it by its former name which became widely known during an early phase of globalisation forged by the British Empire.

Why did Bombay change its name to Mumbai?

When the right-wing Hindu nationalist party Shiv Sena came to power they ordered the name change.

This was because Bombay was associated with the British Raj or Empire - and it was viewed it has a unwanted legacy of the colonial period.

Essentially it was thought the name should be ditched because it was the English name for the city - believed to be a mispronunciation of Mumbai.

When did it happen?

In 1995 Bombay officially became Mumbai.

To mark the occasion Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray installed a marble plaque with the name on the Gateway of India - a famous sandstone arch.

But the national government objected, fearing Bombay would lose its identity internationally.

Many local residents still call it Bombay out of habit as elsewhere in the world.

What was Shiv Sena's reason?

The nationalists had been pushing for a name change for many years.

Mainly they wanted to strengthen Marathi identity in the region.

They even wanted to ditch the name “Bollywood” the name of the film industry which is a combination of Bombay and Hollywood.