<div>If change is the only constant, what better can one ask for when Kolkata's longest flyover was officially named Ma on auspicious Mahalaya that marks the beginning of Durga Puja. As of now, nobody knows for sure whether Ma Durga, Parama, Mamata or Ma-Mati-Manush dictated the choice of nomenclature.</div><div> </div><div>The Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), custodian of the flyover inaugurated last Friday, published an advertisement in some newspapers on Tuesday to announce the christening.</div><div> </div><div>Political commentators say Trinamool Congress boss and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has the last word when it comes to naming or renaming any landmark, be it Metro stations long known by other names, roads or parks. </div><div> </div><div>The moot question is: Why ma? Some say Ma is an invocation to Durga with barely a week to go for the festival to celebrate the arrival of the Mother Goddess. There is another school of thought that says that Mamata's slogan Ma-Mati-Manush inspired the choice of name.</div><div> </div><div>Arguably, roads and flyovers are a city's arteries, and when they are given new names, the old lose their connect, and with it a part of history is lost. Calcutta, nay, Kolkata, the first seat of British administration, the renaming mania is often without rhyme or reason. Normally a new liberation or change of political colour is the declared or silent cause. History is sometimes invoked to justify or oppose. </div><div> </div><div>Kolkata, in all its political hues in the last several decades, has also confused its citizens quite often by (comically) annoying attempts at redrawing the maps of history and memory. The grandeur with which this is done are usually inversely proportional to the amount of time spent thinking about, and implementing, concrete improvements in the condition and appearance of the city. </div><div> </div><div>Quite a few columnists and media commentators are of the view that it does not make any difference in the life of a commoner whether a road or a flyover will be called X or Y. But it's strange how political parties manage to do politics around even such things.</div><div> </div><div>According to several reports, officials in the CMDA were either tight-lipped or non-committal about who proposed and finalised the official name of the Parama-Park Circus flyover. However, some officials said the order to publish newspaper advertisements announcing the name Ma came from urban development minister Firhad Hakim. Others said Hakim had only conveyed Mamata's decision.</div><div> </div><div>As railway minister, Didi had gone on a renaming blitz that saw Tollygunge Metro station becoming Mahanayak Uttam Kumar. Other famous names were randomly tagged to Metro halts like Garia Bazar (Kavi Nazrul), Bansdroni (Masterda Surya Sen), Naktala (Gitanjali) and Kudghat (Netaji).</div><div> </div><div>In April, the mercurial leader renamed six townships in the state. Among them, Siliguri will be known as Teesta - a major river in North Bengal - and Bolpur as Gitabitan, a popular compilation of songs of Rabindranath Tagore. The twin industrial towns of Asansol-Durgapur will be known as 'Agnibina', a collection of poems by poet Kazi Najrul Islam. Gajaldoba in Malda district has been rechristened as 'Mukta Tirtha' while Garia near Kolkata will become 'Uttam City', after the late matinee idol Uttam Kumar. </div><div> </div><div>In a nutshell, cities, streets and other landmarks are the most convenient victims of politicians' rechristening zeal. Their names are changed from time to time, depending on the whims and fancies of the party in power and who it is trying to please. Are these same politicians and authorities responsible for turning cities 'smart'? </div>
