Rashtrapati Bhavan sheds 2 more colonial tags, renames halls

New Delhi, July 25

Rashtrapati Bhavan’s iconic Durbar Hall and Ashok Hall will now be called Ganatantra Mandap and Ashok Mandap, respectively.

President Droupadi Murmu renamed the halls on Thursday as she marked the completion of her two years in office. A statement from the President house said the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the office and the residence of the President of India, is a symbol of the nation, and an invaluable heritage of the people and continuous efforts are being made to make it more accessible to people. “There has been a consistent endeavour to make the ambience of the Rashtrapati Bhavan reflective of the Indian cultural values and ethos,” the communique said.

It said the Durbar Hall is the venue of important ceremonies and celebrations such as the presentation of National Awards. “The term ‘Durbar’ refers to courts and assemblies of Indian rulers and the British. It lost relevance after India became a Republic, that is, ‘Ganatantra’. The concept of ‘Ganatantra’ is deeply rooted in Indian society since the ancient times, making ‘Ganatantra Mandap’ an apt name for the venue,” the Rashtrapati Bhavan said as a reason behind rechristening an important feature of the complex.

Ashok Hall, the President house said, was originally a ballroom. “The word ‘Ashok’ connotes someone who is ‘free from all sufferings’ or is ‘bereft of any sorrow’. Also, ‘Ashoka’ refers to Emperor Ashok, a symbol of unity and peaceful co-existence. The National Emblem of the Republic of India is the lion capital of Ashok from Sarnath. The word also refers to the Ashok tree, which has a deep significance in Indian religious traditions as well as arts and culture. Renaming ‘Ashok Hall’ as ‘Ashok Mandap’ brings uniformity in language and removes the traces of anglicisation while upholding the key values associated with the word ‘Ashok’,” the President house said.

Last year, the famous Mughal Gardens on the Rashtrapati Bhavan premises was rechristened ‘Amrit Udyan’.

Taking a swipe at the Modi government, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said: “There is no concept of ‘durbar’ but a concept of ‘shehanshah’… Interesting.” Party MP Karti Chidambaram termed it BJP government’s “fetish” for changing names, saying by doing so, they thought they were bringing back some past glory.