Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Sep 29: The Save Dakshina Kannada Forum has appealed to the state government to retain the historic name ‘Dakshina Kannada’ for the district and drop any proposed move to rename it as ‘Mangaluru district’.
Addressing a press meet here on Tuesday, September 29, members of the forum—comprising citizens, intellectuals, historians, writers, and cultural activists—clarified that their appeal is not against Mangaluru, which remains the historic, cultural, and economic capital of the region. Instead, it is aimed at preserving the historical identity and continuity of a region whose significance extends well beyond a single city.
"In January 1977, the government of Karnataka changed the name to Dakshina Kannada, essentially providing a Kannada rendering of the earlier name. The present name has thus been in use for nearly five decades, while the administrative identity it represents dates back well over a century," the forum stated in a press note.
The members emphasised that a district need not necessarily bear the same name as its headquarters. While Mangaluru serves as the headquarters, Dakshina Kannada represents a larger geographical and cultural entity encompassing towns and villages, including Puttur, Belthangady, Sullia, Bantwal, Moodbidri, and Mulki.
The forum pointed out that the name Dakshina Kannada survived major administrative changes, including the carving out of Udupi district in 1997. They cautioned that renaming the district would necessitate alterations to a vast body of historical, administrative, educational, legal, and cultural records associated with the region.
Welcoming the government’s decision to seek public opinion on the matter, the forum urged that the consultation process be broad-based and transparent. They demanded the inclusion of voices from all taluks, towns, and villages of the district, along with historians, academics, writers, cultural organisations, and other stakeholders.
"We request the government to retain Dakshina Kannada as the official name while allowing Mangaluru to continue strengthening its distinct identity as the district headquarters. Mangaluru belongs at the heart of Dakshina Kannada, but Dakshina Kannada belongs to a much larger geographical, historical, and cultural landscape," the members added.
Forum members Bennet Ammanna, Prof Krishnamurthy, William Pais, and Stephen Pais were present at the press meet.