President Droupadi Murmu has renamed two important halls of Rashtrapati Bhavan—Durbar Hall and Ashok Hall—in keeping the Narendra Modi government’s efforts to shed the vestiges of colonial past.
The Durbar Hall has been renamed as Ganatantra Mandap while the name of Ashok Hall has been changed to Ashok Mandap.
“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. 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,” said a statement issued by the President's Secretariat.
“Accordingly, President Droupadi Murmu is pleased to rename two of the important halls of Rashtrapati Bhavan – namely, ‘Durbar Hall’ and ‘Ashok Hall’ – as ‘Ganatantra Mandap’ and ‘Ashok Mandap’ respectively,” it said.
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 statement said.
Ashok Hall’ was originally a ballroom. The word ‘Ashok’ connotes someone who is “free from all sufferings” or is “bereft of any sorrow”.
"‘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 deep significance in Indian religious traditions as well as arts and culture," the statement said.
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', it added.
