This blog post explores the long-term impact British colonisation has had on our thinking—and what we consume, wear, and where we live.
British Empire
Those of you following the IPL matches may have noticed that CSK players are carrying the logo of “British Empire” on their sleeves. I saw this recently and searched the name, which led me to this link:
It appears to be a brand for a newly launched beer.
This made me wonder—why would someone name their beer brand British Empire? Agreed, the British drink a lot of beer, but in this day and age, when Indian single malts are gaining global recognition, why would you want to name your beer brand British Empire? What exactly is one supposed to recall about the British Empire while drinking this?
British India
Then there’s this clothing chain named British India. The following link traces some history about the name:
https://www.whwdesign.org/british-india
Their outlets are largely in the Far East. Again, why would someone name their clothing line British India? What exactly have the British contributed to our textile industry? On the contrary, their entire Manchester-based textile industry benefited from looting us!
British Hyderabad?
Closer to home now. Over the past few years, Hyderabad has been experiencing one of the biggest real estate booms any city has seen since the British left us in 1947. Right from when you land at the airport to the roads leading into the city, and all the roads within the city, you’re bombarded with hoardings announcing apartments, villas, plots, and office spaces.
Here’s a sample of project names that have been announced:
Promenade, Odyssey, The Marquise, Beverly Hills, Peak, Summit, Poulomi Palazzo, Trilight, Centaurus, Provincia, Eldorado, Florenza, Epsilon, Cascades, Casa Grande, Claremont, Casa Luxura, Infina, Palais Royale, Iconia, Falcon City, Bella Vista, Kenilworth, Windsor Park, Westbrook, Villa Verde, Hanford, Ivy League, High Fields, Casa Carino, Glenwood, Acropolis.
The builders seem to think that the more Western the name, the more prestigious their project appears to consumers.
Need for Self-Reflection
Since I work in the cultural space and am an active proponent of decolonising our thinking, I may be biased. But I request you to reflect on this trend and share your thoughts. What is so aspirational about living in spaces named after high-end locations in Los Angeles like Beverly Hills? Or some not-easily-pronounceable phrases like Poulomi Palazzo? Or something called Kenilworth? Or Casa Carino?
What do these names mean to us? Why are we still chasing Western concepts 75 years after the British left us?
A Few Islands of Indian Names
There are some builders who have consciously adopted a policy of naming their projects with Indian names. My Home group is an example. I don’t think they’ve suffered in any way in marketing their projects by adopting Indian names.
Why Are Names Important?
What’s in a name, you may ask. Well—actually, everything. Do we name our children with Western names? We don’t. Why then do we accept such names for the places we live in all our lives? Culture is preserved through language, and using our language to define who we are—and where we live—is important.
What Can We Do Now?
It’s a chicken-or-egg situation. Builders may actually feel that we, as consumers, want such names. And we may not really want these Western names but don’t have a voice to communicate this to the builders. Most builder friends I have are well-meaning and may be led by marketing consultants to name their projects with Western names.
I think the best way is for each of us to name our respective villa or apartment with an Indian name. Such a name will be in addition to the number assigned by the builder. We take great effort in researching our scriptures and literature to name our children—why not make a similar effort for our homes? It will be a beautiful inward journey of discovery into your heritage and identity.
Eventually, as more and more apartments and villas adopt Indian names, builders will get the signal and begin naming their projects with Indian names.
Hari’s Curries
A Buffet of Reflections