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Fiona Fernandez: Name difference

Updated on: 18 June,2018 07:00 AM IST  |  Mumbai
Fiona Fernandez | fiona.fernandez@mid-day.com

The renaming of the historic Mughalsarai Junction is one more example of avoidable tampering with India's rich legacy as far as the railways goes. Our favourite pair of Bombay chroniclers think so too

Fiona Fernandez: Name difference

Mughalsarai Junction in Uttar Pradesh has been renamed Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Nagar Junction. Representational Image

Fiona Fernandez"Lady Flora, have you heard the latest on the renaming front?" Sir PM asked his walking companion as they halted for a water break near Horniman Circle. The city had been washed by a pre-monsoon shower, and the surroundings never looked cleaner.


The two were on their midnight stroll after what seemed like ages. While Sir PM Mehta was off to visit relatives in Gujarat, Lady Flora chose to mostly keep to herself, especially with the increasing decibel levels, courtesy the Metro III 'circus' [as she chose to refer to it]. There was the odd chat with gargoyle and his friends, and on the rare occasion, Dr Viegas would give her a rushed update on the goings-on in the neighbourhood on his way to church.


Sir PM, her news updater, and co-concerned member when it came to all things Bombay, was sorely missed.


News from Lucknow
"What do you mean 'renaming'? Are we going to have to bear the trauma of another renaming of this terminus?" she shrieked, "And why didn't gargoyle say anything the last time we met!"

"Calm down, Lady Flora. It's not here, but far away, up north. My cousins from Lucknow had given me the news when we caught up in Navsari. Very saddened to hear what's happened at Mughalsarai Junction," he sighed. "Keep talking; I want the details," egged Lady Flora.After all, it was the first time she had heard of the destination. "So, this junction, Lady Flora, is older than even ours. It was built back in 1862 when the East India Company wanted to connect Delhi to Howrah via a railway network.

I've never been there but the cousins have seen it and are in awe of its size. I believe it has one of the largest marshalling yards in Asia. It was also the birthplace of our former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri," he shared. By now, both had found a bench inside the garden at Horniman Circle.

Lady Flora never looked more awake at this hour; Sir PM had noticed when he took a breather from his impromptu history session. "But why the name 'Mughalsarai', Pheroze? Anything to do with the Mughals? " she enquired, to which Sir PM replied, "Yes, Lady. The name is drawn from the words 'Mughal' and 'sarai' (public resting place). During the rule of the Mughals, caravans travelling from east India towards the northern parts would take the Grand Trunk Road; you have heard of that historic route, no?" he quizzed her mid-way, to which she exclaimed, "Of course, I have, Pheroze! My history isn't all that bad now."

"So, the halts for these caravans were somewhere between two spots that stand for present day Mughalsarai, which, if you must know, is near Varanasi. I would have visited the place this one time to fight an important historic case but had to cancel my travel plans because Bombay needed me more at that time," he reminisced.

Wipeout of history?
Always the more practical of the two, Lady Flora could see that Sir PM was headed down memory lane, and that they would be headed for a detour; she quickly sought to break the trail. "This seems to be a nonstop exercise, as far as tampering with our history goes. First, we rename roads and towns with British origins,
and now this. Dr Viegas even mentioned some hullabaloo over the grand Taj Mahal," she remarked, adding, "I wonder now, if everything called 'Mughal' will get renamed. A lot of India's history will be wiped out, right?"

It was nearing sunrise, and Sir PM was getting a bit distracted by an overzealous flock of crows creating ruckus on a tree above them. "Let's leave, Lady Flora. I shall certainly think about your concerns," he assured her.

"Sure, Pheroze. But I do hope the next time we meet I don't have to hear that the Mughlai paratha has been renamed to something unpalatable, or worse, that my favourite Hindi film, Mughal-e-Azam, had to go for a name-change!"

mid-day's Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the city's sights, sounds, smells and stones... wherever the ink and the inclination takes her. She tweets @bombayana Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com

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