‘Maharaj’ Added to Mumbai Airport, CST’s Names; Twitter Loses It

Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus have been renamed to honour Shivaji.

The Maharashtra cabinet renamed Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on 8 December. It has decided to rechristen the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.

The move is a bid to accord more respect to Maratha warrior king Shivaji. The decision comes just days before Mumbai goes to civic polls.

The news about the name change elicited varied reactions on social media.

This. THIS is the decision-making our state government is focused on right now. Shame on you @Dev_Fadnavis https://t.co/ak2Swduyto

— Rohan (@mojorojo) December 8, 2016

That's totally unfair. They should have renamed it to GauBramhanPratipalak Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj terminus. GCSMT https://t.co/U05b9BwrAx

— Girish Kolhe (@GJKolhe) December 8, 2016

@mojorojo It takes a special kind of insecurity to force people to remember pompous titles for a historical figure we should all know anyway

— Krish Ashok (@krishashok) December 8, 2016

@mojorojo @Dev_Fadnavis : How will this renaming change the ground reality of that station? Will it make any difference to its standards ?

— Nikhil V. Joshi (@nikhjosh_) December 8, 2016

@nistula And after 30 years they will change it to Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj KI JAI HO Terminus & Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj KI JAI HO IA

— Viren Nawani (@nawani10) December 8, 2016

it'll still be called mumbai airport for the masses. whatever you name it https://t.co/EDpWAPphsT

— Totes McGoats™ (@saptesh) December 8, 2016

What fraud news is this, another attempt to create Secular rage? Mumbai airport has been known by that name for many years now. https://t.co/Mpgr7jMEuo

— saurabh srivastava (@SKS_Mumbai) December 8, 2016

The Mumbai international airport was formerly called the Sahar International Airport, while the railway station was known as the Victoria Terminus. Both were renamed after the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance assumed power in 1995.

This is not the first time this year that the renaming of places in India has made news. In September 2016, the Haryana government renamed Gurgaon to Gurugram, in honour of Guru Dronacharya.