What’s in the name? Apparently a lot of confusion for show window of UP!
Ashish
Gautam Buddha Nagar is often touted to be the show window of Uttar Pradesh. A district comprising of two well-known industrial towns- Noida and Greater Noida is also the hub of many multinational and a very large number of educational institutes.
As per census 2011, the district Gautam Buddha Nagar has a literacy rate of 80.12, much higher than national average.
However it is only unfortunate that a district with such exceptional achievement and global footprint has no uniformity of spelling when it comes to its name.
Gautam Buddha Nagar or Gautam Buddh Nagar might be the only district in India whose multiple spellings are in popular use. While the exact source of this confusion cannot be identified, the district administrations website, which is often cited as the source of authentic-verifiable information itself, uses two different spellings at different places. (As can be seen from above screen-shot).
Apart from the home page banner-header confusion, on another page listed under directory section, two different spellings of the district can be seen. Not only this, the same page also spells the name of Gautam Buddha University different from what is on the university’s own website.
The Census report of 2011 for the district which can be accessed through district administration website as well, uses the name as Gautam Buddha Nagar.
Hence it is no wonder that confusion persists and continues everywhere. While the above mentioned two spellings are mostly used interchangeably on official websites, there is another third spelling which is in popular use thanks to Wikipedia.
Apparently the issue seems contagious and the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority also displays similar error. While referring to one of the Government Inter College of Greater Noida, the spellings used are different at different places.
The same GNIDA website however spells the schools name differently on the same page, little later.
On searching for the district, the popular global encyclopaedia ‘Wikipedia’ shows the name as “Gautam Budh Nagar” and ‘Gautam Buddh Nagar’ at different places on the same page.
Ironically the district also houses Gautam Buddha University, which has a dedicated school of Buddhist Studies and Civilization. After all the confusion elsewhere, it is indeed a relief to see that the university has its basics on place and uses just one spelling of “Gautam Buddha” all throughout.
Indeed the confusion isn’t just limited to the district alone but probably originating from here it continues on national portal of India (https://www.india.gov.in/) as well as Prime Minister’s information portal (http://www.pmindia.gov.in/en/ ).
In news update dated May, 24, 2017 titled “Cabinet approves Noida-Greater Noida Metro Rail Project”, posted on the Prime Minister’s website, the district name is written as Gautam Buddha Nagar. The content of this website is managed by PMO.
Similarly for looking for the district at national portal of India, the spelling turns out to be different.
Why unification of spelling is important?
The confusion in the names of spellings can sometimes have serious repercussions. The inherent confusion can led to people having two different addresses (theoretically designating the same place) in their official records. Such anomalies can lead to legal disputes. People also argue that such confusion can lead to indeterminate and/or unintended consequences.
Hence it seems very necessary that there be a standard way of spelling the name of a district. For a district as significant as Gautam Buddha Nagar which is not only the show window of Uttar Pradesh but also now houses the world’s biggest mobile manufacturing unit, it becomes all the more important.
The district surely is leaving a global mark but with what name, remains a mystery as of now.
(With initial inputs from Atul Chowdhary, Nav Urja NGO )
(Note : All screenshots have been taken with due credit from the official website of different government departments with an intent to create awareness for uniformity in the name of district.The purpose of such images is only to showcase the information being conveyed by these websites in public domain. All screenshots are dated 23 August 2018. )
