President Droupadi Murmu renames two halls of Rashtrapati Bhavan to reflect Indian ethos

President Droupadi Murmu has rechristened two important halls of Rashtrapati Bhavan from ‘Durbar Hall’ and ‘Ashok Hall’ to ‘Ganatantra Mandap’ and ‘Ashok Mandap’ respectively, in a bid "to make the ambience of the stately building reflect Indian cultural values and ethos".

"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 endeavor to make the ambience of the Rashtrapati Bhavan reflective of Indian cultural values and ethos," the Rashtrapati Bhavan said in a statement.

“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 added.

The statement further clarified that the term 'Durbar' refers to courts of Indian rulers and the British Raj, which clearly lost its relevance when India became a republic.

"'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 ancient times, making ‘Ganatantra Mandap’ an apt name for the venue.," it said.

"Ashok Hall" was originally a ballroom. The word ‘Ashok’ connotes someone who is ‘free from all sufferings’ or is ‘bereft of any sorrow’. Also, ‘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," it said.

"The word also refers to the Ashok tree which has deep significance in Indian religious traditions as well as arts and culture. Renaming ‘Ashok Hall’ as ‘Ashok Mandap’ brings uniformity in language and removes the traces of anglicization while upholding the key values associated with the word 'Ashok'," the statement further added.

Since the BJP government came to power in 2014, it has constantly pushed for renaming multiple places including roads, buildings, and cities to rid the country of its colonial and Mughal past.