Spell Ambedkar’s name correctly, says Ram Naik
The Uttar Pradesh governor said the dalit icon’s correct name is Bhimrao Ambedkar and it should be spelt correctly
What is there in a name? A lot, if the person happens to be architect of the Constitution of India Dr BR Ambedkar. Ask UP governor Ram Naik and he says the dalit icon’s correct name is Bhimrao Ambedkar (with Bhimarao spelt together as one word and not separately) and it should be spelt correctly.
Naik even quoted full name of Dr BR Ambedkar as ‘Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar’ to make his point. “Baba Saheb had signed his name as 'Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar', Ramji being the name of his father,” said Naik while referring to the documents and first copy of Constitution signed by Ambedkar.
“A name should be written the way it is signed or used by the individual,” said Naik while speaking to Hindustan Times on Wednesday. “I have no objection to using his name as Bhimrao Ambedkar or BR Ambedkar also. It should, however, be spelt correctly,” said the governor.
Naik had made the suggestion for the correct spelling at convocation of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University in Agra on Tuesday. President Ramnath Kovind was the chief guest there.
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Naik had earlier sent a letter to chief minister Yogi Adityanath telling him that an ordinance be promulgated to use correct spelling of Baba Saheb’s name in the name of university. In his letter, the governor said an ordinance be promulgated before December 5, 2017 when the President attended the convocation as chief guest.
Naik probably did not realise that his suggestion had potential of triggering a controversy. “Such things can always be misinterpreted. People associated with the right wing school of thoughts who have tried to project Bhagwan Buddha as an incarnation of Vishnu and may call Dr Ambedkar a ‘Ram Bhakta’ by writing Baba Saheb’s full name,” said professor MP Ahirwar of BHU. Ambedkar Maha Sabha’s Lalji Nirmal, however, said he did not see any problem in writing Dr Ambedkar’s full name.
This is, however, not for the first time that governor has suggested such a correction. Naik also wanted that the union ministry for civil aviation should make a correction in year of birth mentioned on the photo of Chhatrapati Shivaji at domestic division (T1 arrival) of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai. At two places, it mentions 1627 as the year of birth of Chhatrapati Shivaji instead of 1630. After pointing out the mistake about year of birth of Chhatrapati Shivaji through a letter, Naik had taken up the issue with union minister for civil aviation Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati during his visit to New Delhi last month.
