A month after rename, Gurugram finds more acceptance

A month after Gurgaon was renamed Gurugram, the name has started gaining traction. Gurugram has started appearing in communiqués of industrial bodies, public relations agencies, at government functions and in some media houses.

A month after Gurgaon was renamed Gurugram, the name has started gaining traction. Gurugram has started appearing in communiqués of industrial bodies, public relations agencies, at government functions and in some media houses.

Sadar police station has changed the city name to Gurugram on its board. (Abhinav Saha/HT)

But Gurgaon is still prevalent in addresses for communication. The government announced the name change on April 12. As per the Hindu mythology, the area derived its name as the Pandavas and the Kauravas, princes in the Mahabharata era, donated the land to Guru Dronacharya, their archery teacher as a gurudakshina (teaching fee).

“Gurugram is being used in government functions so we have started using it in the digital form. The name will be incorporated in addresses and stationery following directions from seniors,” said a spokesperson of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

CII used the name on banners in an event on April 28 in which Union minister for labour Bandaru Dattatreya and Haryana minister for finance Captain Abhimanyu were the main guests.

“A full transition takes time. Extra effort will be needed to tell people, especially foreigners, that we are in Gurugram that was earlier Gurgaon,” said Rajesh Dhuddu, senior vice president at Quatroo, a business processing company.

Vice-president (office services) at Sapient, Rajesh Sharma, said, “Expenses will be incurred on new stationery. It will also entail a change in mindset as Gurgaon has become a global brand.”

Communications professional Rajat Puri said, “Gurugram will be widely used in coming days and companies do not wish to be left behind in online searches,” he said.

“It is tough to edit old data but new data can be entered with both Gurgaon and Gurugram for the purpose of search engine optimization. Later, Gurgaon can be dropped,” said Deepak Rajput, an SEO professional.

The renaming got a big push on May 1 when Gurugram was used in an inaugural plaque, banner and official invitation by the Gurgaon police for the inauguration of the new office of the police commissioner.

Sadar police station has also switched to Gurugram on its board.

Procedure says a name change comes into force only after a nod from the Ministry of Home Affairs, which is yet to come. Hence, the change does not reflect in day to day government communication. “There is no notification about name change yet,” said Gurgaon Deputy Commissioner TL Satyaprakash.