Saturday, January 07, 2006
'World would soon adapt to Bengaluru'
When it comes to changing the names of cities and towns, there's history and there's geography. Wait a second. For Americans, there is also commerce. Boom city Bangalore may be in a momentary rewind mode historically, but there is no looking back in the United States, where the ringing of cash registers can bring about a name change. Would Bangalore call itself Billtown if the world’s richest man plonked down a few billions and promised to fix its beat-up infrastructure? Fat chance? No compunction about such deals in the US, albeit on a smaller scale. Last month, the city of Clark, Texas, renamed itself DISH as part of an advertising campaign for EchoStar Communication, which gave the town’s 125 residents free satellite equipment and services in return (cost: $ 4500 per home).
