New Delhi: The Rashtrapati Bhawan has renamed two of its famous halls – the Ashok and Durbar Halls – as ‘Ashok Mandap’ and ‘Ganatantra Mandap’, respectively.
“Continuous efforts are being made to make it more accessible to people. There has been a consistent endeavour to make the ambience of the Rashtrapati Bhavan reflective of the Indian cultural values and ethos,” said an official statement by the President’s Secretariat, reported Deccan Herald.
Among the two halls, while the Durbar Hall is used for ceremonies such as the National Awards, the Ashok Hall was earlier a ballroom and is now used for special occasions.
The statement from the President’s Secretariat said that the changing of names is directed towards ‘leaving India’s colonial legacy.’
It added that the word Ashok means someone who is ‘bereft of all sufferings.’
“‘Ashok’ refers to Emperor Ashok, a symbol of unity and peaceful co-existence. Renaming Ashok Hall as Ashok Mandap brings uniformity in language and removes the traces of anglicisation while upholding the key values associated with the word ‘Ashok’,” said the statement, reported Deccan Herald.
Taking a jibe at the BJP, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi said that while there is no concept of ‘Durbar,’ there is a concept of ‘Shehanshah.’
