Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state Gujarat has decided to change the name of dragon fruit. The Gujarat government feels that the name ‘dragon fruit’ evokes Chinese connection and hence it should be changed. Hence it is to be called ‘Kamalam’ according to an official statement from the Gujarat government. The problem however, is will people be able to adjust to the new quick enough.
India and China are currently locked in a military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh. The troops of the two countries were involved in a violent skirmish June 20 in the Galwan Valley. It led to the death of 20 Indian soldiers. The Chinese side also suffered casualties, but the figures were not reported.
The Indian government responded to the deaths of 20 of its troops in June by banning Chinese-made apps and curbing imports.
“The Gujarat government has decided… the word dragon fruit is not appropriate, and is associated with China. The fruit’s shape is like a lotus, and hence we have given it a new Sanskrit name, ‘kamalam’. There is nothing political about it,” Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani stated.
The lotus, or ‘kamal’ as it is called in Hindi, is the symbol of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Rupani also is a BJP party member. So even though he said that there is no political connection in the renaming of the fruit, people have made their own conclusions.
The development comes a few months after Modi had praised farmers in a radio programme for cultivating the dragon fruit in the arid region of Kutch in Gujarat.
“After that the farmers had approached me, and suggested changing the name of dragon fruit to ‘kamalam’. They also did not want a Chinese connection,” Vinod Chavda, the BJP Member of Parliament from Kutch, said. “I am happy that the Gujarat government has accepted the proposal.”
There are more than 200 farmers in Kutch alone who are growing dragon fruit over 1,500 acres, said Haresh Thakkar. He is a farmer from the region.
“The Indian name of the fruit will bring more happiness to us. We feel that the acceptance level of the fruit will also increase if it is looked upon as an Indian fruit,” said Thakkar. He said he has been growing ‘kamalam’ for five years.
The fruit is also grown in Maharashtra and in northeastern Indian states. However, there was no sign that local governments there were planning any name change.
The opposition Congress called the name change a gimmick. “The state government has nothing worthwhile to show as achievements. It is trying to divert attention from real issues,” Gujarat Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi said.