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Confusion created by new spelling
Dear Sir,
There is a lot of talk about the change in the spelling of 'Orissa' to 'Odhisha'. It is not just the spelling but the way it is pronounced has created a lot of confusion, especially for non-oriyas. I have lived outside the State for the past 30 years and have seen people
pronouncing 'Orissa' as "Ori-saa" without the 'd' sound perfectly. With the change in the spelling to 'Odhisha' people are confused as
how to pronounce it correctly. They are confused between "odhi-shaa" and "odhi-shhaa". The confusion is in 'shaa' like the 'saa' sound and 'shhaa' like the Gujarati surname 'Shah'. There is no doubt the change in the spelling is politically motivated as it has been done without keeping in mind non-oriyas including foreign tourists. Actually there was no need to make this change as at least the people of Orissa know how they would pronounce it. For example, Gurgaon in Haryana is commonly pronounced as 'Gudgaon' by the people of that state. It means that the former spelling is of no consequence...no issues to them. Changing it to 'Odhisha' is like dictating terms with the sentiment and intelligence of the people of Orissa by inept and usually corrupt politicians. The "Orissa' spelling appears more balanced and aesthetic. The changed spelling and the confusion of pronouncing it correctly makes it unbalanced and inharmonious in sound and appearance.
Siddharth Das, Ahmedabad
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