Giving his reaction to the proposal, a noted academic was reported to have said that it would make Ziaur Rahman "controversial". Other noted academics also adversely reacted to the proposed move for renaming. The reactions include (a) renaming would not increase the dignity of Ziaur Rahman, (b) renaming institutions should not be made at the whim of an individual or group and further that such a practice reflects poor quality of political culture and (c) the VC of NU has engineered the move to change the name to consolidate his position in the ruling party etc. One of the academics also said "we have witnessed the practice during the rule of Awami League and now under this government'. Is that right?

The legacy from Pakistan days
Changing of names of established roads was initiated when Bangladesh was part of Pakistan. Thus the old Madan Mohan Basak road in Wari was changed to the Tipu Sultan road although Tipu Sultan had no contribution in that locality. Chitta Ranjan avenue near sadar ghat was renamed Liaquat avenue. The list can go on. The pratice continued after the birth of Bangladesh.

Nari Shikka Mandir near Hatkhola was renamed after 1971 as Sherebangla Balika Mohhabidya-laya. This educational institution was established by Lilabati Nag, daughter of Rai Bahadur Girish Chandra Nag. Her husband Anil Chandra Rai was a freedom fighter during British colonial rule.

Available information indicate that Lilaboti graduated from Bethun College Kolkata in 1921 and had obtained her masters degree in English from Dhaka University in 1923. In the same year, Lilabati established a school called 'Dipali' at Abhoy Das lane. The same school now is known as Quamrunnessa government girls' high school. On February 2, 1928 Lilaboti established Nari Shikka Mandir. The change of name of Nari Shikka Mandir to Sherebangla Balika Mohabidayalaya has not contributed to the image building of the late AK Fazlul Huq who was larger than life when he was alive. He is all the more so even today. Many people rightly believe that if he were alive, he would not have agreed to this change of name. On the other hand, Lilabati is still remembered with great respect by the college authorities of the erstwhile Nari Shikka Mandir. The irony is that the name of the institution was not changed during Pakistan days.

Global practice
There is nothing wrong in naming important places and institutions after the names of great leaders of nations or great individuals of distinction. Examples include George Washington University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, John F. Kenndy airport, Subhas Chandra Bose airport and what have you. In India, many of the roads still bear the names of Mughal days and also of British colonial days. The roads or institutions in most counties have not been renamed with every change in government.

Bangladesh scenario
In contrast, the political culture of renaming institutions and important places is all-pervasive. In 1973, by an act of parliament, a trust was established for national awards to individuals and institutions for their contribution to different fields of crop, livestock, fisheries and environment. In 1977, the act was amended by an ordinance to rename Bangabandhu award for agriculture as President's award.

After 1996, the law was further amended to restore Banglabandhu award. It is said that the present practice is to call it President's award. After 1996 again, the Chittagong airport was renamed after a local leader of Awami League in recognition of his contribution to the liberation War. It is now called Shah Amanat airport.

Some of the names of institutions and important places named after individuals, however, remain unchanged. This is what it should be. The examples include Osmany airport, Osmany medical college and Osmay auditorium. The Novo theatre named after Banglabandhu has, however, been renamed as Bhasani Novo theatre. The old PG hospital, later converted into Bangabandhu Medical University has also not been renamed yet. Same is the case with Bangabandhu Agriculture University at Gazipur. The old Institute of Post Graduate Studies in Agriculture (IPSA) was upgraded into Bangabandhu Agriculture University after 1996.

A senseless political culture
In the case of NU, as stated earlier, one academic has termed it as a reflection of poor quality of political culture. Indeed it is so and more than poor. It is senseless. The major political parties would do well not to continue the practice else it will become a never ending game of renaming institutions and important places at tax payers' cost, public or international confusion excluded. It has also been said that renaming should not be done at the whim of individuals or groups.

Resistance to renaming
A retired secretary to the government recalls some instances of resistance to renaming of important places by politicians. In 1974, he was one of the two deputy secretaries in the ministry of communications which consisted of (a) railways and (b) roads and highways including ports. An application to change the name of a rural railway station of the then Narayanganj subdivision was received. The proposal was to name it after a local freedom fighter who was killed during the war of liberation. There was also a counter petition addressed to the minister, then late captain Mansur Ali. Both the applications were sent to the railway board for their views. The railway board, after local inquiry, sent their views. The minister ultimately decided not to change the name as the railway station was named after the village where it was located and it had existed there since the British colonial days.

It was a strange coincidence that Ziaur Rahman visited the village in 1977. He also addressed a public meeting in an open field near to the railway station. Some of the local people gave him a petition requesting the change of name of the station. It was the same old case in which the minister declined to interfere. Ziaur Rahman asked the deputy commissioner about his views.

The DC silently drew Ziaur Rahman's attention to that part of the petition which stated that the said application for renaming the railway station was not accepted by the minister for communications in 1974. Ziaur Rahman also did not agree to the proposal for renaming the station.

Institutions are not built in a day
Akhter Hamid Khan, the well remembered architect of the two-tier cooperative network, in one of his writings, cautioned against the faster growth of what was than known as the integrated rural development programme (IRDP). In support of his contention he said "Human beings are dispensable but not institutions". His cautionary note was in a different context. However, the message is relevant. If institutions or places of public importance are forced to change their names on political or partisan grounds, the result is intellectual decadence. This is not to say that institutions or places of public importance should not be named after public leaders. Indeed, this should be done but not as part destruction of images or building up images for narrow partisan interests. There are only a few individuals in Bangladesh who are remembered as institutions because of their outstanding contributions to the nation or the society. Naming institutions is one of the ways of paying tribute to them. Changing the names on political grounds amounts to distorting history and very much in bad taste. It is believed by many in Bangladesh that the existing state of decadence of institutions of the state is the direct outcome of decadence in political psyche.

A M M Shawkat Ali, PhD is an ex-Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture.