'Rajpath' is now history: Signages around India Gate hexagon erased after its rechristening to 'Kartavya Path'

New Delhi: The old name of New Delhi’s ceremonial boulevard – Rajpath – has been scraped off the signages mounted around the periphery of the India Gate hexagon, after its rechristening to ‘Kartavya Path’.

The move comes after the area’s civic body recently issued a notice approving the renaming of the historic road at its special meeting on 7 September.

Signages around the India Gate hexagon are mounted on stainless steel-made unipoles with horizontal plates bearing white text on green background.

Late Friday night, one of the signages with three green plates bore name of two streets – Sher Shah Suri Marg and Dr Zakir Hussain Marg – while ‘Rajpath’ inscribed earlier in the top plate could be seen scraped off, as also from other signages that bore the old name.

On Sunday, another signage was seen with ‘Rajpath’ erased from the middle plate, flanked by ‘Akbar Road’ plate above and ‘Ashoka Road’ plate below it.

Sources in the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) said the erasure of ‘Rajpath’ from signages were being taken up by authorities working on the redevelopment project after the official nod to the rechristening. It will be replaced with ‘Kartavya Path’.

New, big signages bearing the new nomenclature of the ceremonial boulevard have been put up on the streetsides. Many youths were seen taking selfies with new signages bearing ‘Kartavya Path’ on a wide shining green board erected on the erstwhile Rajpath.

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“These new green boards bearing ‘Kartavya Path’ (in four languages) on the old Rajpath have been installed by Central Vista project authorities in line with a theme,” an official said.

Similar thematic signages bearing ‘C-Hexagon’ have also been installed around its periphery.

Rajpath was known as Kingsway during the British rule, while Janpath was known as Queensway. Both historic streets were renamed soon after Independence.

Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture Meenakshi Lekhi, who is also a member of the NDMC, had on 7 September said: “However, after 75 years of Independence, it is felt that the name of Rajpath needs to be changed, in tune with the values and principles of democracy and a contemporary, new India. The Kartavya Path will also inspire everyone who visit or cross the road to perform their duties towards the country, the society and their families,” she said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the ‘Kartavya Path’ on September 8 and it was thrown open to the public from 9 September. He had urged people to take selfies with it and upload it on social media.

In his address after the inauguration, he said Kingsway or Rajpath, a “symbol of slavery”, has now been consigned to history and has been erased forever.

The ceremonial boulevard of the national capital running from the Raisina Hill complex to India Gate began its journey as Kingsway, a majestic central axis in the heart of New Delhi that was built here after the imperial seat of the administration was shifted from Calcutta (now Kolkata) as announced by British monarch King George V in 1911.

The historic street in India’s power capital has been a silent witness to India’s transition from a colony under the British rule to a vibrant Republic.

It has seen the dawn of Independence and played host to annual Republic Day celebrations for over seven decades, starting 1951.

Only the first Republic Day celebrations was held at Irwin Amphitheatre (now Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium) behind India Gate complex, where the Rajpath stretch ends.

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