Calcutta to Kolkata

In 2001, Calcutta's name was officially changed to Kolkata. This transformation, like similar ones in India, was supposed to contribute to ridding the city of its colonial past. The two names are used interchangeably. Streets, too, have been renamed. Although some maps and street signs have only the new names, you're more likely to see just the old or both. Taxis and rickshaws use the names interchangeably, but old names are still favored, as most of the new names are ridiculously long and obscure. Here are a few of the most important name changes:

• Chowringhee Road/Jawaharlal Nehru (J. L. Nehru) Road
• Ballygunge Circular/Pramathesh Barua Sarani
• Bowbazar/B. B. Ganguly Street
• Harington Street/Ho Chi Minh Sarani
• Lansdowne Road/Sarat Bose Road
• Lower Circular Road/A. J. C. Bose Road
• Rippon Street/Muzaffar Ahmed Street
• Theatre Road/Shakespeare Sarani