Assam is now Asom

GUWAHATI: North-eastern state of Assam has been renamed Asom to cast off its British-era label, a state minister said on Tuesday.

The move is the latest in a series of name changes in India in which Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata (formerly Bombay, Madras and Calcutta) reverted to their original names to shrug off the legacy of British colonial rule.

An Assam government spokesman said a council of ministers approved the name change late on Monday at a meeting in Guwahati.

"It was the British rulers who distorted the original name. There was lot of debate over this and after prolonged consultation and going by the public sentiment, we decided to revert back to our roots," Himanta Biswa Sharma, a senior state minister said.

Unable to pronounce Asom correctly, the British rulers dubbed the state Assam in 1826.