CH NEWS, MANGALURU A group of citizens, intellectuals, historians, writers and cultural activists has appealed to the Karnataka government to retain the historic name ‘Dakshina Kannada’ for the district instead of renaming it ‘Mangaluru District’. At a press meet held on Tuesday, the group said the appeal was not against Mangaluru, which they described as the historic, cultural and economic centre of the region. They said retaining Dakshina Kannada would help preserve the historical identity of a region that extends beyond a single city. The group said the government changed the district’s name to Dakshina Kannada in January 1977, and the name has been in use for nearly five decades. They also pointed to the administrative identity associated with the region for more than a century. According to the group, a district does not necessarily have to carry the name of its headquarters. Mangaluru is the district headquarters, while Dakshina Kannada represents a wider geographical and cultural region that includes Puttur, Belthangady, Sullia, Bantwal, Moodbidri and Mulki. The group said the name Dakshina Kannada continued even after major administrative changes, including the creation of Udupi district in 1997. They also expressed concern that changing the name could require changes to historical, administrative, educational, legal and cultural records. The members welcomed the government’s decision to seek public opinion on the proposed name change. They urged that the consultation be broad-based and transparent, covering all taluks, towns and villages, as well as historians, academics, writers, cultural organisations and other stakeholders. They requested the government to retain Dakshina Kannada as the official district name while allowing Mangaluru to continue developing its identity as the headquarters. Bennet Ammanna, Prof. Krishnamurthy, William Pais and Steevan Pais were present at the press meet.