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| Rajan has been a vocal critic of PM Modi and of the rise of Hindutva nationalism in India. |
There is an Indian-origin editor, Amol Rajan, behind The Independent's decision to call Mumbai Bombay.
Rajan has been a vocal critic of PM Modi and of the rise of Hindutva nationalism in India.
As the controversial Mumbai-Bombay change in The Independent style guide went public, Rajan spoke to BBC explaining the rationale behind his decision.
India has two traditions, an open and pluralistic one laid down by the founding fathers - Ambedkar, Nehru, Patel and Gandhi.
There is also a nasty closed nationalistic tradition represented by BJP and Shiv Sena.
By reverting to Bombay, The Independent hopes to remind Indians that they are better off remaining open and tolerant. If you opt for Mumbai, you are colluding with nationalists to close Bombay to the world, he says.
He acknowledges that Mumbai is the Marathi name for the city and points out that his mother is from Pune.
Rajan was born in Calcutta and shifted to the UK when he was three years. He joined The Independent in 2006 and rose to become its editor in six years flat.
At 33, Rajan is one if the youngest editors in the UK.
Video: The Independent editor Amol Rajan explains why he prefers Bombay to Mumbai
Why @amolrajan is chaning the @Independent style guide to rename Mumbai back to Bombay: https://t.co/dKDljQMtmy— Sunny Hundal (@sunny_hundal) February 10, 2016