FIRST Bombay became Mumbai. Then Madras switched to Chennai and Calcutta to Kolkata. Now Bangalore, India’s call-centre capital, is changing its name to Bengaluru, in the latest move to shed the linguistic legacies of colonial rule.

The change is stirring unusual controversy among business leaders, who argue that Bangalore is a respected international brand and that tampering with it is a waste of time and money.

An additional dispute has erupted over whether its pre- colonial name should be spelt Bengaluru, Bengaloru or Bengalooru. It is the latest evidence of the tension between India’s desire to integrate with the global economy and its concerns about globalisation.