Delhi’s Teen Murti Marg To Be Renamed After Israeli City Ahead Of Modi’s Visit To The Jewish Nation

New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) is planning to rename the iconic Teen Murti Chowk and Teen Murti Marg in Delhi, located next to the Nehru Memorial Library and Museum, after an Israeli city called Haifa. Aimed at recognising the growing relations between Israel and India, the move is expected to come ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Jewish nation.

The Israeli city, which these places are being named after, was liberated from Ottoman occupation by Indian soldiers during the First World War in the autumn of 1918. Large number of Indian soldiers of the 15th Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade died during the battle and nearly 900 are buried in Israel.

Every year, 23 September is celebrated as Haifa Day in India and Israel to pay respects to the brave soldiers who lost their lives in the battle and mark the end to 400 years of Turkish control over the city.

Efforts of the Haifa municipality in 2012 led to the recognition of the contribution of Indian soldiers and their stories are now a part of the history textbooks in Israel. The city’s municipality is planning to organise a grand event to mark the day in 2018 and the mayor of the city has called upon India to join hands in making it a success.

The iconic road and the circle will be renamed as Teen Murti ‘Haifa’ Chowk and Teen Murti ‘Haifa’ Marg respectively. The proposal will be presented at the municipal council’s meeting to be presided over by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday. The locations will be renamed if the council clears the move.

Demands to rename the place have been made over the past few years by different factions, including the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

According to the Ministry of Culture, a wrong impression has been built about Teen Murti Chowk having something to do with Mahatma Gandhi.

“The Teen Murti Chowk was named to mark the role of the three cavalry regiments that played a crucial role in the First World War. But no one today knows this. The moment people think of Teen Murti they think of Gandhiji's monkeys. This is a wrong impression that needs to be corrected,” the ministry has said in the past.