Kolkata’s Lok Bhavan has renamed its six entrance gates after prominent literary figures, social reformers, freedom fighters and tribal resistance leaders, in a move initiated by West Bengal Governor R.N. Ravi. Name boards bearing the new designations and an Ashoka emblem have been installed outside each entrance.
The southern entrance has been named Rishi Bankim Dwar after Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay. The road leading from this gate to the inner entrance of Lok Bhavan has been named Kartavya Path. According to the report, the President, Prime Minister and Governor use this route when entering the state complex.
An entrance located towards the Accountant General, West Bengal, and the Calcutta High Court has been named Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy Dwar. Bidhan Chandra Roy was a physician and former Chief Minister of West Bengal. The main gate on the northern side of Lok Bhavan has been named Kav guru Dwar in honour of Rabindranath Tagore. This entrance is primarily used by members of the public.
The north-western entrance has been named Khudiram Bose Dwar, while the north-eastern entrance has been named Raja Rammohan Roy Dwar. The eastern entrance has been named Sidho-Kanhu Dwar after Sidho and Kanhu Murmu, leaders associated with the Santhal rebellion.
The six names collectively draw on Bengal’s literary, social reform, freedom movement and tribal histories. The boards installed at the entrances carry the names along with an Ashoka emblem, making the designations visible at the points through which officials, public visitors and other users access the complex.
The renaming also marks a further change in the identity of the state Governor’s official residence and office complex. During the tenure of former Governor C.V. Ananda Bose, the name of Raj Bhavan was changed to Lok Bhavan. The current initiative adds individual names to the complex’s six access points rather than changing the name of the institution itself.
For a major public building, entrance names perform both an operational and representational function: they help distinguish access points while associating the institution with selected figures from the region’s history. In this case, one gate is identified with the route used by constitutional authorities, while another is identified as the principal entrance for members of the public.
The report states that the naming initiative was undertaken at Governor R.N. Ravi’s initiative and that boards have now been placed at all six entrances. The new names will be used to identify the gates of Lok Bhavan in Kolkata.
