West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee once voiced the idea of turning Kolkata into London. Shortly thereafter, a replica of London’s Big Ben appeared in Laketown in Kolkata. In addition, the CM planned to renovate the banks of the Hoogly River on the Thames line. Now, London also pays tribute to the Bengali language. Whitechapel Station in London has Bengali and English signage. Proud of the installation, Banerjee took to Twitter and declared the growing global importance of the 1,000-year-old Bengali language. He calls it a victory for “culture and heritage”.
Tower Hamlets Mayor shares bilingual signage images at Whitechapel Station
Tower Hamlets Mayor John Biggs played a key role in installing the bilingual signage. On Twitter he shared some photos of the station with Bengali signage. In the caption, he calls Bengali “Bangla”. Although the language is known internationally as “Bengali”, natives generally refer to it as “Bangla”. Whitechapel Station is one of London’s historic landmarks, dating back to 1876. Over the years it has been developed, renovated and expanded. It is now a subway and surface station. London Mayor Sadiq Khan helped Biggs install the signage.
Mamata Banerjee called London a well-planned city
While planning to turn Kolkata into London, Banerjee stated that London is a well-planned city and he also wants Kolkata to be renovated with similar plans, according to a Hindu report. She added that private players should also help with the funds when the government takes a favorable step to grace the city. In this sense, this was the “longest bus route in the world” from Kolkata to London.
