Roundabout way of making a point

It is rare for a road or a junction to be named by popular consensus; most often they are either decided by local bodies, or even on occasion by higher official entities. The same goes for localities and prominent buildings. The names chosen are inevitably those of persons, places or entities considered to be of sufficient eminence or significance to be worthy of the distinction. Sometimes, of course, that leads to duplication, with thoroughfares, localities and edifices of varying size being bestowed with the same famous moniker, perhaps in tacit acknowledgement of the breadth of their appeal. But rarer still is an instance when an informal name bestowed by an exasperated citizenry finds its way into an official document. It is a measure of the popularity and aptness of the nomenclature Idiot Chowk for a confusing double roundabout in New Delhi’s Dwarka area that even the local authorities called it so on a bill recently, albeit inadvertently.

It is unfortunate and maybe even expected, however, that although the area’s residents have been calling it so for the past three years, nothing has been done to make the roundabout less annoying. Given that the name has stuck, authorities in Delhi and elsewhere should consider taking suggestions from local people for government constructions in future. It may save them some blushes later.