Chennai, 24 November (H.S.) : Several settlements in the Tiruvallur district are experiencing an identity crisis as they share names with prominent and sometimes 'posh' neighborhoods in Chennai, such as Nungambakkam, Mylapore, Arumbakkam, and Korattur. This naming confusion has become an everyday affair for local residents, often leading to mix-ups in official correspondence, delayed services, and travel confusion, particularly during emergencies.

B Prabakaran, the former president of the Nungambakkam village panchayat in Tiruvallur, recounted a recent hospital visit where staff immediately assumed he was from the busy Chennai locality, necessitating a clarification that his Nungambakkam is a quiet, pollution-free village in Tiruvallur taluk. Similarly, residents of Mylapore, a small settlement in the Poondi block, report poor bus access and mobile connectivity but are constantly mistaken for their namesake in Chennai.

For villages like Arumbakkam, known locally as '26 Arumbakkam,' the lack of clear village name boards further compounds the issue, forcing visitors to rely on local enquiries to find their destination. Some communities have developed workarounds: residents of Korattur village panchayat in Poonamallee taluk now commonly refer to their area as Jamin Korattur, after a former local landmark, to avoid confusion with Chennai's Korattur.

Many residents have adapted by identifying their village with nearby taluks or towns, a practice they hope will eventually be formalized to resolve the persistent identity mix-ups.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Dr. R. B. Chaudhary