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A language row has erupted at Mumbai’s Byculla zoo after BJP leaders demanded that three newly hatched penguin chicks be given Marathi names, arguing that animals born on Maharashtra soil should reflect local culture.
A language controversy has broken out in Mumbai and that's not over road signs or textbooks, but over penguins.
Three baby penguins recently born at the city's Byculla zoo have been given English names, sparking protests from BJP leaders who insist the chicks deserve Marathi names instead.
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The penguin protest
The row began when the zoo named the new Humboldt penguin chicks Noddy, Tom, and Pingu, continuing a tradition of using English names that started when the first batch of penguins arrived from South Korea in 2016.
However, BJP functionary Nitin Bankar, from the Byculla assembly constituency, led a protest outside the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Udyan and Zoo (popularly called Rani Baug), demanding that the penguin chicks be named in Marathi.
“When penguins were brought from abroad, English names were acceptable. But these chicks were born on the soil of Maharashtra, they must have Marathi names,” said Bankar.
Ignored appeals to BMC
Bankar claimed he had made repeated requests to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which runs the zoo, but received no response.
“This is not just about animals. It’s about respecting Marathi and its classical language status. We even wrote letters to the BMC, but no one listened,” he said.
Zoo officials on the names
The zoo’s decision to name the chicks in English came with a backstory.
According to officials:
Noddy was born to penguins Popeye and Olive on March 3
Tom and Pingu were born to Daisy and Donald on March 7 and March 11, respectively
One official said the name Tom was chosen to match Jerry, a chick born in June 2023.
“Tom, being the elder sibling, gets more food regurgitated by the parents. We have to help feed Pingu,” the official added.
More penguins, bigger plans
The successful hatching marks the first in over a year at the zoo and brings the total Humboldt penguin count to 21.
The penguins are expected to begin exploring the pool area at around three months of age, said zoo biologist Dr Abhishek Satam, reports the Times of India.
With most penguins now in their prime breeding age of 6-7 years and able to breed until 15, the zoo anticipates more hatchlings in the coming years. To accommodate the growing penguin family, the zoo is expanding its enclosure by 400 square feet, increasing its capacity to around 40 birds, the TOI report said.
Language, identity, and penguins
The penguin-naming debate is just the latest example of Maharashtra's ongoing language politics. While zoo staff focused on breeding and caring for the birds, politicians have turned the issue into a symbol of cultural identity.
As of now, Noddy, Tom, and Pingu continue to waddle unaware of the debate their names have stirred — a reminder that even in the animal kingdom, language can flap up a storm.
