Surat: After years of embarrassment, broken marriage proposals and awkward introductions, residents of a small tribal village in Surat district are celebrating a long-awaited change in identity. The state govt has officially renamed the village from “Chudel” to “Chandanpur”, ending a decades-old stigma attached to its name.The renaming was notified through a recent gazette notification, bringing closure to a campaign that villagers say began nearly a decade ago.For years, residents struggled with the social consequences of the village’s name. “Chudel”, meaning “witch”, is commonly used as a derogatory term, and villagers say it often invited ridicule, particularly during social gatherings and marriage negotiations.In many tribal communities of South Gujarat, engagement announcements are made at community functions where brides and grooms introduce themselves, including the names of their villages.“Young boys or girls from our village used to give the name of a neighbouring village to avoid stigma and becoming a laughingstock. In some cases, when the village name was said publicly, the other side rejected the proposal,” said Ravi Chaudhary, a farmer who was involved in the renaming effort.Residents said the embarrassment extended beyond marriage discussions.“When we are out for some work and if they ask for our village name, we used to give the name of neighbouring villages such as Zhab, Areth or Patal to avoid embarassment. If we gave the real name, Chudel, they would immediately say, ‘Are there many chudels (witches) in your village?’” said Sharda, a resident.Villagers said the impact was often serious. Some families claimed marriage proposals fell through due to the village name became known, while others routinely avoided disclosing their native place.“We learned about the new name through the notification. The name has been changed in the govt gazette and now we can update our identity and other documents,” said Sanjana Chaudhary, a taluka panchayat member from the village.Now officially Chandanpur, the village has 1,200 residents and roughly 300 houses. Surrounded by farms and quarries, it relies largely on agriculture and dairy farming.Residents say the village has produced students pursuing PhDs, medical education and other professional courses, while several educated youths have secured govt jobs over the past few decades.Elders say the origin of the old name remains unclear.“How the village got this name is not known. But the efforts of villagers finally paid off,” said Amrat Chaudhary, who served as sarpanch about 15 years ago.Former sarpanch Mansukh Chaudhary said villagers had informally adopted the new name years before official approval.“We started putting up signboards at a few locations some years ago with the name of our choice, Chandanpur. We kept the first letter but chose a nice name which gives a good feeling,” he said.Villagers also say the old name was unlikely to have originated from tribal dialects spoken in the area. “Tribal languages do not have the word ‘chudel’. It is believed that the name was given by an official before Independence. Rather than chudel, the word ‘dakan’ is used in our tribal dialects,” Mansukh said.With the notification now in place, residents are preparing to update identity, land and other official records while ensuring the new name reflects on signboards and documents.
