http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1097728

Oxford press apologises to Indians for dictionary errors AFP Friday, May 18, 2007 21:15 IST

LONDON: The Oxford University Press (OUP) apologised on Friday for offending the people of Bangalore with errors in one of its dictionaries, saying it was freezing warehouse sales and making corrections.

The 2005 edition of the Oxford Concise Dictionary of World Place Names reportedly made mistakes about the language and history of Bangalore.

The OUP said it was "deeply sorry" for the errors.

"We have frozen stock and stopped selling from our warehouses, and will be pulping the remaining copies," it said in a statement.

"We sincerely apologise for the offence that this error has caused and we would like to assure all concerned that we will be putting this right as a matter of extreme urgency," the OUP said.

The statement did not say how many copies of the dictionary had been sold and printed or whether it would reimburse those who have bought them.

The dictionary says Bangalore is a land of Bengalis who took their name from a local chief called Banga.

Bengali is in fact the language spoken mainly in Bangladesh and in West Bengal, while Kannada is the principal tongue of Karnataka, of which Bangalore is the capital.

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Oxford_says_Bangalore_a_land_of_Bengalis/...

Bangalore a land of Bengalis 18 May, 2007 l 0108 hrs ISTlTIMES NEWS NETWORK

Write to Editor BANGALORE: Bangaloreans don't seem to know this yet, but Bangalore is a land of Bengalis where people spoke Bengali!

This is what the reputed The Oxford Concise Dictionary of World Place Names , edited by John Everett-Heath, wants them to believe.

Another howler mentioned is that Kempe Gowda belongs to Hoysala dynasty. This is a chronological error because the dynasty had long ceased to be in power.

The state government, which is not amused with this 'new history', vows to ensure that the prestigious Oxford University Press apologises for the bloopers. "We are extremely upset with the errors. It's such a shame and they will have to rectify it. How can there be such scant respect for history of the state," asks Kannada & culture secretary I M Vittala Murthy.

The department, he said, will write a strong letter of discontent to the publishers demanding an explanation."They will have to withdraw the prints and apologise," he said. The state, he said, will also assist the publication with the facts about the history of the state.

The editorial team at Oxford University Press' headquarters in Delhi said they had so far not received any complaints. There was only one edition in 2005. "In case of errors, we usually go in for a reprint," the editor said.

While historians like Ramachandra Guha wanted to dismiss it off with "collective laughter", Suryanath U Kamath rubbished it.