As history books reveal, the question of whether to refer to this vast and diverse nation as “India” or “Bharat” has endured for centuries.
The upcoming G20 summit, hosted by India, has stirred speculation. State-issued invitations to world leaders using the term “Bharat” have ignited discussions about a potential transition away from the English name “India.”
For some, this shift symbolizes the triumph of shedding colonial remnants. For others, it appears as a potentially misguided initiative by the prime minister.
In 1947, when India finally achieved independence from British rule, it seemingly had three coexisting names, each with its unique history and significance.
India: This name, believed to originate from Sanskrit, references the Indus River in the country’s north. It was used in various forms by Persians, ancient Greeks, and Romans over 2,000 years ago. British maps in the 18th century widely adopted it to denote the region under British rule.
Hindustan: Persians, Greeks, Delhi sultans, and Mughals had used this term for centuries to describe a significant portion of the northern and central subcontinent.
Bharat: Traced back to the ancient Sanskrit text, the Rig Veda, which dates to around 1500 BC, “Bharat” mentions the Bharata clan as a principal tribe in what is now North India. It’s also the name of a legendary king from the Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata, whom Hindus regard as the father of the Indian race.
For Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister and an anti-colonial leader, his nation encompassed all three names. In his book, “The Discovery of India,” he stated: “Often, as I wandered from meeting to meeting, I spoke to my audiences of this India of ours, of Hindustan, and of Bharata, the old Sanskrit name derived from the mythical founders of the race.”
It wasn’t until 1949, during the drafting of India’s constitution, that a decision was made regarding the country’s formal name. Faced with a committee divided between “India” and “Bharat,” the compromise was to adopt both, with “Hindustan” being omitted.
Today, India’s constitution opens with the line: “India, that is Bharat, shall be a union of states.”
This decision wasn’t without controversy in parliament. An MP, Hargovind Pant, protested, saying, “We must know that this name was given to our country by foreigners who, having heard of the riches of this land, were tempted towards it and had robbed us of our freedom in order to acquire the wealth of our country.”
Both names, “India” and “Bharat,” continue to be widely used domestically. English communication typically employs “India,” while in almost all Indian languages, it’s “Bharat.” “Bharat” is featured in the national anthem, and both “Bharat” and “India” appear on Indian passports.
Although there have been legal and parliamentary petitions seeking to establish “Bharat” as the sole legitimate name, arguing that “India” is a colonial vestige, such efforts have been rejected.
However, the debate resurfaced recently when invitations sent to heads of state for a G20 leaders’ summit in Delhi referred to the “President of Bharat” in English. The English-language G20 booklet for foreign delegates, titled “Bharat, the Mother of Democracy,” declared “Bharat” as the official name of the country. Indian officials at the G20 summit will now carry tags reading “Bharat – official.”
While the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Narendra Modi, has denied any official name change plans, officials have confirmed that “Bharat” will increasingly be used in official communication.
Many view this move by the BJP as part of its broader Hindu nationalist agenda, which aims to distance India from its British colonial past, including renaming roads and monuments. For instance, the renaming of Delhi’s Raj Path to Kartavya Path was celebrated by Modi as India’s “freedom from yet another symbol of British Raj slavery.” Names associated with the Muslim Mughal rulers have also been erased.
The call for “Bharat” to be India’s official name finds strong support within the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the hardline right-wing religious nationalist group from which the BJP originated. RSS’s chief, Mohan Bhagwat, stated, “At times we use India so those who speak English will understand. But we must stop using this. The name of the country will remain Bharat wherever you go in the world.”
The decision to use “Bharat” in G20 invitations garnered significant backing within the BJP. Minister Dharmendra Pradhan viewed it as a step toward overcoming
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