A land that harbored a rich heritage of literature, culture, beautiful terrains and landscapes, wealth, and diversity can’t be contained in just one word. The copious history of one nation has been defined and redefined throughout the generations, but the origins of this country date back eons ago, as one of the oldest civilizations in the world.
BHARAT: This estate was once named after the epic war of Mahabharata: symbolizing the victory of good over evil. This word derived from Sanskrit (one of the oldest languages) originates from the ancient Puranic literature.
Some believed that this race was descendants of King Bharat. Historians deduced that the word was mentioned in early Hindu texts. But in Hindi (the most commonly spoken language), the term also means “India.”
INDIA: This word is derived from the river called Indus, now known as Sindhu. For many earlier centuries, India was used to refer to the entire subcontinent. During the British rule, “India” became the most commonly used title in the 18th century.
Many freedom fighters and political leaders then believed that the name India had connotations to the colonial era. Hence, most preferred to call the nation by alternate names, including “Hindustan” and “Bharat.” However, the official documents still assigned India as the official name after the Declaration of Independence 1945.
Then, starting in 1949, the Constituent Assembly adopted the draft Article 1 of the Constitution stating, “India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.” This sparked the first discourse on whether the nation should be called India or Bharat.
The world recognizes this unique sovereign state as India– a nation that embraces unity in diversity. After a tumultuous past, the country has come a long way from several years of reigns and finally gained independence as a republic country.
As the biggest democracy in the world, India has been challenged on the conglomeration several times. And more often than not, politics has been the root that sows the seeds of differences.
On August 5, the assembly witnessed another political conflict after the official G20 summit dinner invitations titled Droupadi Murmu as ‘President of Bharat.’ The opposition raised objections to replacing the official title of ‘President of India.’ Post which, the speculations transpired that the Narendra Modi government is conspiring to change the country’s name to Bharat.
India vs. Bharat Controversy Explained
First, the Modi government announced a special session of parliament on September 18 without revealing the agenda. After the invitations were revealed, the opposition party suspected that the agenda might be changing the official name, and the date also aligned with the day when the constitution stated Article 1.
However, Union Minister Anurag Thakur has clarified with the Indian Express that these are just rumors. He further elaborated his views, stating –
“I am a minister of Bharat Sarkar, many news channels also have Bharat in their name. Why should anyone object to Bharat, who are these people who are allergic to the name Bharat? Who is opposing the name Bharat? Now, have you even started feeling the pain at the mention of Bharat? These are the same people who put party before the nation and are stuck in the quicksand of politics. They also have attempted to malign the country from foreign soil.”
This is not the first time a political figure has been referred to as a citizen of Bharat. Sambit Patra, the spokesperson for BJP, tweeted on X that referred to Mr. Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister of Bharat.
The same terms were also mentioned in government notification when Mr. Modi visited the 15th BRICS Summit and then to Greece.
The opposition unified in disagreement with this accord.
Possible Reasons Why The Government Would Change The Name To Bharat
Reason 1: The Colonial context behind “India.”
During the recent Monsoon Session of Parliament, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Bansal pitched for a name change, stating –
“India is a symbol of ‘colonial slavery’ and should be removed from the constitution. Our country has been known by the name of ‘Bharat’ for thousands of years.”
Reason 2: An answer to the opposition party.
Barring the ruling party, the rest of the parties formed a 26-party bloc called “INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance.” The BJP wanted to disassociate the country’s name from this new movement and to disparage the opposition’s attempt to rise against the government. [This is just a theory].
Reason 3: Recent Sanatan Dharma controversy
Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin recently received massive fire over his remarks on Sanatan Dharma. He was booked under Section 153A (promoting enmity between different religious groups) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts to outrage religious feelings) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
There might be a possibility that the government would take the step of changing the name to a more Hindi-inclined name, such as Bharat, to denote our roots. This also sends a message to those criticizing the Sanatan, which is the foundation of Hinduism.
Reason 4: A distraction from actual national issues.
Some people believe that the government is trying to distract from the criticisms. Inflation, unemployment, development, debt, trade issues, and more burning problems need to be addressed at this point.
Speculations also imply that this is a diversion from the Adani stock manipulation case getting international coverage.
What Would Be The Changes After India is Renamed Bharat?
As per the Business Outlook report– The estimated cost of renaming India to Bharat would be approximately Rs 14,304 crore, taking into account the marketing budget and cost of rebranding.
| Constructive Changes | Unfavourable Changes | |
| NAME, IDENTITY, & SYMBOLISM | A unified national identity gives the country a name that depicts its roots, considering the name is derived from the ancient Sanskrit language and is also the most commonly used word. | Globally, the name India has become synonymous with a vibrant and culturally diverse nation. |
| LEGAL | “Bharat” word would unify the rural and urban regions. It will also help to bridge the gap between the various legal issues between the two spectrums. | Changing the name would require a colossal heap of paperwork. And not to mention the time, money, and resources spent on it. |
| INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS | The rename is also a rebranding that suggests the rich heritage of the nation. | It would require a fair amount of diplomatic persuasion to alter all the documents and whatnot. |
| POLITICAL CONFLICTS | The BJP government will prove its influence by renaming the country. | It will trigger a huge wave of disapproval since the majority collectively opposes this decision. In more drastic consequences, it may spark riots. |
Passing the baton to you– what is your take on renaming a country? Do you think it’s more important that a name should depict its essence? Or should it be left as the world knows it?
Is this decision counter-productive? What do you think might be the agenda here? Let us know in the comments section below.
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