There has been a recent development in India where the term “Bharat” has been used for the first time in an official invite to heads of state attending the weekend G20 summit, replacing the traditional “Republic of India”. This marks a significant shift in nomenclature on the international stage as the country hosts the mega event. President Draupadi Murmu’s invite to G20 foreign leaders and Chief Ministers for a dinner on September 9, says: “President of the Republic of Bharat” instead of “President of the Republic of India”. Officials say this is the first change of India’s nomenclature for any official event. Now it become dispute on “The Constitutional Name of India
The dinner invitation from President Droupadi Murmu to foreign leaders attending the summit describes her as “President of Bharat”. Several ministers from the ruling BJP party cheered the move, but opposition leaders questioned its purpose. The move comes amid reports that the government is mulling changing the name of the country officially to Bharat.
Understand the origin of word ” Bharat “
The name ‘Bharat’ has its roots in ancient Indian literature. The word ‘Bharat’ comes from the Sanskrit language and is a very ancient name. It has references in the Mahabharata and the Hindu Puranas to “Bharatvarsh”. The Puranas describe Bharata as the land between the “sea in the south and the abode of snow in the north”. Social scientist Catherine Clémentin-Ojha explained Bharata in the sense of a religious and socio-cultural entity, rather than a political or geographical one. ‘Bharata’ refers to the “supraregional and subcontinental territory where the Brahmanical system of society prevails”, Clémentin-Ojha wrote in her 2014 article, ‘India, that is Bharat…’: One Country, Two Names (South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal). Bharata is also the name of the ancient king of legend who was the ancestor of the Rig Vedic tribe of the Bharatas, and by extension, the progenitor of all peoples of the subcontinent.
In January 1927, Jawaharlal Nehru wrote about the enduring “fundamental unity of India” that has existed since “the remote past.” He described this unity as being based on “a common faith and culture.” He referred to India as “Bharata,” the holy land of the Hindus, and noted the significance of the fact that the great places of Hindu pilgrimage are located in the four corners of India: in the extreme South overlooking Ceylon, in the extreme West washed by the Arabian Sea, in the East facing the Bay of Bengal, and in the North in the Himalayas (Selected Works Vol. 2).
Now See The Difference Between INDIA and HINDUSTAN
The names ‘India’ and ‘Hindustan’ have different origins and histories. ‘India’ is the name given to the country during British colonization and is derived from the Indus River. This name became more popular in the world as it became popular during the British Raj.
On the other hand, ‘Hindustan’ is a Persian name for the country introduced during the Mughal invasion. It is derived from the term ‘Hindu’, which is Persian for ‘Sindhu’, named after the Sindhu (Indus) River. The name Hindustan is of significance because it reflects on the history of the colonization of India. Hindustan is a combination of two words – Hindu along with stan which means land. Therefore, the name translates to ‘the land of Indus.
Constitutional Journey of INDIA and BHARAT
The names ‘Bharat’ and ‘India’ both appear in the Constitution of India. Article 1 of the Constitution states, “India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States”. This means that both names, ‘India’ and ‘Bharat’, were made official and legal to be used for juridico-political purposes².
The name ‘Bharat’ has its roots in ancient Indian literature. The word ‘Bharat’ comes from the Sanskrit language and is a very ancient name. It has references in the Mahabharata and the Hindu Puranas to “Bharatvarsh”. The Puranas describe Bharata as the land between the “sea in the south and the abode of snow in the north”.
On the other hand, ‘India’ is the name given to the country during British colonization and is derived from the Indus River. This name became more popular in the world as it became popular during the British Raj.
The framers of our Constitution debated on whether to use Bharat or India for the country. After a series of debates in the Constituent Assembly, it was decided to use both names together for official usage.
“The Constitutional Name of India
“The Constitutional Name of India