One word on the dinner invitation has sparked frenzied speculation that India is changing its name and has opted for a highly controversial alternative.
Earlier this week, Indian president Droupadi Murmu was referred to as “President Bharat” at an invitation to a state dinner for leaders attending the G20 summit in Delhi this weekend.
Sambit Patra, the national spokesperson for India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), added to the speculation when he shared an image of an official card referring to Narendra Modi as the “Prime Minister of Bharat.”
The single word — Bharat — appearing on both invitations has sparked rumors that India may be in the process of officially changing its name.
Indian President Droupadi Murmu was referred to as the “President of Bharat” at an invitation to a state dinner for leaders attending the G20 summit in Delhi this weekend.ZUMAPRESS.com
Why can India change its name?
Bharat is an ancient Sanskrit word that has long been used to describe India.
Generally, the word India is used when referring to the country in English, while Bharat is used in Hindi.
Both names – as well as a third name, Hindustan, which means “land of the Hindus” in Urdu – are used interchangeably by many people.
But it is unusual to see the word Bharat on a dinner invitation, which is otherwise in English — and the word is very politically laden.
Bharat is an ancient Sanskrit word that has long been used to describe India.AP
Indian state governments, as in many post-colonial countries, have in recent years renamed several colonial-era cities.
Bombay became Mumbai, Madras became Chennai and Calcutta became Kolkata, to name a few.
More controversially, however, India has also renamed many cities founded by the Mughals, a Muslim dynasty responsible for founding much of India.
In 2018, for example, the Mughal-founded city of Allahabad was renamed Prayagraj, a Sanskrit word that officials claim is its original name.
Indian state governments in recent years have renamed several colonial-era cities. AP
The BJP, led by Mr. Modi, has been repeatedly accused of fueling Hindu nationalism in India at the expense of the country’s Muslim minority population — and it is the BJP that has led the fight to change India’s name.
Why is India’s possible name change controversial?
Supporters of the name change claim the word India is tied to the country’s colonial history under the British.
Retired Indian cricket star Virender Sehwag, for example, heralded the potential change in a broadcast to his 23.4 million followers on X.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is referred to as “Prime Minister of Bharat” on official cards, the report said. AP
He also called on cricket authorities to ensure that “our players have Bharat on our chest” at the World Cup tournament in India in November.
“I always believe that a name should be one that creates pride in us. We are Bhartiyas. India is a name given by the British & it is long overdue to officially get back our original name ‘Bharat’,” he wrote.
Naresh Bansal, a BJP politician, also said the name “India” was a symbol of “colonial slavery” and “should be removed from the constitution.”
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“The British changed the name of Bharat to India,” he said in a parliamentary session.
“Our country has been known as ‘Bharat’ for thousands of years. … The name ‘India’ was given by the colonial Raj and thus a symbol of slavery.”
Importantly, historians generally agree that India was not named as such by the British.
In fact, both names – India and Bharat – have been used to refer to the region for more than 2,000 years.
Strongest opponents of the possible name change say it is part of a larger push by the BJP to officialize Hindi over the 21 other languages referenced in India’s constitution and at least 100 more spoken in various Indian communities.
Critics also say changing the names of Indian cities and regions — and potentially India itself — erases the country’s historic and cultural heritage.
Shashi Tharoor, an Indian politician from the opposition Congress Party, said changing India’s name would blow up “incalculable brand value” that has been built up over centuries.
Retired Indian cricket star Virender Sehwag agreed with the potential change in the post to his 23.4 million followers on X. AP
“We should continue to use both words instead of giving up our claim to a name steeped in history, a name recognized around the world,” he wrote.
What happens next?
India’s government has called a special session of parliament for September 18-22 but has not announced the agenda, leading some to believe the meeting will be used to officially rename the country.
Others speculate that the change will not happen so soon, but instead that the current controversy is a way to get people to care.
Historians generally agree that India was not so named by the British, saying that both names, India and Bharat, have been used to refer to the region for more than 2,000 years. ZUMAPRESS.com
Robin Jeffrey, a visiting research professor at the Institute of South Asian Studies in Singapore, said the reference to “Bharat” on the event invitation could signal a slower move towards a new name.
“I think it’s a way to soften the world’s media and make people learn about Bharat,” he said.
“It’s also a way to soften India up on this.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
