India and Bharat Debate –Explained, pointwise

The President’s invite for the G-20 dinner mentioned the “President of Bharat” instead of “President of India”. There is speculation of an official change in the name of the country from India to Bharat.

Article 1 of the Constitution uses the two names interchangeably- “India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.” This has renewed a broader conversation regarding the nation’s nomenclature and its historical connotations.

What are the origins of names “Bharat” and “India”?

Origin of name Bharat-

The origins of the name Bharat lie in the Puranic literature and the epic Mahabharata. The Puranas describe Bharata as the land between the “sea in the south and the abode of snow in the north”.

Bharata is also the name of the ancient king of legend who was the ancestor of the Rig Vedic tribe of the Bharatas. He is considered the progenitor of all peoples of the subcontinent.

Origin of name India-

The origin of the name India is derived from the word Indus which is the name of a river that flows through the northwestern part of the subcontinent.

The ancient Greeks called the people living beyond the Indus as Indoi which means “the people of Indus”.

Later the Persians and the Arabs also used the term Hind or Hindustan to refer to the land of Indus.

The Europeans adopted the name India from these sources, and it became the official name of the country after the British colonial rule.

How were both “India” and “Bharat” adopted as the names of the country?

During the Constituent Assembly debates the “Name and territory of the Union” was taken up for discussion on September 17, 1949. When the question of naming India in the Constitution arose ‘Hindustan’ was dropped, and both ‘Bharat’ and ‘India’ were retained.

Article 1 of the Constitution used the two names interchangeably- “India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.”

However, some members felt that “India” was a reminder of colonial oppression and sought to prioritize “Bharat” in official documents. Following are some of the arguments that favoured the prioritization of the name Bharat.

Dr.B.R. Ambedkar cleverly forced a compromise between the names India and Bharat. While the English version mentions “India that is Bharat”, the Hindi name mention “Bharat arthaat India”. Several institutions such as Reserve Bank of India and the Indian Railways already have Hindi variants with “Bharatiya” in them.

 What are the arguments in favour of changing name to Bharat from India?

Use of Bharat symbolises actual independence- India name for the newly independent nation did not signify the actual independence. Members who supported the name Bharat took Irish constitution example. Irish Free State was one of the few countries in the modern world which changed its name on achieving freedom and the fourth article of its Constitution refers to the change in the name of the land.

Name Bharat is befitting to our history and our culture- Vishnu Purana and Brahma Purana mentioned the geographical area as ‘Bharat’. Seventh-century Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsang has also referred to the country as Bharat.

Emotional Attachment to the name Bharat-Bharat or Bharatvarsha forms an incredibly strong emotional attachment which is rooted in the Puranas. Country is witnessing ‘civilizational reincarnation’.

Bharat connected to our National symbols-Indian National Anthem is woven around Bharat. The National Flags and emblems are connected to Bharat.

Name of the country as India was foreign imposition- Clinging to the word ‘India’ shows that we are not ashamed of having this insulting word which has been imposed on us by alien rulers.

Bharat is inclusive word for the supporters– Bharat word for the Hindi heartland’s ‘Bharat’ has its southern derivatives such as “Bharatham”in Tamil.

Reminder of colonial Past-The use of India over Bharat is seen as a reminder of the colonial past.

What are the arguments against changing name to Bharat from India?

Means to create political polarisation- Renaming of name of India as Bharat is a means to create political polarisation between the elite-non-elite, urban-rural and south-north states. It is being used to counter the emerging coalition of I.N.D.I.A by the ruling party.

Against the non-theocratical and inclusive nature of state- Renaming of name of the country as Bharat would be against the non-theocratic and inclusive state that India symbolises.

Both the names India and Bharat stir sentiments of National Belonging- Hindi language have used the name Bharat while English and other local tongues have been using the name India. Since India has linguistic diversity there will be several names which are used. However, both the names stir have the same sentiment of nationalism.

Undermining the country’s soft power- Government’s name game undermines the confidence and soft power of the nation. India name is registered with the United Nations and all foreign visits joint declarations use the name India. Ex-Recent India-Greece joint Statement.

Renaming is a cumbersome process- Renaming of name of the country would also require the renaming of government institutions to corporate institutions. This will be a cumbersome and tiring process. Also renaming of names will not serve much purpose as all institutions have already Bharat names in their Hindi usage like the RBI and IITs.

India name has a wider acceptability- The name of the country as India has wider acceptability within the country as well as in international arena.

58^th Amendment Act gives parity to both Bharat and India – 58^th Amendment Act 1987 empowered the President to have published under his authority the authoritative text ‘in the Hindi language’ of the Constitution which could be used in the legal process also. Thus, the Hindi text of the Constitution published by the government following the amendment is ‘authoritative’. This gave parity to both Bharat and India as hindi and English were both authoritative.

What will be the process of changing name to Bharat from India?

Legal experts are divided on the process of changing the name of India to Bharat. While the English version mentions “India,that is Bharat” the hindi name mention “Bharat arthaat India”.

Special Majority required- One view is that a wholesale switch to Bharat may require an amendment with a 2/3rd majority of not only the two houses of Parliament but also of all the state assemblies.

No Amendment required-The other view is that Bharat could be used through simple notifications on a case-by-case basis.

Conclusion

The name of the country has already been extensively debated in the constituent assembly by our learned forefathers. Dr.Ambedkar at that time reminded the House several times that the civilisational debate was unnecessary since the name Bharat was not opposed by members. Dr.Ambedkar was apprehensive of such debates on the name of the country. He was focussed more on development path the country should take to march ahead.

Today also we are at that juncture of our development journey where we look to become the third largest economy of the world by 2027. Indulging in these regressive civilisational debates would not be of much help in our development. “India,that is Bharat” and “Bharat arthaat India” are one and the same.