Opposition politicians have stirred a new controversy by posting images of an official invitation to a G20 dinner, hosted by “The President of Bharat” instead of the usual “President of India.” This change in nomenclature has sparked speculation about an official shift in the country’s name from India to Bharat. Interestingly, Article 1 of the Indian Constitution already employs both names interchangeably: “India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.”
Bharat: A Historical Perspective
- The Roots of Bharat: The term “Bharat” finds its origins in Puranic literature and the epic Mahabharata. It describes the land between the southern sea and the northern abode of snow. Initially, it represented a religious and socio-cultural entity rather than a political or geographical one, emphasizing common faith and culture.
- The Origin of Hindustan: The name “Hindustan” is believed to have evolved from ‘Hindu,’ the Persian equivalent of the Sanskrit ‘Sindhu’ (Indus), introduced during the Persian conquest of the Indus valley in the 6th century BC. During the Mughal era, it referred to the entire Indo-Gangetic plain.
- The Emergence of India: The Greeks replaced ‘Sindhu/Hindu’ with ‘Indus’ to describe the region beyond the Indus River. British maps from the late 18th century onwards favored the name ‘India,’ gradually disassociating ‘Hindustan’ from the broader South Asian context. The adoption of ‘India’ contributed to the colonial perception of the subcontinent as a single, bounded, and British-controlled territory.
The Constitutional Debate
When the Constituent Assembly debated the naming of India in the Constitution on September 17, 1949, ‘Hindustan’ was discarded in favor of retaining both ‘Bharat’ and ‘India.’ Members held differing views, with some favoring ‘Bharatvarsha’ and others emphasizing ‘Bharat’ as the preferred name. Ultimately, Article 1 of the Constitution was adopted, stating, “India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.”
Recent Attempts at Name Change
- 2020 Supreme Court Dismissal: In 2020, the Supreme Court dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking to remove “India” from the Constitution and retain only “Bharat” to shed the colonial past. The court asserted that the Constitution itself referred to India as Bharat.
- PM’s Call for Decolonization: In his Independence Day address in 2022, the Indian Prime Minister emphasized the need to “decolonize minds” and take pride in India’s civilizational heritage. This signaled a push towards embracing the name “Bharat.”
- Official Usage in Government Booklet: A government booklet pertaining to the Prime Minister’s visit to Indonesia for the 20th ASEAN-India Summit and the 18th East Asia Summit referred to him as the “Prime Minister of Bharat.”
UPSC Mains Questions
- What historical and cultural factors contribute to the debate over the name of India?
- What role has the Supreme Court played in addressing the issue of changing the country’s name from “India” to “Bharat”?
- How might the official usage of “Bharat” in government documents reflect broader cultural and political shifts in India?