The Rashtrapati Bhavan had engraved President of Bharat instead of conventional President of India on invitations to G20 Summit.This sparked speculation that administration would introduce a resolution to rename India as Bharat during next session of parliament.
News jungal desk:President of Bharat appears on President Droupadi Murmu’s invitation to G20 foreign leaders and Chief Ministers for a dinner on September 9.
Constitutional Provision:
Article 1 of Indian constitution states that
“India, that is Bharat, shall be a union of states.”
Our constitution already uses both India and Bharat interchangebly.
- The preamble of our constitution begins with We the People of India, but
- the Hindi version uses Bharat, indicating interchangebility.
Additionally, some government institutions such as Reserve Bank of India and Indian Railways already have Hindi variants that is Bhartiya.
Origin of the name Bharat:
The term Bharat has deep historical and cultural roots. It can be traced back to the Puranic literature and the Epic Mahabharat.
- Vishnu Purana describes Bharats as the land between southern sea and Northern Himalayan mountain.
It signifies a religious and socio cultural entity more than mere a political or geographical one.
- Bharata is also the name of legendary ancient king, considered the ancestor of Rig Vedic tribes of Bharats, symbolizing the progenitor (ancestor) of all subcontinent’s people.
Origin of the name India:
The name India is derived from the Indus river which flows through the northwestern part of the subcontinent.
- The ancient Greek called People living beyond Indus as Indoi, which means the people of Indus.
- Later, persians and Arabs refered land of Indus as Hind or Hindustan.
- The Europens adopted the name India from these sources and it became the official name of the nation after British Colonial rule.
Historical significance of the name Hindustan:
- Sikh founder Guru Nanak Dev mentioned Hindustan name in Gurubani.
- Guru Teg Bahadur is known as protector of Hind and religion.
- The Gadar Party and Freedom Struggle Activists used Hindustan name in their movements, making it relevant in Punjab’s History.
The Many other names of India are Meluha( appears in ancient texts of Mesopotamia to refer Indus Valley Civilization), Bharatvarsha, Aryavarta, Jumbudvipa etc.
Constituent Assembly Delibeartion:
The debate surrounding the country’s name is not new. When the constituent Assembly was framing the constitution in 1949, there was division of name regarding country’s name.
Some members felt that India name was a reminder of Colonial Oppression and sought to prioritize Bharat in official documents.
- Seth Govind Das advocated for placing Bharat above India, emphasizing that India is merely an English translation.
- Hari Vishnu Kamath cited the example of Irish Constitution, which changed the name of country upon achieving independence, as a precedent for using name Bharat.
- Har Govind Pant argued that the people wanted Bharatvarsh and rejected the term India imposed by foreign rulers.
Supreme court Stand:
Supreme court has rejected pleas twice to rename India as Bharat in 2016 and 2020, reaffirming that India and Bharat both are already mentioned in constitution.
- Some countries that renamed themselves are :
- Iran, known as Persia in 1935
- Sri Lanka known as Ceylon in 1972
- Myanmar known as Burma in 2019
- Turkiye known as Turkey in 2022
Conclusion:
India also known as Bharat, is a union of states.It is Sovereign, Socialist,Secular,Democratic,Republic with a Parliamentary system of government.
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