It began with a . How it ends could affect more than a billion people.
State-issued invites sent to guests of referred to India害羞草研究所檚 president, , as 害羞草研究所淧resident of Bharat.害羞草研究所� Suddenly, in many circles, the question was everywhere: Would the country of more than 1.4 billion now be called by its ancient Sanskrit name?
Since then, Prime Minister 害羞草研究所檚 ministers, his Hindu nationalist supporters, Bollywood stars and cricketers have made similar public proclamations: India should officially be rebranded as Bharat.
India is known by two names: India, used worldwide, and the Sanskrit and Hindi nomenclature of 害羞草研究所淏harat.害羞草研究所� Now, Modi害羞草研究所檚 government is signaling that Indians should shed the name India and instead call their country Bharat.
The possibility is resonating with Hindu nationalists who form the prime minister害羞草研究所檚 core vote base. Their stated reason: the name 害羞草研究所淚ndia害羞草研究所� is tied to colonialism and slavery, a sentiment that Modi害羞草研究所檚 ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has long shared. But the reasons 害羞草研究所� political, cultural, historical 害羞草研究所� run far deeper.
THERE ARE SOME PRECEDENTS, BUT INDIA害羞草研究所橲 SITUATION IS SINGULAR
A name 害羞草研究所� be it of a person or an entire country 害羞草研究所� is many things. It害羞草研究所檚 descriptive, emotionally important and deeply wrapped up in identity. So when it comes to a whole nation, a name change is not a small thing.
Around the world, there have been some notable national rebrandings in recent decades as nations shed names inflicted by colonial rulers. Ceylon was changed to Sri Lanka in 1972. Rhodesia got rebranded as Zimbabwe in 1980. Burma became in 1989. And last year, Turkey was officially changed to . The list goes on 害羞草研究所� Cambodia to Kampuchea (and eventually back again), Swaziland to , Malaya to Malaysia.
In India, the country害羞草研究所檚 renaming demands stem from a more cultural and religious perspective. They are often invoked by Hindu nationalists who say the name Bharat is more authentic to the nation害羞草研究所檚 past.
Officially, the Indian government has made no decision and issued no statement, and one senior leader dismissed the speculations of a name change as 害羞草研究所渏ust rumors.害羞草研究所� But India害羞草研究所檚 foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, seemed to advocate the increased use of Bharat this week.
害羞草研究所満π卟菅芯克鶚India, that is Bharat害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所� it is there in the constitution. Please, I would invite everybody to read it,害羞草研究所� Jaishankar said Wednesday.
Indeed, India害羞草研究所檚 constitution uses the term Bharat just once: 害羞草研究所淚ndia, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.害羞草研究所� Everywhere else, the country is referred to as India in English.
The name Bharat is an ancient Sanskrit word that many historians believe dates back to early Hindu scriptures. 害羞草研究所淚ndia害羞草研究所� has etymological roots in the Indus River, which was called 害羞草研究所淪indhu害羞草研究所� in Sanskrit. Another popular but not legally recognized name for the country is Hindustan, which means 害羞草研究所渓and of the Indus害羞草研究所� in Persian. All three names were in use long before British rule.
But Modi害羞草研究所檚 government, which won 2014 national polls and returned to power in 2019, has a penchant for changing names.
It has done so with various cities, towns and prominent roads that were long associated with the British rule and Muslim heritage, arguing it is an ongoing effort to salvage the country from the taint of colonialism and so-called Muslim invaders. Prominent among such efforts is the government害羞草研究所檚 renaming of the northern city of Allahabad 害羞草研究所� named by Muslim Mughal rulers centuries ago 害羞草研究所� to the Sanskrit word 害羞草研究所淧rayagraj.害羞草研究所�
POLITICS IS AT THE CENTER OF THE DEBATE
The name-changing exercise is fraught with a political motivation that is an essential ingredient of the ruling government害羞草研究所檚 revisionist agenda and has, under Modi害羞草研究所檚 rule, come amid increasing attacks by Hindu nationalists against minorities, particularly Muslims. A largely Hindu country that has long proclaimed its multicultural character, India has a sizable Muslim minority 害羞草研究所� 14% of the population.
Already, Indians and even foreigners are tacitly being nudged to get used to the revised nomenclature of the country.
A government-made mobile application for media and G20 delegates attending the summit says Bharat is the official name of the country 害羞草研究所� a first public proclamation of its kind during any global event. Visiting guests for the summit are also being welcomed to the host害羞草研究所檚 capital city with giant billboards that refer to the country as both Bharat and India.
Efforts to change India害羞草研究所檚 name have been made in the past through court cases, but judges have so far steered away from the issue. However, an upcoming session of the federal Parliament 害羞草研究所� a surprise announcement made by the Modi government without disclosing any agenda 害羞草研究所� has prompted speculation. Opposition parties say an official rebranding could very well be in the cards.
In July, India害羞草研究所檚 opposition parties announced a new alliance called INDIA in an effort to unseat Modi and defeat his party ahead of national elections in 2024. The acronym stands for 害羞草研究所淚ndian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance.害羞草研究所� Since then, some officials in Modi害羞草研究所檚 party have demanded that the country be called Bharat instead of India.
The formation of that alliance, says Zoya Hasan, an Indian academic and political scientist, 害羞草研究所渃ould be the immediate provocation here.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 a political debate which is aimed at embarrassing the opposition who have re-appropriated the nationalism platform with their new name,害羞草研究所� Hasan said. 害羞草研究所淭his rattled the ruling establishment, and they want to regain their monopoly over nationalism by invoking Bharat.害羞草研究所�
She also said the timing of suddenly using Bharat is curious given one particular recent event. The chief of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a radical Hindu movement widely accused of stoking religious hatred with aggressively anti-Muslim views, recently urged Indians to use the Sanskrit name more often. The RSS is the ideological mother ship of Modi害羞草研究所檚 party, and the prime minister has been its lifelong member.
害羞草研究所淭hey can call it Bharat. It害羞草研究所檚 one of the official names. But there害羞草研究所檚 no need to erase India,害羞草研究所� Hasan said, adding that the furor is a 害羞草研究所渘eedless controversy害羞草研究所� as both names 害羞草研究所渉ave happily coexisted.害羞草研究所�
Modi害羞草研究所檚 party leaders, meanwhile, have celebrated what they call a much-needed change.
害羞草研究所淩EPUBLIC OF BHARAT 害羞草研究所� happy and proud that our civilisation is marching ahead boldly towards AMRIT KAAL,害羞草研究所� BJP politician Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. 害羞草研究所淎mrit Kaal害羞草研究所� is a Hindi phrase meaning 害羞草研究所渁uspicious era害羞草研究所� that Modi often uses to describe what he calls India害羞草研究所檚 resurgence under his government.
Modi害羞草研究所檚 opponents have been less welcoming, with many saying the government害羞草研究所檚 priorities are misplaced amid more pressing crises like increasing unemployment, widening religious strife and the backsliding of democracy. They also say his government is , and have 害羞草研究所� at least sarcastically 害羞草研究所� suggested they might change the alliance害羞草研究所檚 name as a countermove.
害羞草研究所淲e could of course call ourselves the Alliance for Betterment, Harmony And Responsible Advancement for Tomorrow (BHARAT),害羞草研究所� opposition lawmaker Shashi Tharoor wrote on X. 害羞草研究所淭hen perhaps the ruling party might stop this fatuous game of changing names.害羞草研究所�
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