Bharat, i.e. India: a subject of current debate

 Bharat, i.e. India: a subject of current debate

Why in discussion?

Recently, a notable change has been made in the invitation letter for the upcoming G-20 summit to be held in New Delhi. Instead of the traditional "President of India", the invitations now use the words "President of India", sparking widespread debate over the naming of the country and its historical meanings.

Historical Perspective of the Names "India" and "Bharat":

Constitutionality:

•  1 of the Indian Constitution already uses the terms "India" and "Bharat" interchangeably, which states, "India, being India, shall be a Union of States."

• The Preamble of the Indian Constitution begins with "We the People of India", but the Hindi version uses "Bharat" instead of India, indicating interchangeability.

• Additionally, soArticleme government institutions, such as the Indian Railways, already have Hindi versions available which include 'Bharatiya'.

Origin of the name Bharat:

• The word ‘India’ has deep historical and cultural roots. It can be traced back to mythological literature and the epic Mahabharata.

• In Vishnu Purana, ‘Bharat’ has been described as the land between the southern sea and the northern snowy Himalayan mountains.

• It symbolizes a religious and socio-cultural entity more than just a political or geographical entity.

• Bharata was the name of a famous ancient king who is considered to be the progenitor of the Rigvedic tribes of Bharata, symbolizing the progenitor of all the people of the subcontinent.

Origin of the name India:

• The name India is derived from the word Indus, which is the name of a river flowing through the north-western part of the subcontinent.

• The ancient Greeks called the people living across the Indus River Andui, meaning "people of the Indus."

• Later the Persians and Arabs also used the word Hind or Hindustan to refer to the Indus land.

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

Constituent Assembly debates regarding India and India:

• This debate regarding the name of the country is not new. Even in the year 1949, when the Constitution was being drafted by the Constituent Assembly, there was disagreement regarding the name of the country.

• Some members felt that the word "India" was reminiscent of colonial oppression and demanded that "Bharat" be given priority in official documents.

• Seth Govind Das of Jabalpur advocated placing "Bharat" above "India" and emphasized that Bharat was only the earlier English translation.

• "Hari Vishnu Kamath cited the Irish Constitution as an example of the use of "India", which changed the name of the country upon gaining independence.

• Hargobind Pant argued that the people wanted the name "Bharatvarsha" and rejected the word "India" given by foreign rulers.

New Development:

• In 2015, the Center opposed the name change, saying the issue was extensively deliberated upon during the drafting of the Constitution.

• The Supreme Court has twice rejected the petition to change the name of 'India' to 'Bharat', once in 2016 and again in 2020, confirming that both "Bharat" and "India" are mentioned in the Constitution. Is mentioned.

Source: Indian Express

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