It began with a . How it ends could affect more than a billion people.
State-issued invites sent to guests of referred to India香蕉视频直播檚 president, , as 香蕉视频直播淧resident of Bharat.香蕉视频直播� 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 香蕉视频直播檚 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 香蕉视频直播淏harat.香蕉视频直播� Now, Modi香蕉视频直播檚 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香蕉视频直播檚 core vote base. Their stated reason: the name 香蕉视频直播淚ndia香蕉视频直播� is tied to colonialism and slavery, a sentiment that Modi香蕉视频直播檚 ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has long shared. But the reasons 香蕉视频直播� political, cultural, historical 香蕉视频直播� run far deeper.
THERE ARE SOME PRECEDENTS, BUT INDIA香蕉视频直播橲 SITUATION IS SINGULAR
A name 香蕉视频直播� be it of a person or an entire country 香蕉视频直播� is many things. It香蕉视频直播檚 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 香蕉视频直播� Cambodia to Kampuchea (and eventually back again), Swaziland to , Malaya to Malaysia.
In India, the country香蕉视频直播檚 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香蕉视频直播檚 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 香蕉视频直播渏ust rumors.香蕉视频直播� But India香蕉视频直播檚 foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, seemed to advocate the increased use of Bharat this week.
香蕉视频直播溝憬妒悠抵辈India, that is Bharat香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播� it is there in the constitution. Please, I would invite everybody to read it,香蕉视频直播� Jaishankar said Wednesday.
Indeed, India香蕉视频直播檚 constitution uses the term Bharat just once: 香蕉视频直播淚ndia, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.香蕉视频直播� 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. 香蕉视频直播淚ndia香蕉视频直播� has etymological roots in the Indus River, which was called 香蕉视频直播淪indhu香蕉视频直播� in Sanskrit. Another popular but not legally recognized name for the country is Hindustan, which means 香蕉视频直播渓and of the Indus香蕉视频直播� in Persian. All three names were in use long before British rule.
But Modi香蕉视频直播檚 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香蕉视频直播檚 renaming of the northern city of Allahabad 香蕉视频直播� named by Muslim Mughal rulers centuries ago 香蕉视频直播� to the Sanskrit word 香蕉视频直播淧rayagraj.香蕉视频直播�
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香蕉视频直播檚 revisionist agenda and has, under Modi香蕉视频直播檚 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 香蕉视频直播� 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 香蕉视频直播� a first public proclamation of its kind during any global event. Visiting guests for the summit are also being welcomed to the host香蕉视频直播檚 capital city with giant billboards that refer to the country as both Bharat and India.
Efforts to change India香蕉视频直播檚 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 香蕉视频直播� a surprise announcement made by the Modi government without disclosing any agenda 香蕉视频直播� has prompted speculation. Opposition parties say an official rebranding could very well be in the cards.
In July, India香蕉视频直播檚 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 香蕉视频直播淚ndian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance.香蕉视频直播� Since then, some officials in Modi香蕉视频直播檚 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, 香蕉视频直播渃ould be the immediate provocation here.香蕉视频直播�
香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 a political debate which is aimed at embarrassing the opposition who have re-appropriated the nationalism platform with their new name,香蕉视频直播� Hasan said. 香蕉视频直播淭his rattled the ruling establishment, and they want to regain their monopoly over nationalism by invoking Bharat.香蕉视频直播�
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香蕉视频直播檚 party, and the prime minister has been its lifelong member.
香蕉视频直播淭hey can call it Bharat. It香蕉视频直播檚 one of the official names. But there香蕉视频直播檚 no need to erase India,香蕉视频直播� Hasan said, adding that the furor is a 香蕉视频直播渘eedless controversy香蕉视频直播� as both names 香蕉视频直播渉ave happily coexisted.香蕉视频直播�
Modi香蕉视频直播檚 party leaders, meanwhile, have celebrated what they call a much-needed change.
香蕉视频直播淩EPUBLIC OF BHARAT 香蕉视频直播� happy and proud that our civilisation is marching ahead boldly towards AMRIT KAAL,香蕉视频直播� BJP politician Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. 香蕉视频直播淎mrit Kaal香蕉视频直播� is a Hindi phrase meaning 香蕉视频直播渁uspicious era香蕉视频直播� that Modi often uses to describe what he calls India香蕉视频直播檚 resurgence under his government.
Modi香蕉视频直播檚 opponents have been less welcoming, with many saying the government香蕉视频直播檚 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 香蕉视频直播� at least sarcastically 香蕉视频直播� suggested they might change the alliance香蕉视频直播檚 name as a countermove.
香蕉视频直播淲e could of course call ourselves the Alliance for Betterment, Harmony And Responsible Advancement for Tomorrow (BHARAT),香蕉视频直播� opposition lawmaker Shashi Tharoor wrote on X. 香蕉视频直播淭hen perhaps the ruling party might stop this fatuous game of changing names.香蕉视频直播�
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