The History of our country’s name India
Our nation derives its name from the Indus Valley Civilisation. The Indus Valley civilisation is the oldest in the world. This civilisation started around the river Indus. India was an abode to many indigenous tribes. One of the tribes was called Bharata. India derived its Hindi name from this tribe. India’s name finds its roots in the epic Mahabharat in Puranic Literature. In literature, India is described as the land between the sea in the south and the abode of snow in the south. The name of India has a social-religious context rather than a political context. Bharata was also the name of a ruler. He was the leader of a tribe called Bharata.
Change of Name
The ruling party BJP,[Bharatiya Janata Party ], plans to bring a resolution for changing our country’s official name from India to Bharat in the parliamentary session between September 18 -September 22.The G20 dinner invitations were sent by the name President of Bharat instead of President of India. A tweet by the senior spokesperson of BJP stated that the Prime Minister of ‘Bharat” will attend the G20 summit. The preamble of the Constitution mentions “We the people of India”, and the name is replaced by Bharat everywhere in Hindi. The ruling government has emphasised calling the country Bharat. This change would require changes and amendments in many areas of the Constitution. The ruling party said that India is a union of states. In many documents and notices, The Reserve Bank of India and the India Railways mention the word Bharatiya.
Opposition and Criticism
Many critics have opposed this as they believe that Narendra Modi is promoting the use of more Hindus and making this land a Hindu land. The Modi government in the past has also changed the names of many towns and cities. In 2022, The BJP government changed the name of Mughal Garden to Amrit Udayan. Many learned professors have said this is an attempt to remove the Mughals.On Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that nowhere in our minds or souls should we have any colonial idea of slavery. He said that we have suffered in bondage and inhumane treatment. He insisted in his speech that the citizens of this country should stand for their freedom and free their minds from the mindset of slavery.
Reaction and Response of Other Government Officials and Ministers
Shashi Tharoor tweeted that the government should not be so foolish as to remove the name India. The name holds impertinent value. It is a brand built by our ancestors over the years. He later suggested that BHARAT should stand for Better Harmony and Responsible Advancement for Tomorrow. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar stated in an interview with the ANI News Agency that Bharat is mentioned in the Constitution already.India is not the first country that is changing its name. There are other countries like Turkey [formerly Turkiye] and the Netherlands[initially Holland]. The names changed due to several political, economic and social factors.
