India wants to change its country name to "Bharat"? Listen to what Indians say
Recently, an invitation from Indian President Draupadi Murmu has caused a huge uproar in India. Because she referred to herself as "President Bharat" rather than "President of India" in the invitation letter sent to the leaders attending the G20 summit dinner.
At the 18th G20 Summit, which opened on September 9th, Indian Prime Minister Modi's signature on the table also marked the country's name as "Bharat". In addition, the Indian government has requested the inclusion of a special agenda during the parliamentary session to be held from the 18th to the 22nd, specifically to discuss renaming.
On the 8th, Stefan Dugarik, spokesperson for United Nations Secretary General Guterres, stated in follow-up questions from Indian media that after India completes the official renaming process, the United Nations will be notified and the United Nations will make corresponding changes in its directory. He also added, "But this is not something that the United Nations should comment on.".
Although there are precedents for changing a country's name, it is not common. Why change the country name? Why change the country name now? What are the effects of changing a country's name?
"India, that is Bharat, shall be a union of states.". That is to say, "Bharat", like "India", is a country name recognized in the Indian Constitution.
Bharat is the name of India in Hindi, which is mentioned in ancient Indian literature such as the Book of Memoirs and the famous Sanskrit epic Mahabharata. Indians have been using this name for thousands of years. The term India is also ancient and comes from the Sanskrit word "Sindhu"; The title of ancient India in China from the pre Qin period to the Sui and Tang dynasties was "body poison", derived from Sanskrit transliteration.
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With the passage of time and the spread of speech, starting from the 3rd century AD, Europeans began using the term "India" to refer to this land in the Indus River basin, but locals called it "Hindustan" - Hindustan. In the late 18th century, British colonizers began to refer to this place as "India" - India. Until India gained independence in 1947, people discussed this issue during the constitutional process. Should the name "India" be used or should it be translated as "Bharat" according to Hindi pronunciation? Obviously, people at that time believed that these two names could be exchanged, so the Constitution clearly stated at the beginning that "India, which is Bharat, is an alliance country.".
Entrance to Progress Square, the main venue of the G20 New Delhi Summit
So, what do Indians think about India changing its country name?
Some college students believe that whether a country's name is "India" or "Bharat" is not a bad thing, there is no need to erase history, changing a country's name does not have much meaning, and "demonizing" a certain name is even less meaningful.
Some taxi drivers believe that changing the country's name to "Bharat" is a good thing because "India" is a name given by the British and should be changed. Some shop owners also fully support this view, believing that "Barat" is the name of their own country.
Some college students also pointed out that the government is trying to make it clear that "India" is a term that is not nationalistic enough and is given by the British; But this viewpoint is not correct, "India" is a very ancient term. Moreover, renaming a country requires a significant amount of infrastructure and fiscal expenditure, which is a very radical action, and our own country is not yet ready to take this step.
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Xie Gang, Dean of the International Studies Institute at the University of Nehru in India, was not surprised by Modi's government changing the country's name. He believes that Modi's People's Party of India wants to shift its focus to returning to tradition.
Regarding the decision of the Modi government, New Delhi Television quoted Indian Federal Parliament member Santuru Sen as saying that there were profound political considerations behind the Modi government's change of country name at this time. In July of this year, in order to prevent Modi from being re elected in the 2024 elections, 26 opposition parties in India formed the "India National Development Inclusive Alliance", which is abbreviated as "INDIA". "INDIA" is led by the Indian Congress Party, which once dominated Indian politics. Congress Party leader Rahul Gandhi has greatly boosted his popularity through political tours throughout India, while other opposition parties have also gained considerable support in strongholds of the Indian People's Party in northern India, forming an effective force to divide the ruling party's votes.
Obviously, for the Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance - India, renaming India as "Bharat" is not a simple policy issue, but a political issue that concerns India and the future and destiny of India.