“Long years ago, we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge…. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance”; the above reference is an excerpt from the speech delivered, at midnight on August 14, 1947, by Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India. This statement, actually, was an echo of the dreams seen by patriots and freedom fighters like Vivekananda, Tilak, Aurobindo, Rabindranath, Mahatma Gandhi, Patel, Ambedkar, Subhash and others that spurred our freedom movement.
Those great men dreamt of an independent India, whose structure, narrative and identity would be perfectly new, independent of the slavery of centuries. But the manner in which an absurd controversy has been created, and fuelled on the nomenclature of our country; the prejudice and disdain for the term Bhārata is inviting from certain corners would be rendering the soul of our freedom fighters and visionaries in much agony.
Demand For Original Name
The controversial issue is what should be the name of our country, Bharat or India? Recently, on an occasion, President Draupadi Murmu’s designation was mentioned as President of Bharat (Bhārata), not the President of India. This was in an invitation for the G-20 summit, on which various opposition political parties politicised the issue. In this ‘Bharat vs. India’ debate, a feeling of scorn towards the term Bharat was also palpable. Interestingly, the ‘anti-India’ Chinese official media also waded into the controversy with its mouthpiece Global Times. In reaction, on the other hand, a strong popular demand arose on social media that the name of the country must only be Bharat in the Constitution.
Article-1 of the Constitution states that “India, that is Bharat (Bhārata), shall be a Union of States’. A vigorous debate on ‘Bharat vs India’, in the Constituent Assembly, also took place. Many members opined that the term India reeked of a mindset of slavery and a colonial rule best forgotten. Unfortunately, however, along with Bharat, the word India was also adopted. The unconscious psychological pressure of colonial rule, perhaps, played a role. On account of this very colonial mindset, reminiscent of a sorry history of exploitation and manipulation, English language, along with Hindi, under Article 343, was also adopted as the official language in our Constitution. Although it must be noted that Hindi, during the freedom movement, was accepted as the national language by all the leaders of the country from North to South and East to West, under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. However, the current debate over the nomenclature of the nation points to a disturbing and similar West-dominated, neo-colonial mindset that operates even today in our academic-intellectual constructs, theories, narratives and discussions, with an overwhelming force clearly visible in the NCERT books as well as the University space.
Foreign Interpretation
The term India comes from the Greek language. In the fifth century BC, the Greeks called the river Sindhu, Indus and the people of this region were called Indi or Indoi. Greek scholar Herodotus used the word Indi in this sense. The word Indi was introduced into Latin in the second century and got transformed into India. Till then, the word India did not indicate any geographical region but only implied the inhabitants of the area. In the 9th century, India became a popular term in English and other European languages. Gradually, it started being used for referring to the geographical area as well. Historian Ian J Barrow writes in his article ‘From Hindustan to India Naming Change in Changing Names’ that the British started using the word India in British maps from 18th century onwards. The use of the term India, actually, was an attempt to make India psychologically-culturally inferior and subjugated. It’s needless to say that the term India, a ‘gift’ of Western or British colonial-imperialist rule, smells of British slavery.
Even in modern times, the most emotive slogan of our freedom movement was Bharat Mata Ki Jai. Further, in our national anthem too, only the name Bhārata is mentioned
If one considers the concept of Bharat vis a vis India, it chronologically is more ancient. The root word is Bharata, mentioned at least 3,500 years ago in Rig Veda. The term Bhārata or Bhārataavarsha as the name of the geographical region is found in Brahmapurana and Vishnupurana, the ancient texts and is considered to belong to the sixth century BC. In addition to this, the geographical region has been called Bhārata or Bhāratavarsha in some other ancient texts as well. For example Vayupuran and MahaBhārataa. Even in modern times, the most emotive slogan of our freedom movement was Bharat Mata Ki Jai. Further, in our national anthem too, only the name Bhārata is mentioned.
The significance of naming a country also lies in the meaning of that name. If we consider from the Semantics angle, the word Bhārata comes from the Sanskrit root Bhra which means to produce, to bear or to sustain. The literal meaning of Bhārata, hence, is- which sustains or produces or bears, thus having lots of meaningfulness and significance for the people of this land. At another level Bhārata has one more meaning. As per a Sanskrit language rule many new words are formed by Sandhi’(combining) of two different words. As per this rule, the word Bhārata combines of Bhā (wrapped) + Rat (light of knowledge). Bhārata;, thus, means wrapped or enveloped in the light of knowledge. Whether its cultural connotation, the value system or insightfulness that it offers, the term Bhārata is more meaningful while referring to our nation. Besides, the term Bhārata sounds more inclusive too, and encompassing all classes, creeds and communities.
It is also noteworthy that in most of the 22 languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of our Constitution–from Assamese and Manipuri in the East to Gujarati and Marathi in the West or Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam in the South to North Indian languages – this country is referred to as Bhāratā, Bhāratavarkho, Bhārot, Bhāratnādu, Bhārathā, Bhāratadesham or Bhāratam etc., synonyms of the term Bhārata.
On every criterion, thus, be it cultural or social, psychological or linguistic or even chronologically; the soul of this country resides in the name ‘Bharat’. No self-respectful country in the world can accept the symbol or name reeking of foreign domination or its slavery. When countries like Sri Lanka, Ghana and Zimbabwe, abandoning their foreign names Ceylon, Gold Coast and Rhodesia, can adopt their pre-colonial names, then why can’t our country, a land of great ancient civilisation and culture, adopt the most meaningful and ancient name Bhārata? Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s five ‘Pran’ (vows) also include, among other things, “ending the mentality of slavery as well as taking pride in India’s heritage”.
Nehru’s pledge, expressing the sentiments of the freedom fighters, on August 14, 1947 midnight, that the soul of a nation, long suppressed, will get utterance, unfortunately could not be realised. But the time has come, now, for that promise to be fulfilled. What the Government or the Parliament will do ultimately is to be seen. But the name that glorifies our pride is just Bhārata and only Bharat (Bhārata) should be the name of this country.
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