Watch: 'Bharat is a belief, an attitude', says India's Foreign Minister Jaishankar

India's External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar described the ancient identity of Indian republic— Bharat— as "a belief and an attitude" which has an economic dimension and a political meaning.

"To me, Bharat is actually a belief and an attitude. For me, Bharat has an economic dimension. It has a political meaning. It has cultural, social, I would say even personal expressions. At the end of the day, the termBharat means don't let other people define you. Try and define yourself. That it has to come from itself because that very term Bharat which is so laden with symbolism actually captures centuries of what we are all about as a people," Jaishankar said.

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He further added: "This is not a world of one power or two powers, there are many more countries, today, in the fray. And, that in many ways, I mean, while very welcome also makes the world a more difficult place to navigate and manage...Today, we are really looking at the consequences of what happens when trading rules are gamed when competition is unfair...The fact is today, the world is heading towards, greater insecurity and more protectionism..."

Article 1 of the Indian Constitutiondeclares that "India, that is Bharat' is a 'Union of States'." The inaugural article of the Constitution further defines India's territory as well as its nomenclature-related aspects.

(With inputs from agencies)