New Delhi, India

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet" — This line from Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare illustrates the point that names are not important, or maybe they are. 

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There is a buzz over India's possible change of name to 'Bharat' is raging, with several people debating what would be the impact. All of this started on Tuesday (September 5) after Indian President Droupadi Murmu referred to herself as the "President of Bharat" in a dinner invitation to G20 leaders, instead of "President of India".

A few hours later, another document circulated that referred to Narendra Modi as the 'Prime Minister of Bharat'. 'Prime Minister of Bharat' is used in a message regarding the Prime Minister's trips to Indonesia on September 6 and September 7 for the 20th ASEAN-India Summit and the 18th East Asia Summit. 

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National Spokesperson Sambit Patra posted the invite on X, previously known as Twitter. The invite led to criticisms by the opposition party. 

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Also read: 'When you say Bharat...': India's foreign minister Jaishankar reacts to India-Bharat name drop row 

Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh wrote: "Look at how confused the Modi government is! The Prime Minister of Bharat at the 20th ASEAN-India summit. All this drama just because the Opposition got together and called itself INDIA." 

Another Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said that he hopes the government would not be "so foolish as to completely dispense with 'India', which has incalculable brand value built up over centuries".

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BJP president JP Nadda responded to the comments, he said: "Why does the Congress has objection to every subject related to the honour and pride of the country? Why do those who do political tours in the name of Bharat Jodo hate the slogan of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'?" 

What's the origin of Bharat? 

Is the government really planning to change the name? If yes, what do we know about its origin? 

In Indian languages and ancient literature, India is also known by the names Bharat, Bharata, and Hindustan. In normal everyday discourse, both the general population and the governments use these names interchangeably, but high offices in the country have typically stuck to titles such as President of India, Prime Minister of India and Chief Justice of India while communicating in English, especially during and after the colonial regime. 

But the Modi-led government is on a path of changing colonial history and imperialist impositions. The plan included changing the names of streets, and museums, also inaugurating the country's new parliament building in New Delhi, as the old one was built almost a century ago during the British colonial era. 

The same drive might push the government to adopt the name Bharat, which is a short form of Bharatvarsha, 'the land of the descendants of the Bharatas'. It's not a change of name, since the government has already been using both 'Bharat' and 'India', and it may probably be an attempt to go back to how it was in ancient times.

Also read: 'Republic of Bharat': Chorus grows to rename India as it was known in ancient times

In history books, 'Bharata' is commonly related to King Bharata, the son of Dushyant and Shakuntala. Bharata, who became the Chakravarti, was a member of the Chandravamsha dynasty. He is regarded to be the ancestor of the Pandavas, the Kauravas, Brihadhratha, and Jarasandha. 

In the Vishnu Purana, there is a geographical description of Bharat. It says, "Uttaram yat samudrasya, Himadreschaiva dakshinam, varsham tad Bharatam nama Bharati yatra santatih". It means that Bharatam, or Bharat is the country that lies to the north of the ocean and to the south of the snowy mountains. Some Hindu texts also referred to Bharatvarsha as part of Jambudweepa. 

In the latest ebook by Sadhguru, "Bha-ra-ta: The Rhythm of a Nation", he explores the science behind Bharat, India's original name. In one of the interviews regarding his book, when he was asked why "Bharat" matters, Sadhguru elaborated, "Bharat comes from bha – ra – ta. Bhava means sensation. Seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching are different types of sensations. Your whole experience of life is sensory right now. Bha means sensation, out of which emotion arises. Ra means raga or the tune. The tune is not yours – existence has already set it. Now you have to find the rhythm, which is the tala. If you find the right rhythm, you are a fantastic human being. If you miss the rhythm, you get crushed by the process of life."

These are some of the textbook references, but with a rich history, the term can chronicle differently depending on the culture and diversity. 

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What does the Constitution say? 

Article 1 of the Indian constitution starts with "India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States". The Article 1 reads:

India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.

The States and the territories thereof shall be as specified in the First Schedule

⁠The territory of India shall comprise —

(a) the territories of the States;

(b) the Union territories specified

Bharat is another official name of India, and though there is a surging debate over name change, at most one of the two names may be dropped though the government has not given any such indication. But whether to change the name officially, or to drop one, the government will need to make an amendment to Article 1 of the Indian Constitution which names the country.

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