India Vs Bharat Debate
India Vs Bharat ignited recently as G20 invite appeared with ‘Bharat’ written in place of ‘India’. Well, it appears that it is not the first time that this debate has come up. While the formation of constitution of India, this was the prime concern and many arguments and rebuttals appeared at that time as well. Know what the most prominent leaders of that time said in 1940s’ debate.
Discussion on ‘Bharat’ or ‘India’
On November 17, 1948, the first Article 1 discussion was scheduled to start. The debate over the name was, however, postponed to a later time on Govind Ballabh Pant’s advice. The final draft of the provision, which featured both “Bharat” and “India,” was given to the House by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar on September 17, 1949. Several participants opposed the usage of the word “India,” which they believed to be a throwback to the time of colonialism.
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“India, that is, Bharat” not preferred really
Jabalpur native Seth Govind Das preferred to rank Bharat over India. It was a common request from various members to emphasize that India was a replacement for Bharat in “English language”. The words “India, that is, Bharat” are not very lovely when used as a country’s name. We ought to have written, “Bharat known as India also in foreign countries,” he stated.
‘India’ was a translation of Bharat
Hari Vishnu Kamath argued that the word “India” was merely a translation of “Bharat,” using the Irish Constitution as an example. “If honourable colleagues in the House would take the trouble of referring to the Irish Constitution passed in 1937, they will see that the Irish Free State was one of the few countries in the modern world which changed its name on achieving freedom; and the fourth article of its Constitution refers to the change in the name of the land,” he said.
“The Constitution of the Irish Free State reads: “The name of the State is Eire, or, in the English language, Ireland,” Kamath said.
Also Read: Reigniting Name-Change Debate: ‘Prime Minister Of Bharat’ Stirs Controversy
History reveals…
Das countered that “Bharat” is mentioned in both the Vishnu Purana and the Brahma Purana. Others claimed that the name “Bharat” was used by the Chinese traveler Hiuen Tsang in the seventh century.
“But by naming our country as Bharat we are not doing anything which will prevent us from marching forward. We should indeed give such a name to our country as may be befitting our history and our culture,” Das argued.
Additionally, Das brought out a leaflet that was intended to “prove that [India] is older than [Bharat],” according to him. “I want it to be known that this is false, and I want it to be recorded. Both “Idyam” and “Ide” refer to fire. “Ida” denotes voice, while “Idenyah” has been employed as a fire-related term,” Das said.
Kamath proposed that possible names that are taken directly from the scriptures include Bharat, Bharatvarsha, or Bharatbhumi. “Historians and philologists have delved deep into this matter of the name of this country, especially the origin of this name Bharat. All of them are not agreed as to the genesis of this name Bharat. Some ascribe it to the son of Dushyant and Shakuntala who was also known as “Sarvadamana” or all-conqueror and who established his suzerainty and kingdom in this ancient land. After him this land came to be known as Bharat,” he said.
