NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi鈥檚 government has replaced the name India with a Sanskrit word in dinner invitations sent to guests attending this week鈥檚 Group of 20 summit, in a move that reflects his Hindu nationalist party鈥檚 efforts to eliminate what it sees as colonial-era names.
Indian President Droupadi Murmu is referred to as 鈥淧resident of Bharat鈥� instead of 鈥淧resident of India鈥� in the invitation sent to G20 attendees. The nation of more than 1.4 billion people is officially known by two names, India and Bharat, but the former is most commonly used, both domestically and internationally.
Bharat is an ancient Sanskrit word which many historians believe dates back to early Hindu texts. The word also means India in Hindi.
The change in nomenclature is backed by officials of Modi鈥檚 Bharatiya Janata Party. They argue that the name India was introduced by British colonials and is a 鈥渟ymbol of slavery.鈥� The British ruled India for about 200 years until the country gained independence in 1947.
鈥淎nother blow to slavery mentality,鈥� the top elected official of Uttarakhand state, Pushkar Singh Dhami, said on X, formerly known as Twitter. Dhami, who is a leader of Modi鈥檚 governing party, shared the dinner invitation sent to G20 guests in his post.
Modi鈥檚 party has long tried to erase names related to India鈥檚 Mughal and colonial past.
In 2015, New Delhi鈥檚 famous Aurangzeb Road, named after a Mughal king, was changed to Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Road after protests from Modi鈥檚 party leaders. Last year, the government also renamed a colonial-era avenue in the heart of New Delhi that is used for ceremonial military parades.
Modi鈥檚 government says the name changes are an effort to reclaim India鈥檚 Hindu past.
India鈥檚 opposition parties, however, criticized the move.
鈥淲hile there is no constitutional objection to calling India 鈥淏harat,鈥� which is one of the country鈥檚 two official names, I hope the government will not be so foolish as to completely dispense with 鈥淚ndia,鈥� which has incalculable brand value built up over centuries,鈥� opposition lawmaker Shashi Tharoor said on X.
Tharoor said Indians should 鈥渃ontinue to use both words rather than relinquish our claim to a name redolent of history, a name that is recognized around the world.鈥�
Disputes over 鈥淚ndia鈥� versus 鈥淏harat鈥� have gained ground since opposition parties in July announced a new alliance 鈥� called INDIA 鈥� to unseat Modi and defeat his party ahead of national elections in 2024. The acronym stands for Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance.
Since then, some officials in Modi鈥檚 party have demanded that the country be called Bharat instead of India.