By Evania Ernest
Prime Minister Nahendra Modi at the 2023 G20 Summit. Image: X@G20
One of the world’s most well-known countries may soon be changing its centuries-old name in a seemingly unprecedented decision.
The G20 summit, a gathering of the most powerful countries in the world, contained many clues about India potentially changing its name. As the host country, any reference to India was instead replaced with Bharat, one of the country’s official names, including on invitations and name tags. While steps to make the name official have not been taken yet, there are still many opinions surrounding the potential change.
Bharat is the country’s official name in Hindi, while India was an English localization, according to the constitution. The change is likely an effort to appeal to the many Hindu nationalists in the country, and seems to be spearheaded by Nahendra Modi, the prime minister, with many more implications and possible reasons behind it.
The change may be a step in making Hindu the national language of India, since the country does not yet have a national language. It may also indicate work towards eliminating India’s “colonial mindset,” as many Indian governments in the past, including the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), have worked to remove British influence. Part of this process was the renaming of many structures, such as roads, and even entire cities. The change of the country’s English name to the Hindi name, according to many right-wing nationalists, is an obvious next step.
As of right now, a name change seems unlikely, as there are many in higher power disagreeing with it. Even if the country’s name does change, there are many other factors that must be taken into consideration. The change would mean tens of millions of dollars would have to be spent across the country to change books, landmarks, and signs. Not to mention, there is doubt that other world leaders would support the change, which means it could be money wasted on fruitless efforts.
There is also the question of how far the government will go in implementing this change. It is yet to be determined whether whole institutions, such as the RBI (Reserve Bank of India) or other firmly ingrained uses of the name “India” will be also affected by this potential change. There are also unverified reports that claim that if the country did change its name to Bharat, Pakistan may adopt the title of India, in an effort to establish dominance in the subcontinent.
The potential change symbolizes the rising power of the Hindu Nationalists and the growing tensions in the country between those that support the government and those that oppose it. Members of the opposing party say the change is an example of where the government’s true priorities lie, and that the focus on the name change could be time well spent elsewhere.
For now, questions will continue to arise as the country decides its stance on the government, with general elections approaching in 2024 and many parties vying for the people’s favor.
