Everything About India’s Possible Name Change to Bharat

By
George Yang
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This sounds like a joke, but it isn’t: India might change its name to Bharat.

Hold onto your Teh Tariks, because this isn’t just a spicy piece of gossip, but a potential historic shift that’s brewing in the Indian subcontinent.

But before you jump to conclusions, you need to know what happened.

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The Chronicles of Bharat: A Journey Through Time

Imagine a scene where the ancient and the modern worlds collide, where history meets contemporary politics in a dance that spans over two millennia.

In the English lexicon, the subcontinent is known as India, a name that echoes through the corridors of time, reaching back to the days when travellers from Greece ventured to the lands southeast of the majestic Indus River, known as Sindhu in Sanskrit.

But wait, there’s another contender in this historical name game, a name that has its roots deeply embedded in the ancient scriptures of the land – Bharat.

This name was once used to signify a sociocultural identity, a term that encompassed more than just geographical boundaries. It’s like the Merlion of Singapore, a symbol that stands for so much more than just a mythical creature, representing the vibrant fusion of the old and the new.

The G20 Summit: A Dinner Invitation that Stirred the Pot

Now, fast forward to a recent dinner at the sidelines of the G20 summit, where the plot thickens.

Indian President Droupadi Murmu, in a move that might have raised more eyebrows than a durian in a Singaporean metro, referred to herself as the “President of Bharat” in the English invites.

This break from convention, where “India” has always graced the English invitations, has set the rumour mills churning at full speed.

Could this be a hint of a monumental change on the horizon? A change that might see Bharat taking centre stage, reclaiming its position from the anglicised “India”?

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The timing of this linguistic twist is indeed curious, coming hot on the heels of an announcement about a surprise five-day special session of parliament, the agenda of which remains shrouded in mystery.

Critics argue that this might be a strategic move by the government, led by the Hindu-nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to officially change the English name of the country, aligning it with their push for increased use of Hindi.

Is it merely a slip, or a hint of something more profound? As questions from the media linger without answers, all we can do is bide our time, potentially on the brink of witnessing a historic transformation in the nation boasting the largest population.

Or maybe someone just used ChatGPT and forgot to proofread lah.

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George Yang
Email: [email protected]