When India Changes Its Name to Bharat

[colddiesel]

I’m getting the impression that calling India Bharat is a Hindu nationalist thing. It’s meant to be an attack on the notion that India is a multi-ethnic state.

I think it is to a degree but it is worth remembering that India originally referenced the land, beyond the Indus much of which is now wholly within Pakistan. And prior to 1947 the concept of India included the whole of Pakistan the whole of Bangladesh, the whole of Burma (until 1937) and parts of Waziristan. While noting your comment, Bharat has been the Hindi name in the Constitution for 75 years, so use of it is not completely unreasonable.

 

[RandyRebecca]

I think it is to a degree but it is worth remembering that India originally referenced the land, beyond the Indus much of which is now wholly within Pakistan. And prior to 1947 the concept of India included the whole of Pakistan the whole of Bangladesh, the whole of Burma (until 1937) and parts of Waziristan. While noting your comment, Bharat has been the Hindi name in the Constitution for 75 years, so use of it is not completely unreasonable.

It's sectarian trolling by Hindu extremists, Trumpist style by Modi and his thugs. He has an influence on such extremists in the Indian diaspora in other countries as well.

 

[Sean Renaud]

It will be at least a generation, probably two before anybody in the states gives two shits that they changed what they want to be called. That's the bottom line.

 

[Ronak42]

Will we be calling them brats?

Bay rats?

Baa-rations?

Or will we continue, out of habit, to say Indians?
I know that going out of your way to say Native Americans is a pain in the ass.

Native Subcontinentians?

Indians.ia it a culture less word

 

[Ronak42]

The name india is good for Indians.....but Britishers gave this name to bharat..bz as a synonym of brat or people living without civilization......and stole our property then build royal Kingdom.....now the time came to return our old glorry .....first step is return to old grandparents house name... BHARAT

 

[Ronak42]

I’m getting the impression that calling India Bharat is a Hindu nationalist thing. It’s meant to be an attack on the notion that India is a multi-ethnic state.

It's not ur fault....it's your thoughts...u don't know history of India....why Britishers called red Indians to the native Americans and African island people?

 

[colddiesel]

It's sectarian trolling by Hindu extremists, Trumpist style by Modi and his thugs. He has an influence on such extremists in the Indian diaspora in other countries as well.

Modi is indeed a thoroughly unpleasant man, a Hindu nationalist and populist. But it still remains a fact that Bharat has been the name of the country used in the Constitution of India since 1947. Hindi people could well argue that they should not remain chained to the name used by the imperialists who colonized the country. Mebbe it would be best to let them sort out their own name; like Chennai(Madras), Kolkata(Calcutta), Mumbai (Bombay).

Yes he does have an influence on the Indian Diaspora but recollect that 80% of the diaspora comes from the 5 southernmost states, none of which has a Modi (BJP) government. The Southerners earn twice the incomes of the Northerners and are much better educated. There are 230 million southerners and while they are mainly Hindu, they are economically, educationally, and racially distinct, speaking different languages. Modi cannot afford to upset them in the way that he has with the country's 215 million Moslems