India may not be called India for long. Speculation is rife the country’s name could be changed to Bharat.
This comes after India’s President Droupadi Murmu sent out an invitation to G20 leaders addressing from “The President of Bharat.”
Bharat is India’s traditional Sanskrit name and currently appears on all official documentation, however the name “India” always appears on any international communication.
WATCH: BGTN TikTok
@bricsglobal Could India change its name? #bgtvnews #starsat120 #bgtn #india #barath ♬ original sound – BRICS Global TV Network
India’s governing party has accused opponents of blowing the issue out of proportion.
Over the years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has changed colonial names of towns and cities.
It says it wants to help India move past what it has called a “mentality of slavery”.
And those who don’t want the name change say that renaming the country would just be more of the same.
Read more: Who Named Bharat as India For The First Time? Dive into Historical Origins
Other countries who have changed their names
A number of other countries have successfully changed their names for political, cultural and logistical reasons.
Republic of North Macedonia
This European country switched its name from the Republic of Macedonia to the Republic of North Macedonia in 2004. Although the name was changed in 1991 , it was initially referred to as Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
Swaziland
Swaziland, a small, land-locked country inside South Africa, changed its name in 2018 to The Kingdom of eSwatini. King Mswatti III, announced the name change in honor of the country’s 50th anniversary of independence from Britain. He’s been referring to the country as eSwatini since 2014.
Thailand
In 1927, Luang Phibunsongkhram (Phibun) formed the radical People’s Party in what was called Siam. Portugese colonists used the name which is Chinese in origin. Phibun helped lead a coup in 1932 against the Chakri king and formed a western-style democracy, which led to the country being renamed Thailand.
