India vs Bharat is an intensely engaging and amusing discourse. On the surface, both seem the same, but is there a difference? Let us unpack the known facts and the value of both India and Bharat.
Origins of the name ‘India’
The word India is non-native to the land that it refers to. It is a distant derivative of the word Sindhu. Sapta-Sindhu is the name of Indus and neighbouring rivers as mentioned in the Rig-Veda. The Persians referred to the same as Hapta-Hendu with Hindush referring to the land of India around 500 B.C. Around 440 B.C., Greek historian Herodotus referred to the same as Ἰνδία which then migrated over time into English, via Latin, to be called India. In its origins, this name was developed primarily for geographical reference and holds little to no cultural elements.
The Search for New Trade Routes and Colonization
In the 15th century, Europeans saw a need to find better trade routes to the Far East which included India. Existing trade routes were becoming less feasible due geo-political uncertainty. The Ottoman empire and the degradation of the Mongol empire restricted the ability of European merchants to execute robust trade with the Far East. Expeditions were launched to find new sea routes, and this led Europeans to encounter the Americas. Christopher Columbus is credited for mistakenly calling the people of Americas as Indians, because he believed he had landed in the Indies.
Soon after the discovery of Americas, started the large-scale push for European dominion in the form of colonization. The purpose of colonization was economic exploitation of natural resources, acquisition of cheap labour including a transatlantic slave trade, creation of new markets for the benefit of the colonizer and enforcing the colonizer’s religious beliefs and way of life on the peoples of distant lands.
India soon became the prime target for all colonizers, given its outsized economic prosperity at the time. The East India Company was created in 1600 with exclusive rights to trade with India and the sole purpose to impart imperialist policies in Asia. It was backed with massive private armies and the British government. It learnt from the Portuguese empire and did not allow religious missionaries until 1813 which allowed EIC to avail potential allies of other faiths to increase its dominion.
Using savvy political strategy, intrigue, and military force, the EIC siphoned resources out of India from the 1600s until 1858 where it was officially taken over by a British government in India called the British Raj. The Raj allowed duty-free selling of British products in India, causing the collapse of the domestic industry. Manipulation of trade to serve British interests worsened the effects of 12 major famines and caused the death of 24 million Indians between 1854 and 1901.
The name India, by this point, had become a brand for European dominion and colonial success. Remaining restricted to the politics of the colonizers and the elite, the name India never resonated with the common man in the land it represented.
Naming Rights during Partition
The land of India always retained multiple political administrations through history, and yet the cultural fabric remained fluent and largely unaffected by geo-political changes. In the mid-1900s, however, a preposterous idea of partition based on religion was proposed. British India, disillusioned by centuries of divide-and-rule policies, was broken without respect for cultural and societal fluency. What resulted was the largest known holocaust in sub-continental history.
Shortly after partition in 1947, an exchange occurred between the governor generals of the two countries where the other objected to the name India being used rather than the name Hindustan. The word Hindustan would have served to the benefit of the perpetrators of partition for it would provide justification for a horror committed against humanity.
Fortunately, the ancestors of this nation understood the value of ‘Namakaran’ and deliberated upon various names, choosing India and Bharat – both prudent and visionary.
India as per the Constitution
There is no ambiguity in the name of the Nation. Part 1 in The Constitution of India states that India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States. This does not mean that the name is India, and only seconded by Bharat. Referring to The Constitution of India in Hindi, where it states – Bharat, that is India, will be a Union of States. Both India and Bharat have been equated within the constitution.
The continuance of the name India for the new country allowed practical benefits in both addressing policies from pre-independent India and allowing ease of transfer of legal titles from British India. The name India by now had started to gain resonance as both a political entity and a national emotion.
Building of Brand Equity
In the last 75 years of liberated India, the name has built a deeper bond with both its citizens and others who collaborate with it. From government institutions to high-performing athletes, from geo-political conversations to passports of travelling citizens, brand India is firmly within the national and global reckoning. The name India has transitioned from being a colonial title to a self-described and empowered entity. This brand equity is the result of hard work of hundreds of millions of people who have backed national integrity with service for humanity.
As of 2023, India is top-of-mind for all the world’s political administrations. For most countries, we are partners. For many, we set the benchmark for development. For some, we are challengers. India is the world’s largest democracy. It is reliable and stable. India is the world’s most populous nation. It is filled with opportunities and talent. India is at the centre of a global tussle for geo-political relevance. It is important.
India in Summary
Whilst the name India might have originated outside its current geographical boundaries, it is a name firmly established as a most reliable, reputable, and robust brand in the world. This name has so far done a great job of bringing the world’s attention to the land it represents. It reflects economic heft, cultural diversity, massive population, a million problems, a billion solutions, and much more.
The name India has set a new benchmark today. However, it can yet make a quantum leap to become one of the most influential civilizations in world history. A civilization that is as purposeful in human action as it is impactful in evolving human consciousness.
And here enters Bharat.