ALBAWABA - Reports have been circulating online that the Indian government is planning to submit a proposal to formally change its name from India to Bharat.
A special session of the Indian Parliament is expected to be hosted in September to suggest tuning the country's name into Bharat. However, it wasn't clear whether the name would be changed or not.
India Today reported that main figures including Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat have voiced their support for this change.
A photo of a G20 invitation letter by the President of India has reopened discussion about changing the country's name to Bharat.
Droupadi Murmu invited people to attend the G20 summit dinner on Saturday, Sept. 9, with the phrase "President of Bharat" in huge bold font written on the top of the letter instead of "President of India".
A person commented on X, formerly known as Twitter, "India has no meaning Bharat has. This was the first thing BJP should have done."
The photo gained wide interaction on social media as people questioned the meaning behind the word Bharat.
What does Bharat mean?
Many things are related to Bharat as the word itself originates from the Sanskrit word "Bharata" which stands for 'Agni' meaning fire.
The term Bharata also can mean "one who is in search of knowledge".
Meanwhile, others said that the name Bharat comes from the name of Chakravarti Raja Bharat, an ancient brave king who was an ancestor of Kauravas and Pandavas, son of King Dushyanta and Shakuntala.
