Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has made a notable change in dinner invitations sent to guests attending the Group of 20 (G20) summit.
The invitations now refer to the Indian President, Droupadi Murmu, as the “President of Bharat” instead of the “President of India.”
This change reflects the government’s efforts, driven by Modi’s Hindu nationalist party, to eliminate colonial-era names and promote the use of Sanskrit terminology.
India, a nation with a population of more than 1.4 billion people, officially goes by two names: India and Bharat. However, the term “India” is more commonly used both domestically and internationally.
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“Bharat” is an ancient Sanskrit word that many historians trace back to early Hindu texts. In Hindi, the word also means “India.”
Supporters of this change, including officials from Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), argue that the name “India” was introduced during British colonial rule and is seen as a symbol of slavery. India was under British colonial rule for approximately 200 years until gaining independence in 1947.
