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Why India’s government wants to change the country’s name to ‘Bharat’
AP News ^ | Updated 7:28 AM CDT, September 5, 2023 | BY SHEIKH SAALIQ

Posted on 09/06/2023 11:55:58 AM PDT by Red Badger

NEW DELHI (AP) — Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has replaced the name India with a Sanskrit word in dinner invitations sent to guests attending this week’s Group of 20 summit, in a move that reflects his Hindu nationalist party’s efforts to eliminate what it sees as colonial-era names.

Indian President Droupadi Murmu is referred to as “President of Bharat” instead of “President of India” in the invitation sent to G20 attendees. The nation of more than 1.4 billion people is officially known by two names, India and Bharat, but the former is most commonly used, both domestically and internationally.

Bharat is an ancient Sanskrit word which many historians believe dates back to early Hindu texts. The word also means India in Hindi.

The change in nomenclature is backed by officials of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party. They argue that the name India was introduced by British colonials and is a “symbol of slavery.” The British ruled India for about 200 years until the country gained independence in 1947.

“Another blow to slavery mentality,” the top elected official of Uttarakhand state, Pushkar Singh Dhami, said on X, formerly known as Twitter. Dhami, who is a leader of Modi’s governing party, shared the dinner invitation sent to G20 guests in his post.

Modi’s party has long tried to erase names related to India’s Mughal and colonial past.

In 2015, New Delhi’s famous Aurangzeb Road, named after a Mughal king, was changed to Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Road after protests from Modi’s party leaders. Last year, the government also renamed a colonial-era avenue in the heart of New Delhi that is used for ceremonial military parades.

Modi’s government says the name changes are an effort to reclaim India’s Hindu past.

(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...


TOPICS: Government; History; Society; Travel
KEYWORDS: bharat; bharatiyajanata; brics; ccp; china; droupadimurmu; g20; groupof20; hindu; india; narendramodi; russia; sanskrit; sco; taiwan; unitedkingdom
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To: Myrddin

A lot of place names in their original language are like that. It’s definitely something that gets lost when some other culture says “that’s hard to pronounce, we’ll say this”.


81 posted on 09/06/2023 1:34:21 PM PDT by discostu (like a dog being shown a card trick)
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To: Red Badger

So, so many people think India and Indians will be America’s partner in the coming years. Everything will be hunky dorey...

In the meantime we get their H1Bs like those now in charge of Google, were in charge at Twitter, in charge in so many other big money social media giant and suppressing free thought and expression. And they still harbor crap like this colonial slavery business.... Screw them.


82 posted on 09/06/2023 1:37:56 PM PDT by Gaffer ( )
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To: Red Badger

MIHA?

Make India Hindu Again?

Gonna have a rough time of it with 10% of the world’s Muslims living there....


83 posted on 09/06/2023 1:39:23 PM PDT by Gaffer ( )
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To: libh8er
I don’t see the connection to Modi’s rhetoric. This is like saying Trump’s rhetoric incites violence in the US (any mass shooting that was blamed on Trump) or that Trump incited the Jan 6th “insurrection”.

Are you an Indian? Do you support Modi and the BJP?

Just a personal opinion shared by MAGA and many Conservatives and Republicans: 'The only people who believe and refer to an "insurrection" on January 6th are those who've been fed and believe uni-party and fake news propaganda.'

84 posted on 09/06/2023 1:45:08 PM PDT by JesusIsLord
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To: Red Badger
As long as the "S" word (Slavery) is in play, maybe it's worth pointing out that the British replaced the previous conquerors/colonizers, the Mughals, who as Muslims did condone and practice it. Under British rule slavery, and other barabarisms such as suttee, were abolished. And the unified nation state most call India emerged.

So, YOU'RE WELCOME!

85 posted on 09/06/2023 2:09:18 PM PDT by katana
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To: Red Badger

India goes back to Persian usage BC for the land of the Indus River valley. So it is not a name peculiar to the English colonialists.

That said, why don’t we actually call geographic things by the names that the locals use. For example, change Munich to Munchen, and Vienna to Wein. There is no good reason to have different names for the same thing in different languages.


86 posted on 09/06/2023 2:12:42 PM PDT by FarCenter
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To: Red Badger

I agree. I think countries should be known by the name they call themselves. Germany should be called Deutschland and India should be called Bharat. Unless it’s unpronounceable for us it simply seems like respect.


87 posted on 09/06/2023 2:16:14 PM PDT by muir_redwoods (Freedom isn't free, liberty isn't liberal and you'll never find anything Right on the Left)
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To: FarCenter

Just like Spanish people call it “Nueva York”


88 posted on 09/06/2023 2:16:31 PM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: JesusIsLord
I follow politics closely in a select few countries that are of 'global significance' especially if they happen to be allies or enemies of ours. I also support right of center parties among our allies knowing that not all their policies will be to our liking, especially ones involving religion and culture. Modi's party is strongly right of center and Modi was an ally of Trump. India in general is an important ally in that region. So yes, I do support Modi and his party for that reason. The alternative is for India to be taken over by the Left.. who are very very anti American.

'The only people who believe and refer to an "insurrection" on January 6th are those who've been fed and believe uni-party and fake news propaganda.'

Not that different from the anti Modi propaganda you are picking up from whatever blogs you are reading. FR is full of people who soak up half truths and conspiracy theories and then spam the forums with their falsehoods, so it's not that surprising to me.

89 posted on 09/06/2023 2:16:48 PM PDT by libh8er
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To: muir_redwoods

Though I think I’d rather stick with “Hungary” than “Magyaroszag”


90 posted on 09/06/2023 2:17:38 PM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: Red Badger

South Indians have their own languages, and they don’t go for Hindi domination.


91 posted on 09/06/2023 2:21:25 PM PDT by x
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To: dfwgator

I think he will sue and win millions for name infringement.


92 posted on 09/06/2023 2:24:30 PM PDT by RetiredTexasVet (Biden not only suffers fools and criminals, he appoints them to positions of responsibility. )
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To: JesusIsLord; libh8er

This is not to say there hasn’t been violence against Christians in certain areas. But it’s India’s left, with help from .. George Soros associated groups.. that have been spreading lies about Modi. You should do some research on how Soros has been trying - for quite some time - to topple the Modi govt.


93 posted on 09/06/2023 2:40:29 PM PDT by libh8er
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To: Red Badger

Sanskrit exists as a written language and refers to the script used to write many languages and many others are “sanskrit based.”


94 posted on 09/06/2023 2:45:42 PM PDT by arthurus (o| covfefe w|-)
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To: libh8er
Not that different from the anti Modi propaganda you are picking up from whatever blogs you are reading.

You seem to pride yourself in being astute regarding certain counties/regions. Yet, you fail to connect Hindu nationalism fueled by the BPH as being a catalyst for violence toward Indian Christians.

I believe the following article on "Why are Christians being targeted in India" is honest. Both Christian and secular organizations would agree with its premise; you might differ:
https://www.dw.com/en/why-are-attacks-on-christians-increasing-in-india/a-60293867

95 posted on 09/06/2023 2:45:57 PM PDT by JesusIsLord
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To: Red Badger

“Why India’s government wants to change the country’s name to ‘Bharat’”

India’s MESSAGE TO THE WORLD: “We don’t need a bunch of badgering 5 year olds telling us that Ukraine is the most important issue in the world - we’ve decided that you’re full of Shiite, and we are DONE trying to play nice with the Neocons.”

So now India goes back to working with Russia, which also means working with China to settle their border disputes.


96 posted on 09/06/2023 3:10:11 PM PDT by BobL (I eat at McDonald's and shop at Walmart, I just don't tell anyone)
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To: discostu
Everybody has a different name for Germany. And vastly different in many cases. It’s Allemagne to the French. Tyskland in Norway.

Tedesco to the Italians...

97 posted on 09/06/2023 3:57:09 PM PDT by Albion Wilde (Either ‘the Deep State destroys America, or we destroy the Deep State.’ --Donald Trump)
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To: Albion Wilde

“Niemcy” in Polish, actually most Slavic languages have more or less the same word.

It’s based on a word meaning “mute”. The word is used to describe foreigners (i.e. people who couldn’t speak the local languages), who frequently turned out to be Germanic people


98 posted on 09/06/2023 4:00:20 PM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: discostu
“the people that use too many consonants.”

Wurstland.

99 posted on 09/06/2023 4:00:38 PM PDT by Albion Wilde (Either ‘the Deep State destroys America, or we destroy the Deep State.’ --Donald Trump)
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To: discostu
They probably all translate to “the people that use too many consonants.”

That's Poland.

100 posted on 09/06/2023 4:02:50 PM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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