India Name Change Controversy: During the G-20 summit, the President extended an invitation to the visiting dignitaries for dinner, using the term 'President of Bharat' instead of 'President of India.'
Shortly after the G-20 summit, the central government has called for a special session of Parliament.
According to political analysts, during this session, the government may propose changing the country's name from India to Bharat instead of using the English term India.
It is believed that if this proposal is approved and the country's name is changed to Bharat, it could have a significant impact on the opposition's I.N.D.I.A. coalition.
The government's intentions and the success of its campaign to change the country's name will become clearer with time. However, it's worth noting that changing a country's name is not unprecedented, as many of the world's 195 countries have undergone such transformations in the past. These changes have been motivated by various factors, including border disputes, honouring leaders, and asserting independence. Additionally, political inspiration has played a significant role in compelling countries to change their names.
What the government has in mind and how successful they will be in their campaign to change the country's name will only be revealed with time. It's important to note that changing a country's name is not a new phenomenon.
There are currently 195 countries in the world, many of which have changed their names due to regional adjustments or various reasons.
This could be in honour of a leader, due to conflicts, or in pursuit of independence.
Additionally, political inspiration can also be a significant factor in motivating a country to change its name.
Changing a country's name may seem like a small matter in terms of saying, hearing, and speaking, but it's not an easy process.
It often involves significant financial costs, and the old name lingers in people's minds, making the transition to a new name a challenging initial phase.
Let's take a look at some countries that used to have different names and are now known by something else:
The Dutch government made a significant change in its image by renaming itself from "Holland" to "the Netherlands."
By 2020, whether they were politicians or members of the tourism board and central government, everyone began using the name "the Netherlands" instead of "Holland."
Now, within the European country with 12 provinces, there are two provinces: North Holland and South Holland.
In the past, "Holland" was often associated with the use of narcotic drugs and the red-light district, making it a significant centre for these activities.
Perhaps this was a reason why a large population of European tourists used to visit the capital, Amsterdam.
While the government was earning significant revenue from this, they took the matter seriously and changed the name from "Holland" to "the Netherlands" with the aim of altering their image and moving past this historical association.
In 2019, the Republic of Macedonia officially became the North Macedonia. The reason for this change was entirely political.
North Macedonia was focused on improving its relations with Greece in order to join NATO and the European Union.
Greece had long opposed the use of the name "Macedonia" by its neighbouring country because there is also a significant geographic region in Greece with the same name.
This disagreement led to a protracted dispute. Eventually, through extensive negotiations, North Macedonia and Greece reached an agreement.
As a result, North Macedonia adopted its official name, and the citizens and language were recognized as Macedonian.
This island nation, located about 700 kilometres off the coast of Senegal in the Atlantic Ocean, requested a name change in 2013.
Previously known as Cape Verde, the country's culture minister stated that they wanted a standardized name to avoid the need for translation.
Iran was formerly known as Persia in the Western world until March 1935. In 1935, the Iranian government requested countries with which it had diplomatic relations to refer to Persia as "Iran", the country's name in Farsi. The suggestion for change is said to have come from the Iranian ambassador in Germany.
