‘Bharat’ should not be translated, or it will lose its identity: RSS chief

“Bharat” should not be translated as otherwise it would lose its identity and the respect it enjoys in the world, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said on Sunday, while asserting that the country no longer has to be the “golden bird” as it was time for it to become “a lion”.

- Vishnu Varma

“Bharat is a proper noun. It should not be translated. Bharat must remain Bharat. It’s because if we lose our identity, whatever other meritorious qualities you may have, you will not be respected or secure in the world...identity matters and identity depends on your ‘sanskriti’ (culture). I don’t use the word ‘culture’. The word we use is ‘dharma sanskriti’ and it doesn’t have an English name. Our culture is associated with traditions,” Bhagwat said at the national education conference, “Gyan Sabha”, or