RSS-LINKED BODY STARTS CAMPAIGN TO USE ‘BHARAT’ INSTEAD OF ‘INDIA’

The Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas (SSUN), an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, on Friday wrote to President Droupadi Murmu seeking a constitutional amendment to rename the country "Bharat".

- Sanjay Maurya

NEW DELHI:

"Bharat evokes a sense of pride and dignity, and can be found in ancient scriptures like the Vedas, Puranas, Ramayana, and Mahabharata," the SSUN said in a letter to Murmu, seeking use of the word "Bharat" in all official correspondence until an amendment is made.

Launching a month-long signature campaign titled "One nation one name: Bharat", SSUN national general secretary Atul Kothari said: "Bharat is derived from two words: 'Bha,' meaning light, and 'Rata,' meaning devoted. This signifies that Bharat is a land devoted to the pursuit of knowledge and enlightenment. In contrast, the name 'India' lacks any meaning. Even the Oxford Dictionary associates it with definitions that can be seen as demeaning."