India wan change im name to Bharat?

"India, wey be Bharat, go be association of states," na so di first article of di India Constitution declare. Di introduction say: "We, di pipo of India…"

Bharat na name wey most pipo dey call India for Hindi language. Wen e come to official communication for English, dem dey always use India.

Narendra Modi goment don dey change dis practice wey dem don dey do for long time.

E don send dinner invite in di name of 'President of Bharat' for Saturday, 9 September for di G20 summit.

And to add join dis one, e do one press release about di Asean-India summit wia dem refer to to Narendra Modi as 'Prime Minister of Bharat'.

Wetin be Bharat?

Hindu literature define di land wey dey between di Himalayas and di oceans as "Bharatvarsh".

According to Hindu mythology, Bharata bin be di King of Hastinapura (wey dem dey call Hastinapur now, wey dey for east of Delhi).

Im bin conquer di whole land and dem bin see am as righteous king.

For di oldest Hindu text, Rig Veda, dem mention Bharata as di name of one group of pipo.

Di word Bharata for Sanskrit also mean land wey dey cherish and provide. E fit signify culture.

Future India Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru write for 1927: "India bin be Bharata, di holy land of di Hindus, and dat na why you fit locate di great places for Hindu pilgrimage for di four corners of India."

But Bharat no be pesin wey exist for history.

Paris-based academic Catherine Clementin-Ojha write for 2014 paper: "Bharata na mata about space, but di mata no allow anytin wey eye fit see to represent am for dat space. Unto dis mata, e no possible to draw map for modern sense of di word."

What about names like India and Hindustan?

Persia pipo bin call di Indus river 'Hindu' wey later become 'India' for Latin.

Di name 'India' also dey ancient for im own right.

Di Muslim Mughal empire wey rule di land for more dan two centuries bin proud say dem be di "Badshahs of Hindustan", di rulers or emperors of Hindustan.

Di name 'Hindustan' too come from Persia. So both India and Hindustan na names wey don dey for long long time before British colonial rule wey start wit di successful conquest of Bengal for 1757.

Di goment say changing di name to 'Bharat' go help di kontri shake di connection wey dem get wit British colonialism comot from im body.

"Di decision to use 'Bharat' na big statement against di colonial mindset," India Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan tok.

But dem don dey use di name India for more dan two millennia.

In fact, di first time wey dem refer to am as India na from Greek historian Megasthenes, wey dem born 350BC.

Im bin write three books in di name of 'Indica'.

English writer William Shakespeare also use di name India for im work.

"My crown dey inside my heart, no be ontop my head, I no deck up wit diamonds and India stones," King Henry VI tok for di play Henry VI part 3, wey di believe be say dem bin wrtie am for 1591-2.

British traders land India for 1600 to set up di East India Company.

Dem bin also refer to di kontri as 'Indie' for di first edition of King James Bible for Protestants.

All dis events occur before British colonise India.

Fears and opposition

Prime Minister Narendra Modi don dey rule India since 2014 and im come from di Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), wey also dey rule most of di states too. Na right-wing party wey get close connection to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (National Volunteers Organisation) wey say make India become 'Hindu kontri'.

Narendra Modi join RSS as youth and rise through di ranks.

Since India get independence, dem don ban di RSS three times.

Di first time na afta di assassination of Mahatma Gandhi for 1948 wen dem accuse RSS say na im plan di killing, but dem later clear dia name.

Hindu nationalist groups bin no too active for India freedom struggle.

Modi goment don call for special session of parliament wey go shele from 18-22 September.

Opposition politicians and commentators dey suspect say dis fit be to change di name of di kontri.

E go be di first session wey go occur for di parliament building wey dem just build finish wey get di map of Greater Bharat.

Dis map include some part of neighbouring kontris like Afghanistan, di whole of Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.

India neighbours don officially protest.

Critics say BJP get habit of using Hindu cultural figures and di opposition dey already prepare for showdown ontop dis latest move.

"Although e no get anytin for constitution wey stop dem from calling India 'Bharat', wey be one of di kontri two offcial names, I hope say goment no go dey foolish to throway 'India', wey get priceless brand value wey dem don dey build for centuries," Shashi Tharoor, wey be lawmaker for Indian National Congress party, post for X, wey formerly be Twitter.