Hyderabad: Several state and central universities across Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and other states have decided to replace the word “India” with “Bharat” on degrees, marksheets and official documents, driven by a campaign run by a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-linked organisation, The Indian Express (IE) reported.
Behind the push is the Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas – an organisation closely linked to the RSS and associated with the late Dina Nath Batra – whose wing, the Bharatiya Bhasha Manch, has been running an extensive campaign to have “India” replaced with “Bharat” in institutional use.
President Droupadi Murmu is scheduled to attend a convocation at Rani Durgavati University in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, on Sunday, June 21, where all degrees to be awarded will carry “Bharat” instead of “India.”
The university’s Vice-Chancellor Rajesh Kumar Verma told IE that its Executive Council had passed a resolution to use “Bharat” on all degrees and marksheets in both Hindi and English. “We are people of Bharat and the real name of the country is Bharat. The name India came later,” he said, citing the use of “Bharat” at the G20 summit as part of the rationale.
The campaign
ML Gupta, a member of the central executive committee of the Bharatiya Bhasha Manch, said the Nyas had campaigned extensively for the change. “A country or a person should not have two names. The real name of the country is Bharat, but it came to be known as India, a word taken from the Indus, after the British came here. The British used the name in a derogatory sense, why should we retain it?” he told IE.
In his book “India Nahin Bharat,” Gupta claims that 17 universities and educational institutions across Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat and Maharashtra have passed resolutions to use only “Bharat” for official purposes.
Universities on board
Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya in Indore says it was the first university in Madhya Pradesh to act. Its Vice-Chancellor Rakesh Singhai told IE, “We were the first one to pass such a resolution and have already replaced India with Bharat in writing everywhere. The other universities are following the example set by us.”
Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya in Bilaspur, a central university in Chhattisgarh, has also taken the decision. Vice-Chancellor Alok Kumar Chakrawal said the change would appear on marksheets once the existing printed stock is exhausted.
The Vice-Chancellor of Raja Mansingh Tomar Music and Arts University in Gwalior, Smita Sahasrabudhe, said its Executive Council was “convinced” by arguments made by a Nyas delegation and passed a similar resolution. “Hindi is called rashtra bhasha, so Bharat should be used instead of India,” she said.
Constitutional position
The Constitution of India uses both names, “India” and “Bharat,” for the country, with “India” used in English and “Bharat” in Hindi.
A G20 dinner invite in 2023 referred to President Murmu as “President of Bharat.” The Office Memorandum for the 2026 Republic Day was bilingual, referring to the government as “Government of India/Bharat Sarkar.”
The Narendra Modi government has continued to use both names, with “India” featuring in key schemes including Make In India, Startup India and Stand-Up India.
