"Bharat A Mindset, An Approach": S Jaishankar Exclusive

Bharat is a mindset which encapsulates all the changes that have been going on in the country over the last few years, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told NDTV today when asked about the mainstreaming of the name. In a wide-ranging exclusive interview with NDTV Editor-in-Chief Sanjay Pugalia following the publication of his new book "Why Bharat Matters", Mr Jaishankar said, "I consider Bharat a mindset, an approach".

"What I think is, in terms of culture, self-confidence, delivery, our way of thinking, if you count it all, then if we have to describe the concept in short, the word Bharat conveys the message," he added.

The name Bharat, used in the Constitution to describe India, made headlines last year during the G20 summit.

A huge controversy broke out after it was found that the dinner invite to the foreign leaders attending the summit, sent in the name of Droupadi Murmu, described her as the "President of Bharat".

The nameplate in front of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he opened the G20 Summit read "Bharat" and the G20 booklet meant for foreign delegates was also titled - "Bharat, The Mother Of Democracy".

"Bharat is the official name of the country. It is mentioned in the Constitution as also in the discussions of 1946-48," the booklet said.

Shortly after, Mr Jaishankar fuelled the debate by opening and closing his speech at the United Nations General Assembly by mentioning Bharat twice.

"Namaste from Bharat," was how he greeted the assembly and while signing off, he said, "It is this fusion (tradition and technology) that today defines India, that is Bharat".

The Opposition accused the Centre of planning to drop India and staying with just Bharat as the country's name just because it has named its coalition INDIA..

Congress's Shashi Tharoor pointed out that the words "India" and "Hindu" have the same etymology – derived from the word Sindhu, once used to described the river Indus -- and dropping one would necessitate dropping the other as well.   

The BJP's leaders and ministers argued that 'Bharat' has been "in use from time immemorial".

The debate raged on social media as well.

Officials of the United Nations have said the name can be changed in the records if New Delhi completes all the formalities.