Explained: A look at how Bharat found a place in the Constitution, but came after India

On September 18, 1949, BR Ambedkar proposed an amendment to draft Article 1, which mentions the country's name. His amendment read, "India, that is, Bharat shall be a Union of States."

Team Newsable

First Published Sep 6, 2023, 12:04 PM IST | Last Updated Sep 6, 2023, 12:04 PM IST

In the early stages of drafting India's Constitution, the name 'Bharat' was not initially included. However, the debate about the country's official name arose almost a year later as the finalization of the text approached.

On September 18, 1949, BR Ambedkar proposed an amendment to draft Article 1, which mentions the country's name. His amendment read, "India, that is, Bharat shall be a Union of States." However, this wording was criticized as clumsy and a constitutional error by Assembly member HV Kamath.

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Kamath suggested two alternatives: "Bharat, or, in the English language, India, shall be a Union of States" or "Hind, or, in the English language, India, shall be a Union of States." He argued that specifying "in the English language, India" was necessary because in many countries, India was still known as 'Hindustan,' and its inhabitants were referred to as Hindus regardless of their religion.

Kamath's proposed amendment was "Bharat, or, in the English language, India, shall be a Union of States."

This initiated a heated debate in which several members passionately argued for 'Bharat.' They contended that 'India' was not an ancient word and was only introduced after the Greeks arrived in the region. In contrast, 'Bharat' had historical and cultural significance, found in the Vedas, Upanishads, Brahmanas, Mahabharata, Puranas, and Chinese traveler Hiuen Tsang's writings.

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Despite the strong arguments in favor of 'Bharat,' Kamath's amendment was eventually rejected by a vote of 38 ayes to 51 noes, and the original wording stayed.

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