Jabalpur: The Rani Durgavati University in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur has become the first one in the country to replace the word ‘India’ with ‘Bharat’ in its academic certificates.
President Droupadi Murmu gave away degrees to the students of the university at its 36th convocation on Sunday, with the documents mentioning ‘Bharat’ instead of ‘India’.
‘India’ has been replaced with ‘Bharat’ in all official communication and campus signboards by the university. The invitations for the event also carried Bharat, as reported by The Tribune.
A national campaign by the
Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas (SSUN), linked to the RSS, has been advocating a return to the word ‘Bharat’ in all academic documents and certificates as well as course materials.
The SSUN has been running a campaign to collect signatures from all over India for the change.
The Devi Ahilya University in MP is also is using ‘Bharat’ in all official communication.
The Rani Durgavati University, however, is the first whose degrees carry the name ‘Bharat’.
During the G20 Summit in September 2023, PM Narendra Modi’s nameplate read ‘Bharat’ instead of ‘India’. Later, President Murmu sent official G20 dinner invitations under the title ‘President of Bharat’. At the time, there was speculation that the government might introduce amendments to Article 1 of the Constitution, which currently states: “India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.” However, no formal legislative action was taken.
The SSUN earlier played a key role in shaping the National Education Policy, it has been reported. Its general secretary Atul Kothari says the name ‘Bharat’ carries deeper historical and cultural significance.
“India is merely a name, whereas Bharat is a sentiment, a legacy of our ancestors,” he says.