India vs Bharat: In the Constituent Assembly, Kamalapati Tripathi told the meaning of 'India', mentioning from Ram-Krishna to Bapu

Posted on 7th Sep 2023 by rohit kumar

'India' vs 'Bharat' is being discussed the most in the country at present. First, 'President of India' was written on the invitation card of G20 and later, 'Prime Minister of India' was mentioned in the program of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Indonesia. Now when the discussion is going on whether the name of the country is going to change officially. In such a situation, it would also be necessary to know about the debate on one issue of the assembly that wrote the constitution of the country. Which was very interesting.

 

Kamalapati Tripathi, a member of the Constituent Assembly, had given interesting suggestions on the name of the country, 'India that is Bharat', which is mentioned in the Constitution today. Come, what did Kamalapati say about the name of the country?

 

First, let us know what the Constituent Assembly said in the name of the country.

Article 1 of the Constitution says 'India, that is, Bharat, shall be a Union of States.' However, there was no mention of the name 'India' in the original draft. Actually, on November 4, 1948, the draft of the constitution was presented in the Constituent Assembly. This draft was prepared by a committee headed by Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar. About a year later, on 17 September 1949, Ambedkar moved a motion suggesting a change in the name 'India' in the first sub-clause.

 

On 18 September 1949, there was great disagreement among the members regarding the proposal to give two names instead of one to the independent country. The relation between 'India' and 'Bharat' was much discussed in the Constituent Assembly on the initial provision. Members suggested several amendments but none was accepted. After Ambedkar, HV Kamath, leader of the All India Forward Bloc, moved the first amendment, proposing to replace part of the first sub-section with India or India in English. Kamath brought this proposal to the fore taking inspiration from the Irish constitution.

 

Kamalapati preferred 'Bharat' over 'India'

Another Congress member Kamlapati Tripathi also joined in this discussion. Kamalapati had emphasized that Bharat should get priority over India. Kamalapati expressed his feelings on the amendment motion. During this, he said, “Today we have an amendment regarding the name of the country, I would have been happy if the drafting committee had presented this amendment in a different form. Had any other expression than 'India that is Bharat' been used, I think, it would have been more in keeping with the prestige and traditions of this country and indeed would have done more honor to this Constituent Assembly."

 

“If the words 'that is' were necessary, it would have been more appropriate to use the words 'Bharat that is India' in the resolution that has been placed before us. My Friend Kamath has moved the amendment that 'Bharat as it is called India in the English language' should be used. The Drafting Committee had accepted it. If it still accepts it, it will be a commendable consideration of our sentiments and the prestige of our country. We would have been more than happy to accept it. Nevertheless, we are pleased with the proposal that has been placed before us and for this, we congratulate the Drafting Committee.

 

'The country loses its soul in slavery'

He further said, “When a nation is in slavery, it loses its soul. During one thousand years of slavery, our country also lost everything. We have lost our culture, we have lost our history, we have lost our prestige, we have lost our humanity, we have lost our self-respect, we have lost our soul and we have lost our form and name. Today, after living under subjugation for a thousand years, this independent country will regain its name and we hope that after regaining its lost name, it will regain its inner consciousness and external form and will start working with the inspiration of its soul. Will do what was before. It will indeed regain its prestige in the world. The revolutionary movement that started in the country following the footsteps of the Father of the Nation Bapu made us recognize our true nature and our lost soul. Today, it is because of him and his penance that we are regaining our name.”

 

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Kamalapati Tripathi said, “I am influenced by the historical name of ‘Bharat’. Even the mere pronunciation of this word brings before us a picture of the cultural life of centuries one after the other. In my opinion, there is no other country in the world that has such a history, such a culture, and such a name whose age is counted in thousands as our country has.

 

Gods have been remembering the name of India in heaven

Tripathi further says, “Despite all the oppression, humiliation, and long slavery that our country had to go through, it has preserved its name and its talent. There is no other country like this in the world. Even after thousands of years, our country is still known as 'India'. This name has been appearing in our literature since the Vedic period. The name of the entire India has been praised in our Puranas. The deities have been remembering the name of this country in heaven. Gayanti Deva: Kil Geetkani." It is the strong desire of the Gods to be born on the sacred land of India and to live here and achieve their highest goal."

 

Great men and Maharishis gave birth to a great culture

“For us, this name is full of sacred memories. As soon as we pronounce this name, pictures of our ancient history and ancient glory and our ancient culture emerge in our minds. We remember that this is the country where great men and sages in ancient ages gave birth to a great culture. That culture not only spread to different regions of this land but also crossed its borders and reached every corner of the Far East. We remember that on the one hand, this culture reached the Mediterranean Sea and on the other hand it also touched the shores of the Pacific Ocean. We remember that thousands of years ago the leaders and thinkers of this country built a great nation took their culture to the four corners of the world and earned a reputation for themselves. When we pronounce this word, we are reminded of the mantras of the Rigveda spoken by our sages in which they described the philosophy of truth.

 

Remembered Ram, Krishna, and Buddha

“When we pronounce this word, we remember Lord Buddha. When we pronounce this word we remember Shankaracharya who gave a new vision to the world. When we pronounce this word, we are reminded of the mighty arms of Lord Rama, who by stretching the bow made this land and the surrounding seas echo from the Himalayas to the sky. When we pronounce this word we are reminded of the Chakra of Lord Krishna.

 

It would have been good if the amendment had been accepted...

Meanwhile Dr. BR Ambedkar comments, “Sir, is all this necessary?” On this Kamlapati Tripathi says, 'I am asking you to listen to the relevant things.' Then Ambedkar says, “A lot of work remains to be done.” Kamalapati Tripathi again says, “When we pronounce this word we remember Bapu who gave a new message to humanity. We are happy to see this word being used and we congratulate Dr. Ambedkar for this. It would have been great if he had accepted the amendment moved by Kamath.

 

Finally, all amendments rejected

Ultimately, the Constituent Assembly rejected all amendments to the draft Article except those moved by BR Ambedkar, the chairman of the drafting committee. Along with this, the provision of Article-1 'India that is Bharat' was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 18 September 1949.

 

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