‘Bharat's Identity Is Respected’: Mohan Bhagwat Says Nation Must Stay True To Its Name

Last Updated:July 27, 2025, 20:03 IST

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday said that the world understands power and therefore, India has to become strong and also wealthy from an economic point of view.

RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat (PTI)

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday emphasised on calling the country ‘Bharat’ instead of India, saying that Bharat, a proper noun, should not be translated as its identity is respected.

While speaking at the national education conference, ’Gyan Sabha’, organised by the RSS-linked Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas in Kochi on Sunday, Bhagwat said that Bharat’s identity is respected because it is Bharat.

“Bharat is a proper noun. It should not be translated. ’India is Bharat’. That is true. But Bharat is Bharat. That is why, while talking, writing and speaking, be it personal or public, we should keep Bharat as Bharat. Bharat must remain Bharat. The identity of Bharat is respected because it is Bharat. If you lose your identity, whatever other meritorious qualities you may have, you will never be respected or secure in this world. That is the thumb rule," he said as quoted by news agency PTI.

The RSS chief further laid emphasis on the fact that the world understands power and therefore, asserted that India has to become strong and wealthy from an economic point of view.

Bhagwat said that India no longer has to be the “golden bird" and it is the time for it to become a “lion."

“It is necessary because the world understands power. So Bharat should become strong. It also has to become wealthy from an economic perspective," he added.

The RSS chief also said the education system in the country was developed under the long-term influence of colonial ideas and for a developed nation, an alternative based on Indian philosophy needs to be formulated.

He said that ’Bharatiya’ education teaches sacrifice and living for others.

“If something teaches a person to be selfish, it is not education," he added.

Earlier on Saturday, Bhagwat an education system based on Indian philosophy will set the pace of social reform and national progress.

RSS in the past has pushed to popularise ‘Bharat’ over India. RSS national general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale earlier this year questioned why institutions like the Reserve Bank of India or the Constitution should still carry the English name when Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself referred to the country as the ‘Republic of Bharat’ during the G20 dinner at Rashtrapati Bhavan in 2023.

Hosabale had asserted that Bharat is more than just a geographical entity or a constitutional framework; it embodies a profound philosophy and a spiritual legacy.

(With inputs from PTI)

Shobhit Gupta

Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben...Read More

Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben...

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Location :

Kochi [Cochin], India, India

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