Several state and central universities across different states have started replacing the word “India” with “Bharat” in official documents such as degrees, marksheets, correspondence, invitations, and signboards. The move is being seen in a growing number of educational institutions and is linked to a campaign supported by organisations associated with the RSS.

One of the latest examples is Rani Durgavati University in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. On Sunday, President Droupadi Murmu will attend the university’s convocation ceremony, where all degrees awarded to students will carry the word “Bharat” instead of “India”.

The university’s Vice-Chancellor, Rajesh Kumar Verma, said the institution has decided to use Bharat in all degrees and marksheets in both Hindi and English. Explaining the decision, he said, “In the G20 summit, the word Bharat was used. We are people of Bharat and the real name of the country is Bharat. The name India came later. So, our Executive Council passed a resolution to use the word Bharat in all our documentation.”

Verma said the university was honoured at the Gyan Mahakumbh held during the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj in 2025 for proposing this change. When asked why such a replacement was needed if one believes in Akhand Bharat, he replied, “This is not a question of discarding it. My name is Rajesh Verma. If my family members began calling me Raju, I am not asking why they did so. I am just saying that Rajesh Verma has been Rajesh Verma since he was born in this world.” He further added, “Since the country is the land of Emperor Bharat, its real name is Bharat”.

Another university in Madhya Pradesh, Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya in Indore, has already implemented the change. Vice-Chancellor Rakesh Singhai said, “We were the first ones to pass such a resolution, and have already replaced India with Bharat in writing everywhere. The other universities are following the example set by us.”

The trend is not limited to Madhya Pradesh. Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, which is a central university, has also decided to replace India with Bharat. Vice-Chancellor Alok Kumar Chakrawal said, “We have decided to use Bharat instead of India. It is yet to appear in the marksheets, but the decision has already been taken. The real name of the country is Bharat. It is foreigners who named it India. It is the belief of all intelligent people and intellectuals that we should call it Bharat.”

He explained that the university will start using Bharat on degrees and marksheets once the existing stock of printed documents is exhausted.

The push behind these changes has come from the Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas, an organisation closely linked to the RSS and associated with the late education activist Dina Nath Batra. The group has been actively campaigning for the replacement of the word India with Bharat.

M. L. Gupta, a member of the central executive committee of the Bharatiya Bhasha Manch, which functions under the Nyas, said the organisation has worked extensively on this issue. According to Gupta, a country or a person should not have two names. He argues that Bharat is the country's original name and that India became common after the British arrived. “The British used the name in a derogatory sense, why should we retain it?” he asks.

Gupta believes the campaign has gradually gained support. He pointed to the use of Bharat during the G-20 Summit as evidence of changing public sentiment. He has also written a book titled India Nahin Bharat. In the book, he writes, “Our nation’s name has been Bharat for thousands of years. But after Independence, in Article 1 of the Constitution, our country was called India That is Bharat. If one looks at history, the name India is seen nowhere before the advent of Europeans to the country.”

He further states, “During the British Empire, foreign rulers used the word India for our country. Even after Independence because of foreign hegemony (prabhutva) and subordination (paradheenta), the word India was used before and alongside the glorious name Bharat when the Constitution was made.”

According to Gupta, 17 universities and educational institutions in Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra have already passed resolutions to use only Bharat for official purposes.

Raja Mansingh Tomar Music and Arts University in Gwalior is another institution that has adopted the change. Vice-Chancellor Smita Sahasrabudhe said the university’s Executive Council approved the proposal after hearing the arguments presented by a delegation from the Nyas. She stated, “Hindi is called rashtra bhasha, so Bharat should be used instead of India. As soon as our old stock of marksheets gets over, the new marksheets and degrees will replace India with Bharat.”

The debate has also been supported by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. Speaking at Gyan Sabha, a national education conference organised by the Nyas in Kochi in 2025, he said, “Bharat is a proper noun. It should not be translated as ‘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.”

The Constitution of India recognises both names, India and Bharat, for the country. As a result, India is commonly used in English while Bharat is used in Hindi. The Union government continues to use both names in official communication. In 2023, a G-20 dinner invitation referred to Droupadi Murmu as the President of Bharat. Similarly, the Office Memorandum for Republic Day 2026 used both “Government of India” and “Bharat Sarkar”.

At the same time, several flagship government initiatives continue to use the word India, including Make In India, Startup India, and Stand-Up India. While the debate over the country's name continues, more universities appear to be moving towards the use of Bharat in their official records and communication.