Disha Tandon, Pune
Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap recently shared his views on the ongoing India-Bharat conflict, expressing concern over the possible negative impact of renaming in India and wastage of products used. In an interview with Jist, Anurag talked about the impracticality of the scheme of renaming India as Bharat with star Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub and director Akshat Ajay Sharma and its potential impact, especially on the weaker sections of society.
Anurag asks about the need for change and says India has always been called Bharat. He said that replacing “India” with “Bharat” in official documents would lead to huge problems and expenses. Passports, Aadhar cards and ration cards need to be renewed, leading to a huge impact on tax revenues. “That alone will cost four years of taxes,” he said. Passports, education levels and even vaccination certificates need to be reprinted. This process will have a negative impact and affect essential services such as food distribution and travel. Anurag questions the possibility of doing big things without thinking about the consequences.
He commented, “Everything has to be changed. A whimsical man is doing it because he wants to. He hasn’t thought of all these things”. He questioned whether all the bank notes, educational documents, and vaccine certificates would need to be reprinted and whether people would have to wait until this process was completed. He also raised concerns about the potential consequences, such as people not receiving ration and facing difficulties in traveling, and pondered the nature of the world in which these events were occurring.
According to a report by IE, Anurag Kashyap mentioned that everything needs to be changed, but questioned if it’s possible for humans to do so without wasting money. They also commented on the consequences that a whimsical person may not consider before making such changes.
Ahead of the last G20 summit, the debate over changing the name of the country from ‘India’ to ‘Bharat’ made headlines. These feelings were further enhanced by President Droupadi Murmu’s invitation to the G20 dinner, when he was addressed as “President of Bharat” instead of “President of India”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s business card during the meeting said “Bharat”.
However, Anurag emphasized that India has always been referred to as Bharat, and Article 1 of the Constitution already recognizes both names interchangeably. He stated that “India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.” The government plans to determine the plan in a special session of parliament, but the opposition blocked its adoption.