"all natives of this country are referred to as Hindus"-Shri H. V. Kamath

CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY DEBATES (PROCEEDINGS) - VOLUME IX

Sunday, the 18th September 1949

Mr. President : I have told you that if you select the name "Bharat", it is only a question of language and it does not require any speech.

Shri H. V. Kamath : I bow to your ruling. I only wish to refer to the Irish Constitution which was adopted twelve years ago. There the construction of the sentence is different from what has been proposed in clause (1) of this article. I feel that the expression "India, that is, Bharat"-I suppose it means "India, that is to say, Bharat"-I feel that in a Constitution it is somewhat clumsy; it would be much better if this expression, this construction were modified in a constitutionally more acceptable form and may I say in a more a aesthetic form definitely in a more correct form. if honourable colleagues in the House would take the trouble of referring to the Irish Constitution passed in 1937, they will see that the Irish Free State was one of the few countries in the modern world which changed its name or; achieving freedom; and the fourth article of its Constitution refers to the change in the name of the land. That article- of the Constitution of the, Irish

Free State reads as follows :

"The name of the State is Eire, or, in the English language, Ireland."

I think that this is a much happier expression that "Bharat, or, in the English language, 'India, shall, be and such". I say specifically the English language. Why ? Because Members might ask me, why do you say "the English language" ? Is it not the same in all European languages ? No, it is not. The German word is 'Indian' and in many parts of Europe. the country is still referred to as in the olden days as "Hindustan" and all natives of this country are referred to as Hindus, whatever their religion may be. It is quite common in many parts of Europe. It must have come from the ancient name Hindu, derived from the river Sindhu.