India or Bharat? A look at nations that have ditched old names and embraced their roots

What's in a name? Apparently, a lot. At least for nations wanting to ditch their colonial past and stride ahead. As a dinner invitation for the G20 summit sparks speculations about India heading towards a name change, let us take a look at some countries that have embraced their cultural roots and changed the way that the world addresses them. 

Turkiye 

Most of the world found out about the existence of "Türkiye'' after a deadly 7.8 earthquake struck what it once knew as Turkey. Last June, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Cavuşoğlu urged the United Nations to change the Middle Eastern country's name from Turkey to Turkiye. 

The appeal was based on a decree from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which mentioned that the new name "represents and expresses the culture, civilisation and values of the Turkish nation in the best way." With this, media outlets and international institutions welcomed the new name, although citizens of the country had already been calling it Turkiye since 1923.

Netherlands

In 2020, the Dutch Government bid adieu to the name Holland and opened its arms to the Netherlands in a bid to clarify the nation's image on a global level. This was because Holland did not represent the entire European country, but only parts such as The Hague, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam.

While some often use the names interchangeably, it is important to note that the Netherlands does not have an alternative name. To dispel this belief, Dutch officials spent 18 long months on the branding campaign after recognising that their "international image faced some challenges." 

Eswatini

Situated in the heart of Africa, the small, land-locked country of Swaziland changed its name to The Kingdom of Eswatini in 2018 at the behest of its monarch, King Mswatti III. The ruler announced the decision to celebrate the nation's 50th year of independence from Britain's shackles. 

"African countries on getting independence reverted to their ancient names before they were colonised. So from now on, the country will officially be known as the Kingdom of Eswatini," Mswatti told people who had gathered for Independence Day celebrations at the time. 

Iran

Iran is another example of breaking free from colonialism. On March 21, 1935, it ditched the name Persia after Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi became the Shah of Iran. He decided that the country must be developed in all aspects and undergo a name change because Persia was too "colonial". 

With the new name came a range of new reforms, such as women's rights, mandatory education for both male and female students, and the restructuring of the Government. In fact, the country's name Persia was changed on the day of the Persian New Year as a conscious move. 

Republic of North Macedonia

The Republic of North Macedonia hopped on the bandwagon in 2004. However, the name change was being mulled over years ago. In 1991, the European country switched its name from the Republic of Macedonia to the Republic of North Macedonia after the crumbling of Yugoslavia. 

But for the Republic of North Macedonia, getting rid of its old names like the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was not easy. Its neighbour Greece opposed the move, and a consensus was reached only in 2018 when the two countries signed an agreement and decided to bring an end to decades-old conflicts.