Abanindranath Tagore/ ‘Banga Mata’ water colour that he later decided to title 'Bharat Mata'. 1905. Bharat as Mother. It was only from the late 19th century that Bharatvarsha in the sense of ...

To question Bharat Mata’s presence in a national event is not secularism — it is cultural denial. It is time we stop viewing every national symbol through the lens of partisanship.

Bharat Mata, the famous watercolour dating back to 1905 depicts a saffron clad woman, dressed like a sadhvi, holding a book, sheaves of paddy, a piece of white cloth and a garland in her four hands.

Ace historian Irfan Habib says the idea of ‘Bharat Mata’ is a European import as is ‘maadar-i-watan’. He says ‘Bharat’ was used as a name in Prakrit script for his country in the first ...