Racindia

For the language of Hindustan, see Hindustani language.

It has been suggested that Hindustan and Hindustani language be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

Hindustani (Hindi: हिन्दुस्तानी) is an adjectival form of Hindustan which originally meant people from the whole geographical region of Indian subcontinent, though latterly it is used mainly to describe a region in northern India, east and south of Yamuna river, between the Vindhya mountains and the Himalayas, where Hindustani language is spoken and is the origin of Hindustani classical music, tradition, culture, and tehzeeb (etiquette).

In the Persian language, word Hindi, which is itself derived from Sindh, Sanskrit for the Indus River often formerly rendered Hindoostan and the adjective Hindustani relates to various aspects of the geographical areas east of the Indus, or people living in it – the Hindustanis. Thus while during medieval times, it may have referred to the Indian subcontinent, in modern usage, ‘Hindustan’ has come to mean the Republic of India.

The adjective Hindustani is a term applied to the syncretic Hindu culture of South Asia. Hindustani is sometimes also used as an ethnic term applied to the whole of South Asia. For example, a West Indian man with roots in South Asia might describe his ethnicity by saying he is Hindustani. In a more restricted sense, the Hindustani people are those who are native speakers of the Hindustani language, as opposed to the other languages of India.

See also

• Ethnic groups of South Asia
• Hindoestanen
• Hindustani Lal Sena, (Indian Red Army), formed 1939
• Hindustani Ghadar Party, political group founded in 1970

References

1. ^ Lipner 1998, pp. 7–8
2. ^ Guardian Unlimited: What does -istan” mean as in Pakistan, Uzbekistan or Afghanistan?
3. ^ Sri Lanka: Sanskritic loans in modern Sinhala

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Categories: Ethnic groups in South Asia | History of India | Cultural history of IndiaHidden category: Articles to be merged since July 2008