Hindustani

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, the word "Hindi", which is itself derived from Sindh, Sanskrit for the Indus RiverHarvnb|Lipner|1998|pp=7–8] + "-stān", (Sanskrit for place [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-21211,00.html Guardian Unlimited: What does -istan" mean as in Pakistan, Uzbekistan or Afghanistan?] ] [ [http://www.lankalibrary.com/books/sanskritic.htm Sri Lanka: Sanskritic loans in modern Sinhala] ] ) 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 during medieval times it may have referred to the Indian subcontinent, while 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.

ee also

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

References