Hindustan

Hindustan ( _hi. हिन्दुस्तान ["Hindustān"] , _ur. ہندوستان ["Hindustān"] , IPA| [ɦɪn̪d̪ʊst̪aːn] ) is one of the popular names of India. Though the meaning of Hindustan has evolved over the years, today it refers primarily to India. [ [http://www.usindh.edu.pk/shaikh_ayaz_conf_07/sindh.html Sindh: An Introduction] ]

Etymology

Hindustan is derived from the Persian word "Hindu", which is itself is derived from Sindhu, Sanskrit for the Indus River [ [http://www.geocities.com/lamberdar/hindu_hinduism.html Significance of Hindu and Hindu dharma (Hinduism)] Sindhu is a river in Sanskrit, in Persian it becomes Hindu. ] Harvnb|Lipner|1998|pp=7–8] . This together with a popular suffix "-stān", which is also derived from Persian ("stan"), meaning "land" [ [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] ] gave birth to the word 'Hindustan', which was rendered as "Hindusthan" . Literally, the word means "land of the Hindus".

Uses of the word, 'Hindustan'

The term Hindustan retains its importance as it gives culture identity to India and the Indian Subcontinent ethos, amidst the varied culture of India; along with another word that evolved from it - the adjective, "Hindustani", used to define the people of Hindustan, their language, Hindustani language, and also their music, Hindustani classical music.

In the "Baarhaspatyua Samhita" it says:

:Himalyam Samarabhya:Yavadindusarovaram:Tam Deonirmitam Desham:Hindusthanam Prachakshate

Meaning : "The country which starts from Himalayas and the borders of which reach till the Indian Ocean (Indu Sarovaram), has been created by Gods and its name is Hindustan." [ [http://www.vhp-america.org/dynamic_includes/ebooks/0503hv-1_final.pdf VHP-America.org] .PDF File.]

Ethnicity

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 South Asia. ("e.g.", A West Indian man with roots in South Asia might describe his ethnicity by saying he is "Hindustani". For example, Hindoestanen, a Dutch word used to describe people of South Asian origin, in Netherlands and Suriname.

Geographical areas

Throughout history, Hindustan was often used to represent the people of India or the Indian Subcontinent. cite web
title = Hindustan
url = http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9040520/Hindustan
accessdate = 2007-05-02
publisher = Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
date= 2007] .

Further, it may relate to various aspects belonging to three geographical areas, namely the modern 'Republic of India'. Historically, the 'Indian subcontinent' during the medieval times. Or, a region in northern India, east and south of Yamuna river, between the Vindhya mountains and the Himalayas, where Hindi/Urdu/Hindustani language is spoken.

ee also

* Hindustani
* India (disambiguation)
* Greater India

Further reading

* "A Sketch of the History of Hindustan from the First Muslim Conquest to the Fall of the Mughol Empire" by H. G. Keene [ [http://www.jstor.org/pss/546854 Hindustan] The English Historical Review, Vol. 2, No. 5 (Jan., 1887), pp. 180-181. ]
* "STORY OF INDIA THROUGH THE AGES; An Entertaining History of Hindustan, to the Suppression of the Mutiny", by Flora Annie Steel, 1909 E.P. Dutton and Co., New York [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D00E5D91439E733A25753C2A9649C946897D6CF Flora Annie Steel] Book Review, February 20, 1909, New York Times.] .
* "The History of Hindustan: Post Classical and Modern", Ed. B.S. Danniya and Alexander Dow. 2003, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 8120819934. [. [http://www.amazon.co.uk/History-Hindustan-Post-Classical-Modern/dp/8120819934 History of Hindustan] (First published: 1770-1772). Dow had succeeded his father as the private secretary of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.] .

References