Hindustan: "Land of the Hindus." Persians called Indian civilization as recognized with the Indus Valley "Hind" and its inhabitants "Hindu;" later when the area was conquered by Turkic - Afghan kings, they called it Hindustan, adding the suffix "stan" (meaning "land"). Hindustan is considered one of the earliest historical names for Bharat ( India ).
A historical region encompassing present day Northern India , Pakistan , Bangladesh , and neighboring areas. The Mughal Empire and its predecessor Sultanate were also referred to as Hindustan, or ''Saltanat-e-Hind'' (سلتنت-ائے ہِند). Hindustani Music is a genre of Classical Music from this region that combines traditional Hindu musical concepts and Persian performance practice.
The country of India . Hindustani denotes a connection to India and Hindustan is another name for India. Several Indian Political Parties use the term including the Hindustan Janata Party and the Akhand Hindustan Morcha . This usage, however, is controversial and not exactly accurate, considering the implication that Indians are necessarily Hindus, which they are not; colloquially, however, it remains popular.
South Asia or the Indian Subcontinent . Hindustan is specifically a term for the Syncretic Islamic and Hindu culture of South Asia. Hindustani is sometimes used as a Cultural , Ethnic , or Genetic term for South Asia . (e.g., A West Indian with such roots might describe his ethnicity by saying he is Hindustani.)
