Question

In what ways has the meaning of the term Hindustan and Ajnabi changed over the centuries?

Answer 1

Instructions:

This answer for this question can be broken down into three parts.

1. Meaning of both words Hindustan and Ajnabi (1 mark)

2. How the word Hindustan evolved. (1 mark)

3. How the word Ajnabi evolved.(1 mark)

Answer:
In today's world, the term ‘Hindustan’ is used to denote India. During the 13th century, the term was used by Minhaj-i-Siraj to describe lands that belonged to the Delhi Sultans. During the 14th century, the term ‘Hind’ was used by Amir Khusrau to refer to the culture. Later during the early 16th century, Babar used the term ‘Hindustan’ to describe the culture, geography and fauna of the sub-continent.
Similarly the term pardesi or Ajnabi are used to describe a foreigner in today's world. In mediaeval India any stranger who appeared in a given village or who was not a part of that society or culture was ajnabi. A city-dweller will be considered a “foreigner” among the forest dwellers and vice versa. Two people living in the same village were not considered as foreigners to each other, even though they had different religious backgrounds.