Question

In what ways the meaning of term hindustan and foreigners has changed over passage of time

Answer 1

Before the advent of colonization, the vague idea of Hindustan was present amongst the Indians that covered a lot of places that are excluded now, like what is today Pakistan and Bangladesh. After Independence and Partition, 'Hindustan' was understood to be the geographical body from Jammu and Kashmir to Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the south. Today, even though Hindustan is understood as the same geographical landscape, it is used mostly in nationalistic contexts to instil a feeling of patriotism, with the counterpart of 'India' being used most commonly.

Foreigners have always been meant to refer to people who did not come from one's own country. It evolved from the Indian word 'firangi' and was initially used as a derogatory term to refer to the colonizers. With time however, this has been appropriated to refer to anyone who has a different nationality without any negative connotations.

Answer 2

Before partition, The term "Hindustan" was used for the whole subcontinent.

Explanation:

• Before partition, The term "Hindustan" was used for the whole subcontinent.
• It was also used as a nationalist context term in politics.
• The term "Hindustan" became more obvious during the 13th century when the sultanate of Delhi was the dominant sultanate.
• It gives a sense of patriotism and nationalism to the natives living in the sub-continent before partition.
• Foreigners were those who were non-native and had different cultural and moral values belonging to a different society.