Hindustani Online

While it remains the spoken language of the masses, it is officially recognized by its standardized forms—Hindi in India and Urdu in Pakistan. Hindustani Classical Music

It is the colloquial root for both Hindi (the Sanskritized register) and Urdu (the Persianized register).

During the Indian independence movement, leaders like Gandhi and Nehru promoted Hindustani as a symbol of national unity to bridge the divide between Hindi and Urdu identities.

Hindustani serves as a across Northern India and Pakistan. It is the common linguistic base that emerged around 1100 AD as a contact language between Muslim rulers and local populations.

Practiced mainly in North India, Hindustani music is one of the two primary traditions of Indian classical music, the other being the South Indian tradition.