India got its name from Indus

priya

Member
1. The root word from India comes from the Sanskrit word Sindhu that was modified a bit by the Persians to become Hindh and later stylized by the Greeks to become India. It is thus a nexus of 3 great civilizations. That aptly reflects Indian culture too. The core is the Sanskruti, enhanced by the Persian interactions and later built on by the Europeans. Like it or not, we are a mix of all 3.

2 Indus is where the greatest of Indian civilization rose. Whether you are left or right, "Aryan" or "Dravidian" fact is no Indian group disagrees that Indus Valley Civilization is the iconic age for India.

3. Indus acts as the westernmost boundary for the Indian culture. For thousands of years, the river protected India from external threats. Like the Himalayas it acts as the wall of India, mightily protecting the culture. Persians called us Hindus because the people on the eastern side of the Indus had been evolving a distinct culture. This distinction continues to this day - marking the rough borders between West and South Asia.

4. It is the banks of Indus, did our ancients create Universities such as Takshashila where some of the greatest Indians like Chanakya, Panini and Charaka taught 2300 years ago.

5. India is the name Greeks glorified in works like Arrian's Indica. India was the country Columbus claimed he was sailing to. India was the root word for Indonesia, our cultural sibling. India is the only country with an ocean named after it. The word India has superior historical importance and symbolism. This is why Jinnah hoped so much that post-1947 India would call herself Hindustan and not India [Pakistani media still continues to call us by that name].
 
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