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.

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

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