Word ‘Hindu’ not native to India, given by Mughals and endorsed by British: Kamal Haasan

Chennai , May 18 : Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan on Saturday  stoked a possible controversy by saying that the word “Hindu” is of foreign origin and not native to India.
Taking to Twitter, Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) founder Haasan shared a poem on Friday in Telugu saying “the name Hindu was given by foreign rulers”.
Haasan said the term ‘Hindu’ was given by Mughals or by others who came earlier to rule, adding that the British who later ruled the nation seconded the term.
He said that neither the Alwars and Nayanmars, poet-saints in southern India during the first millennium CE, gave the religious note “Hindu”.
Citing a Tamil proverb – “Living in harmony has a million benefits”, the MNM chief opined that shrinking the nation within religion is commercially, politically and spiritually wrong.
“Neither 12 Alwars nor 63 Nayanmars gave the religious note “Hindu”. We were named “Hindu” either by Mughals or those who ruled earlier. British who ruled and returned seconded that adjective. When we have our own identities how ignorant to embrace an outsider given name as our name or religion. Though our identity as “Indian” is recent it would live beyond times. To think of shrinking our wide nation within religion is commercially, politically and spiritually wrong. If we live together we would get crore benefits. How many times this proverb has been told to Tamilians,” he said in his tweet.