Living language
Ancient influence
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Living language

Watching today's British enjoying their national dish – curry – would have delighted Warren Hastings, Britain's first governor general in India in 1773. His dream of building on the fusion of Indian and British culture he had encouraged and nurtured during his time in power had faded before his death, destroyed by a backlash of moral superiority and religious antagonism. But the ideas he planted continue to flourish.

While food is our most striking modern-day link with India, the fascination for a more exotic cultural diet from the sub-continent that started under Hastings' influence in the 18th century made a significant contribution to language and customs. India can stake a claim in helping shape many of the fundamental aspects of 'British' lifestyle – from football to fashion.

The British may have invented the beautiful game of football as we know it today, but were it not for the Hindi vocabulary, there would have been no soccer 'pundits' (learned people), and despite all the money football generates, players would never earn any 'loot'. Sadly 'thugs' would still exist, although surely the English language would have concocted some other word to sum up their delinquency.

The impact on fashion has been equally profound. It was India's abundance of cottons and silks which had first attracted British colonists to its shores, but the taste for the new and unusual found an enthusiastic market back in England. Muslin dresses and cashmere shawls were all the rage in 18th-century London.

Today's bandannas (dyed cloth), bangles and dungarees all hail from the East as do jodhpurs, riding breeches named after their Indian town of origin.

The lighter fabrics had another enormous benefit, in that they were easier to wash. This encouraged a trend towards personal cleanliness, started by early Indian travellers to these shores horrified at the lax hygiene they found. 'Shampoo' (Persian for head massage) found its way into bathrooms, and bathing establishments were set up by the likes of Sake Deen Mohammed who became shampooing surgeon to the king.

And on our roads, if not for the eastern influence, there would be no 'juggernauts'. The word juggernaut derives from Juganath – the name of an Indian god who once a year was honoured by having his image carried around the towns and villages in a huge cart.

Some 900 other Hindi words including bungalow, dinghy and mugger all infiltrated the English language.

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