I'm going to go further than I originally did with this. Not only do I think this blade is not original to the hilt, but I do not believe it was put together "for use".
The complete absence of similar weapons in the Indian tradition speaks volumes in this regard. Many shorter-bladed weapons were produced in India, but none with that type of hilt. There are reasons for this, not the least of which is the fact that hilt doesn't work well with a short blade. Use as a "main gauche" as David has suggested, would be much easier if the handle was one that permitted free movement of the wrist. Is it possible that someone did this to use it so? Certainly. However, Occam's Razor suggests otherwise.
