About "Unsung" Heroes

I am writing this post after having had a lovely time off work last week following the long weekend break on account of Republic Day celebration. Republic Day is celebrated here in India on 26th of January every year which is the date when the Constitution of India came into effect. This "sacred" document has been the culmination of years of hard work of the 308 members of the Constituent Assembly and countless others who had worked tirelessly for this masterpiece. Republic Day is an opportune time to remember and reiterate the nation's commitment to safeguarding our Constitutional "Values" but also remember and cherish the contribution of fellow Indians who were an important part of this project.

Similarly, over the years, I have seen selfless service by a number of Sindhi individuals who have toiled hard to protect (and spread) "Sindhiyat" without coming into limelight. Living near to Sindhi Community Centre, I have always been close to my "Sindhi roots" . Today in the post, I remember three such men (two now deceased) who have contributed a significant portion of their lives for the community* :-


1. (Late) Dada Bhojraj Vanjani :- My first memory of Dada Vanjani is of him coming to our block to invite the community members to the various programs that were organized at the Community Centre. Always dressed in an impeccable white shirt and trousers, he was an extremely polite gentleman. Ever smiling, he always used to tell my mother " taan bhi aeinda kayo aen baaran khe bhi vathi aenda kayo" (You should come and bring the children along as well). He selflessly served the Samaj for decades and is a model for generations to come. .

2. (Late) Sh. Mohan Gurbani :- Another distinguished worker of the "Samaj", I have extremely fond memories of Sh. Gurbani. He was a devoted social worker, who worked not only for the "Samaj" but for countless other Sindhi organizations as well. The "Bespectacled" gentleman, he was a trusted lieutenant, who preferred to work behind the scenes.The entire community owes him deep gratitude for his selfless service.

3. Sh. Anil Makhijani :- Mr. Makhijani's name brings a smile to face. He is the reason why I am able to keep up with my interest in "Sindh and Sindhiyat". Mr. Makhijani's photography / videography skills are nothing less than legendary. His youtube account has more than 1200+ subscribers and you can be assured that all major Sindhi events in Delhi will be captured by Mr. Makhijani video recorder  and be uploaded on his youtube page in no time!. I owe him deep gratitude for recording and broadcasting  events that I never even knew existed!. In addition to being skilled at videography, Mr. Makhijani is adept at playing a number of musical instruments as well.

I end with this wonderful Sindhi kalam sung by evergreen Saeen Rajan Jhangiani. Mr. Makhijani is on your left side playing the electronic pad/drum . The reason i like this kalam is not only because of Saeen Rajan's melodius voice ably accompanied by the dholak and electronic pad/drum and  but also because of the wonderful dance by Dada Chander Jhangiani (at 5 min 46 secs in the video)  ; the steps  are quintessential Sindhi :) Reminds me of some of my elderly relatives and family weddings. Jiye Sindhiyat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfRletAFnR0


PS: *- The above list is by no means exhaustive. There are many more "Unsung" Heroes- both men and women who have tirelessly worked and dedicated a major part of their lives to helping preserve Sindhi culture  ; however I have restricted myself to the three that first come to my mind. I intend to write more about such men and women in my subsequent posts.

Sindhi Navjeevan Sabha, Delhi

Sindhi Navjeevan Sabha, Delhi

My first introduction to Sindhi Navjeevan Sabha was one when of the relatives mentioned about the matrimonial service that is run by the Samaj every Sunday. In day-to-day usage, in the Sindhi world, a place of community get-together is referred to as Samaj. It is usually a built up compound which also generally has a temple / Gurmandir as well. The temple has a characteristic Sindhi touch in that it not only  has idols of various Hindu deities  but of Jhule Lal and Sindhi Saints as well - notable among them being Bhagat Kanwarram, Swami Lila Shah, Baba Nebhraj of Rohiri, Swami Shanti Prakash  etc. 

"Samaj" plays an important role in community interactions although its popularity is facing steady decline. A Sunday matrimonial service is quite characteristic of almost all "Samaj(s)" throughout Delhi and elsewhere where prospective brides and groom register themselves and bio-data(s) are exchanged between interested families. Some of the major Samaj's in Delhi are located in Old Rajinder Nagar, Lajpat Nagar (there are a couple of them here), Janak Puri and Ashok Vihar. Sindhi Navjeevan Sabha is located in Lajpat Nagar on Jal Vihar Road.

I first went to Sindhi Navjeevan Sabha about a couple of years ago and have been visiting this place every now and then ever since. It is an old structure consisting of a spacious courtyard on the ground-floor with a large hall/temple having idols of various Hindu deities. There is a similar large room on the first floor where matrimonial services are usually conducted along with a couple of smaller rooms as well. The ground floor also seems to have a small living room which I believe is used by the caretaker’s family.

 The distinguishing feature of Navjeevan Sabha is the small room adjoining the large hall on the first floor which is full of books giving it a library feel. Books are neatly arranged in various shelves. I immediately recognized (Late) Dada K. R. Malkani’s masterpiece – “The Sindh Story” lying on the top of the shelf. I enquired if the library did get visitors on which a learned gentleman from the management committee wryly commented that there are books but no readers here. This is not surprising given the current state of Sindhi Literature and culture here in India. It is saddening to note that there is a wealth (“Khazano”) of literature in this library not just in Sindhi but in Hindi and English as well but unfortunately no takers.

Navjeevan Sabha is also perhaps the very few places in Delhi (at-least) from where one can buy map of Sindh. I purchased a couple of them and was very pleased to locate my ancestral city of Kandiaro on the map. I also was able to locate various other places about which I had heard earlier such as Sukkur, Larkana, Hyderabad, Pano Akil etc. 

Lifetime Membership for the Sabha, I am told, is available for INR 2,500 which gives you free access to the library. Maps of Sindh are available for INR 30 each.

“Sabhas” and “Samaj(s)” need patronage from the larger community to survive and remain relevant. These contributions necessarily need not be only “financial” in nature (although money contributions never hurt!) but can also include attending to community functions /processions/celebrations etc. Perhaps, the next time you get an invite to attend such an event; do take out some time to attend the same. You may have something exciting to share with family and colleagues.

As this post has been about language and literature, Sindhi Academy, Delhi recently organized a National level poet meet. I am sharing the link below to Dada Vasdev “Mohi”s’ poetry wherein in his introduction he speaks about the relevance of English, Hindi and Sindhi in his life.

I hope some of us get inspired and start speaking in our mother tongue at-least in our homes to begin with.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_Y8so9J1FQ

Mr. Memon and Shaheed Hemu Kalani's Death Anniversary

Like with all other things, interesting events happen in life when one least expects them. I am reminded of my interaction with an elderly "Memon" gentleman a year or so ago. I was in Bangalore on a business trip and was staying at Lemon Tree hotel (incidentally owned by another Sindhi, Mr. Patanjali (Patu) Keswani).  After having packed my suitcase and getting all ready to attend to office work and then take the flight back to home, I went down to have  breakfast at the coffee shop when an elderly gentleman came and sat on the adjoining table. He was in his late fifties/ early sixties and was busy reading something on his mobile phone with his reading glasses on. As i was ordering the server to get me some tea, he looked at me and smiled. I greeted him back. As the waiter left, he inquired where I was from and what made me visit Bangalore. This started a conversation and he suggested i could shift to his table as it would be easier to converse; something I did not mind. 

I told him about my background and the company that I work for. He listened carefully and then inquired if I was a Sindhi. I replied in affirmative to which he smiled and told that he was a Muslim Memon based in South Africa. His forefathers migrated to South Africa around a century ago and he was visiting India to visit his ancestral village in Gujarat (Kathiawar) and to provide funds for some charitable work in his village.

I inquired from him the reason for him asking about my being a Sindhi. He replied that in 1980's he was on a business trip to Hong Kong where he was being hosted by a Sindhi family for dinner. When he went to their home, the ladies in the house were busy with preparing the meals in the kitchen and were speaking in Sindhi. He told the host that the language seemed very familiar to him ; to which his host replied - "Of-course Saeen it will sound familiar, you are a Memon". Whilst I did not understand the meaning of "him being a Memon" at that particular moment, I still nodded in agreement. He then jokingly asked in Sindhi " Tuhinjo Naalo Chaa Aaye?" (What is your name?) . By this time, his wife  had also come down for breakfast and I wasn't sure if I should still continue being with the couple ; so I politely ended the conversation there and came back to my room.

Given my general inquisitiveness,  I came back to my room and searched about Memon's. It is then that I understood that Memon community originated in Thatta region of Sindh and perhaps that was the reason for his host's comments. Wikipedia mentions:- "

The Memon community was founded in the 15th century by 700 families comprising 6,178 persons total.According to Anthovan, those Lohanas of Thatta who converted to Islam became Memons and were invited by Rao Khengarji Jadeja, ruler of Bhuj in the 16th century, to settle in Bhuj. It is from there that Kutchi Memons migrated to Kathiawar and mainland Gujarat. Surat in Gujarat was an important trading centre from 1580 to 1680 and Memons made their bounty there.Memons became significantly affluent as a result of trading in Surat.

I find it fascinating how such simple conversations with a complete stranger can remain with you for so long.

On a separate note, today (21st January) is also the death anniversary of Shaheed Hemu Kalani, who is also referred to as "Bhagat Singh of Sindh". He was a  Sindhi revolutionary and freedom fighter during the Indian Independence Movement. Radio Voice of Sindh, UK ran a special program on his death anniversary (2016) to which I provide a link below for those who may be interested. The language of the program is Sindhi. ( I must confess that I too understand only 50% of the actual words spoken).


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NE0NxVeCpQ

Being Sindhi

Questions regarding ones roots are usually quite complex to deal with - things like where do I come from, about ones ancestry, what did they do for a living, how did we land up at the place where we currently live etc as often the information about past is usually limited ,memories vague and details incoherent (generally).

My first experience with such questions was when we were looking for a bridegroom for my elder sister and often used to accompany my mother to the Sindhi Gurmandir where matrimonial services are usually run. The process although dated  strangely does have a decent success rate. You fill up a form which captures basic details such as name, age, complexion , weight , family background etc. You are then shared other profiles that are registered to review and take the discussion forward with them.

 It is there that one of the questions relating to "Place of Origin in Sindh" that really sparked by interest in knowing more about my background. Its surprising how sometimes the simplest of questions set in motion a quest in you to explore the "unknown". I remember my mother mentioning that I write "Sahiti" under the column. While coming back when I asked more about our origin, she did give some more information but not enough to satiate my inquisitiveness.

It is then that I decided to explore further about my background - spoke to a number of relatives, family friends, reading books , watching "Sindhi Sarvech" programs by Dr. Ram Jawahrani on youtube etc.

This set in motion a process to know more about Sindh and Sindhiyat . Looking back, I am glad that at-least something triggered this in me else I would have (largely) remained ignorant about my roots.

 To end, I am reminded of the following lines that I first read in Dada Bhaneja's book , written by the great Sindhi Sufi poet, Sachal Sarmast,  that have stayed with me. As is with all great Sufi writings, the below lines beautifully capture the essence of life  :-

Kinakhi ayan, kinakhi jaanan,
ishk allahey ahe cha,
viruhu allahey aahey cha. 

( I am nothing, I know nothing,
would someone tell me what is love,
what is separation).

Knowing Dada Balwant (Bill) Bhaneja

It all started an year ago. It was one of those weeks in office wherein there wasn't much workload ; so I decided to read something. After about 10 mins of thinking, zeroed in on reading something related to my being a Sindhi. As usual, searched google - Some 100 odd Sindhi recipe cookbooks later, came across a book called "Troubled Pilgrimage : Passage to Pakistan" - a travel memoir written by Balwant Bhaneja. Bought an e-version on kindle and believe me the next 2 days were eternal bliss.

This blog is not a book review but in a nutshell for me it has been an extraordinary read as (unfortunately) this book (i fear) is the closest I (and most of us)  will ever get to experiencing Sindh and Sindhiyat. Having grown in a Sindhi family /Sindhi neighbourhood and living some 100 metres away from Sindhu Samaj/Gurmandir, I consider myself to be a privileged one as far as "Being Sindhi" is concerned. (given how scattered we are!). The book reminded me of my interactions with my mother about how my Nana (Maternal Grandfather) longed to go back to his hometown (Kandiaro in Distt. Nawabshah) one day.

Post reading the book and given that how much I enjoyed reading it, I decided to write to Dada Bhaneja. As is usual with writing emails to authors, wasn't very sure if I will ever get a response (was hoping for one but not expecting it!). To my surprise, not only did I get a response from Dada Bhaneja but it marked the start of an (email) conversation which continues till date - a conversation that has both very insightful and enriching. If it was not him, I would have never come to know about the great musical duo of  (Late)"Motihar" brothers, Sindhi Kala Sangam, about how his late father was instrumental in the display of first Sindhi Tableau at Republic Day parade and so much more.... I hope that our association continues for long and one day perhaps I get to meet him too :) 
 
The more I learn about "our" Sindhi roots, the more i dread about how much close we are to loosing the "little" that we have!. Attend a Sindhi concert and you will know what I am talking about - scant audience, mostly elderly with little youngster participation. Most of "us" no longer take interest in learning Sindhi .Perhaps it isn't "cool" to be a Sindhi anymore for a lot of us.

I end with the below line from one of (Late) Dada Dewan Motihar's rendition which is more relevant today that ever before

"Allah hiye na the jo kitaaban mein padhje t hui sindh aen sindhwarane ji boli.......... "