"The Sindh Story" is a
fascinating book. Written by legendary (Late) Dada Kewalram Ratanmal Malkani,
the book offers a comprehensive insight into history of Sindh and Sindhiyat. It
was first written in 1984 and I understand that it was completely sold out in a
month's time. The legendary poet from Sindh, (Late) Saeen Sheikh Ayaz had remarked “It is a book which should find a place in every Sindhi home.” I place special emphasis on Sindhi which I
interpret to include both Hindu as well as Muslim Sindhis thereby establishing the
book’s success in providing factual details about Sindh’s history without
allowing for religious biases to malign judgment. I understand that the book
was subsequently translated in Sindhi as well and was well received in Sindh,
Pakistan too.
I first came to know about “The Sindh
Story” while reading Dada Bhaneja’s book. (Refer my earlier posts / Troubled
Pilgrimage: Passage to Pakistan). The book was recommended to Dada by his (now) deceased father who was impressed with the book's content and suggested that Dada reads it too.
Dada Malkani’s dedication of the book to
Allah Bux Soomro and Bhagat Kanwar Ram is yet another testimony to the
“secular” Sindhi spirit. As I have mentioned in my posts previously, the
prevalence of Sufi-ism in Sindh meant that religious affiliations were not the
focal determinant of individual interactions. As Baba Farid's quote from
the Granth Sahib says: “I am
like the needle which sews people, I am not the scissor which cuts them apart.” This line aptly summarizes the “true” Sindhi
spirit.
The
preface to the second edition (printed in 1997) mentions about an interesting
visit of (Late) Sh.G.M. Syed to Delhi in 1987 and his interaction with the
Sindhi community. Sh. Syed’s names evokes a mixed response as he was originally
involved with supporting the creation of
Independent Islamic “Pakistan” but then
subsequently was also one of the founding fathers of Sindhi Nationalism/creation
of a separate Sindhi state as he believed that ideologically Islamic Pakistan
and Sufi Sindh could not co-exist. Of
particular interest to me is his visit to Sindhu Samaj in Old Rajendra Nagar.
Living just 30 meters away from Sindhu Samaj, I am slightly disappointed that I
have come to know about this important event only now. I visit Sindhu Samaj
every now and then but have not heard/seen anything relating to this remarkable
event.
I found the book to be a fascinating and
an insightful read esp. in today’s time when Sindhiyat continues to witness a
declining trend. I have rarely met anyone from my generation who takes pride in
speaking about our culture and heritage. Growing up in a Sindhi family, I had
heard about our history in bits and pieces in family conversations but the book
provides an excellent structured introduction to our history. I do think it is
an extraordinary attempt in helping the current and future generations know more
about our “shared” heritage through Dada Malkani’s well researched writing.
For the interested reader, the book is
available free of cost on the link mentioned below:-
I end with this melodious Sindhi Bhajan “Daya
Kar Dayalu” by Dada Ghanshyam Vaswani. Written by Kojhi Fakeer ji, this rendition
is sure to strike a chord with each one of us. I very much enjoy Dada Vaswani’s
singing, hope you like it too
Jiye Sindhiyat!
PS: The post has been updated on 29.10.2018 to correct a factual error pointed out by Dada Bhaneja. Inconvenience caused is deeply regretted.
PS: The post has been updated on 29.10.2018 to correct a factual error pointed out by Dada Bhaneja. Inconvenience caused is deeply regretted.
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