1947 Partition

The 1947 Partition was a horrific event for Sindh and Sindhis. Within a matter of months, the entire character of the province changed. For Hindu Sindhis who crossed over to India, it meant being in a new place and having to start from scratch. However, to my mind, this is where the similarity with the usual "Indian Sub Continent Partition" narrative ends. In my various readings on the subject, unlike Punjab, where there was a lot of bloodshed, a substantial amount of movement of Hindu Sindhis happened not because there were riots (which eventually did happen upon influx of immigrant Muslims in late 1947/ 1948 ) but because of the fear and the general expectation that things would eventually go out of hand. The assassination of great premier Shri Allah Bux Soomro in 1943 by religious extremists must also have weighed in as it was a stark reflection of the growing influence of extremists. However, most Muslim Sindhis in Sindh were equally sad and disappointed at Hindu Sindhis moving out. This aspect of partition is peculiar to Sindh and one that in my opinion hasn't received much attention. 

I reproduce two extracts from (Late) Dada K R Malkani's book "The Sindh Story" which capture this little known aspect of partition :-

 It was in Sindh towards the end of 1947. Partition had taken place and Hindus were leaving the province in large numbers. One day some of us RSS workers were walking down Tilak Incline in Hyderabad. Suddenly an elderly Muslim lady coming from the opposite direction stopped in front of us and asked in pain: ``Brothers, will you, too, go away?''

One day I was standing in my balcony. A Muslim gentleman was happily carrying a big framed group photograph Soon he could contain his joy no more. And so he stopped, held up the picture for me to see and said he had just bought it because of the respected Seth of his village sitting in that group. It was a great memento for him.

One day I was travelling in a city bus. The front seats were reserved for women. Suddenly a Muslim lady sitting in front noticed that an elderly Hindu neighbour was standing. She got up and insisted on the man taking her seat. In vain did the man protest that he was alright standing, and that, in any case, those seats were reserved for women. He had to sit down as the lady persisted with an anguished voice: ``I know, you, too, will goaway.''

I'm not sure there were many areas in the India of 1947, where incidents like these could occur.

The other  letter from Saeen Aziz Kaleiri to (Late) Dada K R Malkani 

"Sir, I was born in 1966. 1 was not witness to the gross injustice done to you (Hindus) and to Sindh at the time of Partition. But when I read the accounts of those times and see the edifices left behind by you, I cannot help crying. When I ponder over your forced migration from Sindh, I feel that Sindh today lives only a fragmented, fractured existence. For long I have been wanting to correspond with a Sindhi in India so that I can re-integrate my splintered self. And recently I had the opportunity to read the Sindhi translation of your book 'The Sindh Story'. This book carried your address.

"I am bewildered. Many times I wake up in the morning with sobs. I have read the travelogues of Imdad Ali Serai and Mahatab Mahboob and their talks with Sindhi brethren in Hindustan. From these I have learnt of your great love for, and attachment to, the land of Sindh. I have recalled all that with tears. There is no sorrow, and no deprivation, as serious as the loss of ones own land of birth.

"I am sorry that Prof. Ram Punjwani, Master Chander and Mohan Kalpana left this world with the sorrow of Sindh in their hearts. I am reminded of what Sheikh Ayaz said on the passing of Narayan Shyam. 'Your sorrow was swept to the sea by the waters of Ganga while the Sindhu threw its arms about in vain.'

"Hope seems to be fading that : 'Things will change; it will rain again, and the days of separation will be over.'

"Sir, I belong to Kandiaro in Sahiti region which also has the holy town of Halani. Here, even now, the harvest season is marked by Vaisakhi Mela. But I feel- "The cotton trees don't have their old blossoms; the spinners are gone; the sight of empty shops only fills me with a deep sadness. "

"I am a broken splinter of your own life, Aziz Kaleiri."

In my household, the discussions regarding partition have always focused on the associated hardships , about how elders thought of this as a transient phase but never has there been a discussion regarding the bloodshed. In that sense, the Sindh partition story is a departure from the usual partition narrative. The hardening of religious identities on both sides as far as Sindhis are concerned has (in my opinion) happened much after partition. 

I end with this video of a lovely contemporary take on Master Chander Sahib's " Dil Tuhinji Muhinji Hik Aa" by a talented singer, Mohit Lalwani. I hope you like it too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCt7JerK94Q

Jiye Sindhiyat!

SAHITI REGION

"May Sindhu Darya flow full. May everybody be happy. 'May the Lord bring rains and abundance to Sindh.' (Saaein Sadaein Karein Mathay Sindh Sukar). "
 - (Late) Dada K.R. Malkani in "The Sindh Story" 

"Hindvasi" is the oldest Sindhi newspaper in circulation.The newspaper is being published in Arabic Sindhi on a weekly basis since 1917. In the good old days, the newspaper had a wide circulation which over decades has reduced significantly given the decline in number of Arabic Sindhi readers. The newspaper is now published from Mumbai and the editor, Dadi Shobha Lalchandani, does a wonderful  job amidst  paper's declining popularity. Some weeks there are one or two columns in English / Devanagari Sindhi as well . This week the newspaper carried an article on SAHITI region which was quite informative and coming from a family with origins in Sahiti region in Sindh as well , I thought I will write on this topic. 

I have grown up listening to elders telling us " Asaan Sahiti ja aayon" (we are from Sahiti)  when asked about our ancestral origins. A few years ago, I purchased a couple of  maps of Sindh from Sindhi Navjeevan Sabha, Lajpat Nagar but to my disappointment wasn't able to locate Sahiti as a region/town. I contacted my paternal uncle (Dad's elder brother) to re-enquire about our ancestral origin and he said try looking for "Kandiaro" in the map as that is where Kaka (Paternal Great Grandfather) used to stay. Kandiaro was identifiable in the map but my curiosity to find what Sahiti meant still remained. A few months later, whilst watching Sindhi Sarvech program on Youtube, one of the guests mentioned that his family origins too were from Sahiti region. He then further went on to elaborate that in Sindh, the districts of Nawabshah, Naushehro Feroze and Moro were collectively referred to as Sahiti region and the people staying there as "Sahita". Kandiaro ( to where both my paternal and maternal ancestory belongs) was then a part of District Nawabshah (which has now been rechristened as Shaheed Benazeerabad after the great leader and ex- chair of Pakistan Peoples Party, (Late) Ms. Benazeer Bhutto).Currently, it is a part of Naushehro Feroze district. 

Tracing the region's history, the article in Hindvasi states (excerpts):

" It is believed that Sahiti area was named after Sahita tribe. This tribe whose ancestors were the followers of Hndu religion, acquired this 'jagir' from a Muslim ruler. Sahitas lived on both sides of Sindhu river. And ancient paragano belonged to Sahita tribe. ( According to Late Shri Lokram Dodeja's " Muhenjo Vattan - Muhenja Manhoon" book, two princes of Jodhpur state raised dispute to ascend to the throne and become its King. However one of them Morasingh gave up and moved out with his army towards Sindh and captured the area near Jodhpur state. His fourth powerful son Sahta Singh seized the mid area of Sindh province. This is how the area is called after his name as Sahiti Paragana  and More Taluka came to be known after the name of his father Mora Singh.............

................ The region was also well known for its crafts and fruits etc. Popular hand-made cloth was from this region. Oranges from Tharushah, Pedas of Bhirya, Bhugra (channa) of Kandiyaro, Angochhas (towels) of Naushahro Feroze and several other things and articles were unique in their own way and popular in the region."

The mention of Bhugra (channa)  immediately brings forth the memories of my maternal grandfather (Nana), (Late) Shri Lachhmandas Pohumal Khemani. Even though Nana passed away when I was only 6, I still recall some memories of him. He used to come to stay with us for a few days every year and I distinctly remember how in the evenings , he enjoyed his glass of whisky along with bhugras and boiled eggs. Nana longed to visit his hometown of Kandiaro and used to mention the same to my mother but like hundreds of other Sindhis , his wish remained unfulfilled. A devoted Shiv bhakt, I also remember how one fine morning, he called up his daughters and said , " Putr, haane time acchi vyo aa halan jo" (Dear, now the time has come to go). Nana expired an hour or so later.

Newspapers like Hindvasi need support from the community to survive these difficult times. It will be unfortunate if this newspaper was to close down (which is likely given lack of readership). Even if you don't read Sindhi, I will still request that you subscribe to the newspaper which reaches your home directly via post to ensure that it survives. Subscription fees is at a minimal INR 550 for an year's membership and they post the newspaper to overseas locations as well.( http://hindvasi.com/Subscribe)

The 1947 Partition Archive is non profit oral history organization in Berkeley, California and a registered trust in Delhi, India that collects, preserves and shares firsthand accounts of the Partition of India in 1947. While browsing through some of the interviews that are available on the website free of cost, I chanced upon this wonderful interview of Dadi Leela Mamtani who too hailed from Kandiaro, Sindh. This thirty minutes interview in Hindi has been a fascinating watch as it gave me an insight into what it would have been to be staying in Kandiaro. I wish Nana was alive today !

https://exhibits.stanford.edu/1947-partition/catalog/cc041bc4311

PS: I had some issues opening up the video-link on Mozilla Firefox but it works well on Internet Explorer. 

Om Namah Shivay