Unbordered Memories

I spent the last weekend reading Prof. Rita Kothari's Book " Unbordered Memories : Sindhi Stories of Partition" which is a collection of 25 Sindhi short stories edited and translated into English by her. The authors of these stories are Sindhi writers both from India and Pakistan. I find the title "Sindhi Stories of Partition" quite apt and relevant as these are not just stories of 1947 Partition but centered around or based on the Partition of Sindh. As I have mentioned in my posts previously, Sindhi experience of partition is very different from Punjabi experience ; however, it has received little attention in mainstream media as most discussions in India about Partition are based on the Punjabi experience.For e.g. most first generation Hindu Sindhi migrants often had a soft corner for Sindhi Muslims and held them on a higher pedestal ; something which does not fit in the usual partition narrative. Similarly, it was equally difficult for Muslim Sindhis to adjust with the post partition new surroundings even in their own land - a land that was now seeing the influx of  Muhajirs ( a term used from Urdu speaking Muslims who migrated from India to Pakistan during Partition) and thereby bringing a marked change in the character of cities like Karachi and Hyderabad. This difficult change which at-least most of us (as Hindu Sindhis in India) are unaware about is beautifully captured by Prof. Kothari in the translated version of the story " The Death of Fear" (by Shoukat Hussain Shoro). My favorite stories are "Muhammad, the Coach-driver" by Dada Ram Panjwani and " Holi" by Dada Amar Jaleel. I strongly recommend this book as a "must read" for everyone who is interested to explore the Sindh perspective on Partition. The book is available both in hard copy as well as on kindly (e-book) version. Also my heartiest congratulations to Prof. Kothari for this insightful work. 

On another note, i would also like to thank the Anonymous Commenter on my blog post “Multani Identity” about Mony uncle. Just to share, my mother and I recently stopped  at “New” Khanna Market whilst passing by. The market has lost much of its old charm; now largely being a market for Tent Houses and mechanics rather than retail outlets. We saw my maternal grandfather’s old shop which is now occupied by a Travel and Tours company. We also saw Mony uncle’s shop and after a few minutes of reluctance, mummy and me finally went inside and were glad to see Mony uncle and his sons at the shop. The family was quite welcoming ; immediately recognizing my mother as Dada’s Daughter and Ramesh’s sister. Both Mony uncle and his son’s vividly remembered Nana which was bit of a surprise for me as he expired more than 25 years ago but I guess such is the power of relationships!. When my mother enquired if Mony uncle still celebrated "Shivratri" by attending the night long Jagran  at “Shiv Mandir” in Old Delhi, Mony uncle remarked  that post Nana’s demise, he hasn’t gone to the Mandir as he no longer had company.  Mummy also met another neighbor , Shri Kamal, who runs Vardhman Knitting Wool shop.Such Nostalgia!.

I recently watched the film “ Dil Jo Na Keh Saka” a light entertainment romantic comedy written, produced and directed by young Sindhi filmmaker, “Ada” Naresh Lalwani. Ada Naresh is a well-known Sindhi stage actor; he  and his brother  Sh. Prakash Lalwani were well known in Delhi's Sindhi theatre working at Sindhu Kala Sangam under veteran directors Jeevan Gurshani and Shambu Jaisinghani in the 1980s. Ada moved to Mumbai in the late 1990s for modelling and began his film career as lead actor in a Sindhi film, Ker Kehnjo (directed by Kamal Nathani; released in 1991/92).  Presently, he lives in Manchester, England. I congratulate him for this wonderful movie and pray to Lal Sain for continued success and prosperity in all the future endeavors. The link to the movie is as follows. Please do watch the same.

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

Jai Jhulelal