Chokro turns Two

It is difficult to believe that Sindhi Chokro is now two years old! It almost seems like yesterday that I decided to pen down some of my thoughts related to my experiences of growing up in a Sindhi household. Having seen the household slowly shift from a "Nij"(Typical) Sindhi household to a cosmopolitan one as many of my cousins are married into non-Sindhi families, I thought it was the need of the hour to write down my growing up experiences to ensure that the next generation is aware about our roots and cultural heritage. What else can we Sindhis claim as inheritance other than our heritage and culture.

In a fast changing world, Sindhiyat is on a rapid decline and unfortunately is becoming limited largely to listening/playing “Dama Dam Mast Qalander" at family weddings. I wonder if in the coming years, the next generation will be aware about Bhagat Kanwaram Sahib, about the great freedom fighter Hemu Kalani ( also lovingly referred to as Bhagat Singh of Sindh) , learning about the great Chief Minister/ premier of Sindh, Allah Bux Soomro (to whom Dada KR Malkani dedicates his seminal work “ The Sindh Story”) , Mystical Baba Nebhraj who saw the Partition coming much before anyone else and  hundreds of other such distinguished men and women who blessed Sindh with their unwavering commitment to the path of righteousness. It will be a pity if these legends remain confined only to the history books.

This year, 2020, marks the seventieth (70th) anniversary of coming in force of the Constitution of India. Much of what we are as a country today, we owe it to our founding forefathers for their farsighted approach. Every year, 26th January is celebrated as Republic Day to honor the coming of Constitution of India into force. Republic Day Parade, the main celebration is held at Rajpath in New Delhi before the President of India showcasing India's defense capability, cultural and social heritage.

I would like to take the readers back in time to 26th January, 1960 when Sindhi Tableaux “Udero Lal Jhanki” representing Delhi was presented at Republic Day Parade. This was the first time ever that Sindh, despite not having land base of its own in Independent India, was represented at the Republic Day.  It was also the first and the only time (to my knowledge) that a Jhanki depicting Sindhi Culture was staged at Republic Day parade. The entire Jhanki was organized by Sindhu Kala Kendra, Delhi under the patronage of (Late) Dada Sugumal Ayaldas Bhaneja. The float was recognized as one of the best in the procession that year. Pandit Jawaharlal Lal Nehru, the then Prime Minister, later invited those who participated in the Jhule Lal tableaux to his residence at Teen Murti for a reception. Other prominent members of the team included Motihar Brothers ( Kan, Dewan and Arjun), Smt. Pushpa Madnani, Smt. Saroj Butani, Smt. Bhag Butani, Shri Khia Ram,  Shri Kamal Jagtiani, Smt. Kamla Motihar and Smt. Kamla Jagtiani ( who later married Shri. L K Advani).

Sindhu Kala Kendra team members with Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru

I find the name “Udero Lal” very fascinating. I have always known it as one of the many names of Jhule Lal whom all of us also lovingly refer to as “Lal Saeen”. What I wasn’t aware of was that there is also an Udero Lal shrine in Sindh, Pakistan. Wikipedia states as follows about the shrine (edited excerpts) .Can there be a better example of peace and harmony in today’s times which we can teach our kids about?

“ The Shrine at Odero Lal ,also spelt Udero Lal, is a joint Muslim-Hindu shrine located in the village of Odero Lal, near the city of Tando Adam Khan in the Pakistani province of Sindh. The shrine is notable as it is jointly used for worship by members of both faiths, while both communities also display reverence for the nearby Indus River at the shrine.Sindhi Muslims believe the saint interred at the shrine is Sheikh Tahir - who they believe was a Hindu convert to Islam born as Odero Lal. Hindus also revere the interred saint as Odero Lal, but offer a different explanation for his origins. Hindus also refer to the saint in the shrine as Jhulelal, a name which Sindhi Muslims also use to refer to Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, whose shrine is in Sehwan Sharif. It forms the seat of the Daryapanthis, originally a sub-sect of the followers of Gorakhnath, who belong to the Nath tradition. Both communities also refer to the saint by the alternate and religiously-neutral term Zinda Pir, or "The Living Saint."

The complex is home to both a Muslim shrine and Hindu temple. The joint arrangement was devised as a compromise to stem any conflict that might arise regarding by which religious tradition the corpse should be disposed of.”

The Shrine Complex at Uderolal (Photo Copied from Dawn Newspaper / March 07,2017)

 

The below is a newspaper clipping of “Udero Lal” Jhanki presented during Republic Day in 1960. You would see on the tableaux painting of huge Pallo fish, three men in traditional garb of “Jhamas”, they are performing Bhagat. When they stop dancing, the young women in long skirts do chej in front of a temple of Lord Shiva. They are surrounded by musicians playing various Sindhi musical instruments. The article “Sindhi Bhagat Songs associated with Kanvar Ram” by Ms. Jyoti Garin beautifully explains Bhagat tradition. The article states (edited excerpts):-

“The group of five or six men comprises a “leader”, an “assistant” , one or two “followers” , sometimes a “buffoon” and two musicians. It is a typical form of Sindhi narration in terms of language, costume and headdress as well as of songs, instruments, movements and gestures… Dressed in an emblematic costume, leader and assistance, while the followers repeat and dance.

The session begins at nightfall, in the open air in a village square or in the precincts of a temple and the spectators come from all spheres of society. Formerly, these gatherings lasted three consecutive nights. At the time of joyous festivals such as marriages or fairs, these narrators generate a sense of piety, spread knowledge and acclaim righteousness and social progress. The bhagats also commemorate the death of the saints (“varsi”). To this day, these narrators are honored. These performances generate an atmosphere of simplicity and intense communion. It is considered that the bhagats purify the spot, the house and the village where they pass.” *

Photo Courtesy: Dada Balwant Bhaneja

One gentleman who played a pivotal role in organizing this was (Late) Shri Sugumal Ayaldas Bhaneja. Dada Sugumal was born in Rohiri, Sindh in 1916 and like most Hindu Sindhis shifted to Delhi post partition. He retired as a Senior Administrative Officer from Jawaharlal Nehru University in 1977, post which he moved to Ottawa, Canada to be with his children. Such was his love for Sindh and Sindhiyat that when most other Sindhis were busy trying to make ends meet in the new land; Dada Sugumal with few others was committed to preserving Sindhi culture in our new [India] homeland despite limited means. He was Honorary General Secretary of the Trust for Displaced Sindhi Women and Children (presided by Dada P.B. Chandwani) which worked towards rehabilitating newly-arrived uprooted Sindhi refugees. During this period, he was deeply involved in the establishment of Sindhi schools, vocational centres and Narishallas in Delhi, Ajmer, Baroda and Jaipur. He was also actively involved with Sindhu Kala Kendra which became a focal point for Sindhi cultural activities and promotion of Sindhi Folklore through music and dance, complimenting Dada Ram Panjwani’s and Master Chander Sahib’s efforts in Mumbai and neighboring areas. His contribution to Sindhi drama, language, literature and poetry will always be remembered with great esteem and love. He was actively and ably assisted during this time by the talented Motihar Brothers ( Dada Kan , Dewan and Arjun) who were singers as well also provided musical arrangements. Dada Sugumal expired in August,1986 in Ottawa, Canada .

Dada Sugumal Bhaneja in L'Arche Community Service Office (Canada,1985)
Photo Courtesy : Dada Balwant Bhaneja

I have had the pleasure of knowing about Dada Sugumal and his various efforts for the promotion of the community through my various email exchanges over the past few years with his son, Dada Balwant Bhaneja. As many regular readers of the blog will be aware, Dada Bhaneja’s book, “Troubled Pilgrimage: Passage to Pakistan” capturing his week-long travels to ancestral towns of Sukkur, Shikarpur and Rohiri has played a major part in my journey to explore my roots. I find it fascinating that how over the last 70 years (since Partition), so many of our fellow community members have invested a major portion of their lives in working towards preserving Sindhi Identity. I remember how at home my father always stressed upon helping other Sindhis’ , his favorite dialogue being “ Asaan hik be jee maddat na kanda te ker kando”( If we don’t help each other, then who will). Dada Sugumal practiced this throughout his life.

 

Dada Bhaneja with family ( Ottawa, 1978) 
Photo Courtesy : Dada Balwant Bhaneja

I would like to share the below extract from an article written by Dada Sugumal that was published in the magazine “ Indus Vaani” – Newsletter of Sindhu Sangam, New York, in 1996 (about a decade post his demise). The article titled “Sindhis- Identity and Survival” eloquently relays his concerns regarding the threat to our identity due to the slow demise of our language. The article is as relevant today as it was then and hence I thought I should share the below with all of you.

“The community can only survive if the language survives. Otherwise the Sindhi will die deathless. Moneyed though he may be, he will be homeless and without his own hearth like Jews in the world. Our language will be extinct like Greek and Latin, Pushto, Kutchhi and Marwari. Beware friends, otherwise your children will curse that you deprived them the knowledge of their ancestral honourable origins and left them without a respectable place in literary, cultural and consequently social set up of the country”.

At times like these, it is important for us as a community to take ownership and ensure that we pass on our rich lineage to the coming generation. As the lyrics of Dadi Koshi Lalvani’s famous Sindhi song goes “Jaag Sindhi Jaag, naahe vela suman ji naahe” (Wake up O Sindhi!, this is not the time to sleep). This is no easy task for a community like ours - we have no land which we can call as our own so are often at the mercy of others, we are scattered throughout the world so aren't much politically relevant, we are fast losing the only common thread running within the community - our language. I am reminded of a satsang by (Late) Dada J.P. Vaswani where he spoke about how their language acted as a common thread for the Jewish community for over 800 years in history during which they were scattered throughout the world.Therefore, each one of us will have to make extra efforts in order to ensure that we do not become culturally extinct. It saddens me whenever I am asked (sometimes even by young fellow Sindhis) if there is any difference between a Sindhi and a Punjabi. Sindhi Chokro is my humble attempt towards making fellow community members aware about our own multifaceted "identity" and to acknowledge and celebrate the work and lives of hundreds of “Unsung Heroes” who have dedicated their life to preservation and spread of Sindhiyat. I am also grateful to the readers of the blog for your continued support. 

I hope that the community is blessed with many more Dada Sugumal, for it is through them that the Spirit of Sindh remains alive. With it being 70 years since Sindh was represented with Udero Lal Jhanki, I think it is also high time that a tableaux representing culture of Sindhis of India be once again honored in the Republic Day Parade.

I end with link to this hour long Sindhi concert by Dada Dewan Motihar. Whilst I am not sure about the year and location, I suspect this was during his time in Canada/USA in late 80’s or early 90’s. It is unfortunate that one doesn’t get to hear such Kalaams now. An absolute treat to listen Dada Dewan sing.

My sincere gratitude to Dada Balwant Bhaneja and the entire Bhaneja family for sharing such wonderful memories with all of us. This post borrows extensively from his book as well as my email exchanges with him over past three years. I remain grateful for his continued support and guidance in my journey to explore my own roots.

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

Jai Jhulelal!

*A detailed commentary on Bhagat Tradition can be found in my blog post of March, 2019.