Kaka Khemchand

My extended family (paternal side) started a Whatsapp group around a year ago which is named after my great grandfather ("Kaka Khemchand"). There are around 35 members in the group - a few of whom I have never personally met but have only heard about. The idea was to try and bring together elder relatives and their respective family members under a common group so that at-least we are aware about our extended families; many of whom have not been in touch with each other for decades. My Chacha (Father's Younger Brother) has been instrumental in starting the group as well as contacting relatives who are now based in various cities in India as well as overseas. He has also put up Kaka's solitary photograph in our records as the profile picture. Looking at him, I see so much similarity between him and my father! 

I have heard my father and uncles speak about "Kaka" occasionally at the family gatherings. There was once a talk about how my grandfather was contemplating to buy another plot of land  but was discouraged by Kaka who said - "Assan Khe t vaapis hee vanjhano aahe t hite cho zameen vathoon"( We have to go back (to Sindh) , why should we buy land over here). In another anecdote, I am told about how Kaka used to praise the British rule when it came to maintaining day to day law and order. It seems that Kaka never fully understood partition and its impact thinking it to be merely a transient state of affairs and that once things settle down ; he would go back to his own land.*

The other "Kaka" story that I have grown up listening is how he would wait with a laltain ("lantern") for hours waiting for my grandfather to come back from work  as the access road was dark and surrounded by jungle on both sides. Incidents of wild animals straying into the residential areas were not uncommon in those days and like all parents, Kaka used to be worried about his son's well-being. Kaka would have been in his late forties/early fifties when the partition happened and died sometime in late 1960's during winter months (“Siyaare je diyan mein" is how my uncle told me).

I am amazed when thinking about the direction our lives can take without us having any control over it. Would Kaka have ever thought as a young man about him having to leave his own land and move to Delhi ; a distant land thousands of kilometers away in such tough circumstances? I am sure he would have been saddened to leave his homeland (Kandiaro/Dist. Nawabshah, Sindh) ,the familiar neighborhood , his identity as an oil trader and move to a refugee plot in Old Rajinder Nagar where his religion (of all things) became the dominant identity. 

I hope Kaka is proud of what us as a family have achieved over the last seven decades. During the current period of Shradh, I pray to Lal Sain to bless him (and all of us). "Daya Kar Dayalu" is a popular Sindhi saying.

I end with this wonderful song "Sartyoon" (means friends in Sindhi) that truly captures the spirit of Sindh! This song has been produced by Lahooti Music which is run by the wonderful Saif Samejo in Hyderabad/Jamshoro, Sindh. This has been sung by fellow Sindhis Bhagat Bhoora Lal and Shamu Bai both of whom belong to rural Sindh.I like this song not just for the music/singing which of-course is marvelous but also because the simplicity of the singers ! Lovely, isn't it?

https://youtu.be/47J5TQUuEgA

Jiye Sindhiyat

* : Al - Jazeera English (news channel) in 2017  broadcasted a film : Going Back to Pakistan ; a film about 92 years old Sh. Krishan Kumar Khanna's visit to his hometown of Lahore. The emotions in the film will resonate with almost everyone with a refugee background. The video is a very fascinating watch. Do watch it!

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

 

Mata Hinglaj Bhawani

September has been a hectic month for me both professionally as well as personally. I had a busy professional travel calendar during the first half of the month followed by a couple of off days to attend younger cousin brother’s wedding. Time passes rather quickly – I distinctly remember us growing up as cousins, he used to stay on the second floor whilst we were (and continue to stay) on the ground floor and the many enjoyable birthdays that we have celebrated together. Even though our meetings are now rather infrequent; however I do fondly remember the time spent together. 

All the ceremonies were carried out as per traditional Sindhi rituals. The Panchayat Brahmin (Maharaj/Priest) diligently carried out all the rituals alternating between speaking Sindhi and Hindi so that the younger generation could understand the significance of various rituals being conducted. I have grown up seeing Maharaj as the Panchayat Brahmin; he is usually present at all official panchayat ceremonies as well as is often called upon to conduct wedding as funeral services at the request of fellow members. My family has known Maharaj for the last many decades (as have a number of other families in the neighbourhood ), him and my father were classmates at Sindhi School in New Rajinder Nagar and my uncle vividly remembers how Maharaj’s father, who was also a practicing Priest, was called upon to conduct the rituals at the death of my great grandfather (“Kaka”) in late 60’s.  

Among the various rituals conducted, the one that I found quite informative was the “Janeu” (Sacred Thread) ceremony which was conducted a day before the actual wedding. During the various mantras that Maharaj Ji chanted, there was one which made reference to “Jhulelal Sai” as being our “Kuldevta” (Clan God) and “Hinglaj (Bhawani) Mata” as our (Sindhis) “Kuldevi”. Maharaj Ji then told us about Hinglaj Mata temple in Hinglaj, a town on the Makran coast in the Lasbela district of Balochistan, Pakistan. The temple is a Shakti Peeth i.e. a significant shrine.  The shrine is revered by both Hindu and Muslims with Muslims referring to it as “Nani Mandir” (Maternal Grandmother Temple).

Whilst I had heard about “Hinglaj Mata” earlier during one of the you-tube videos of Swami Bhagat Prakash of “Satnaam Sakhi” sect which has a substantive following in the Sindhi community; however I was not aware about her being our “Kuldevi”. I am told (not sure though) that it is one of the few sects wherein the Sect leader is always a Sindhi. My maternal family has followed the sect for the last many decades

Maharaj Ji patiently explained that originally our Kuldevta and Devi have been Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Hinglaj Mata is a form of Goddess Durga/Godess Parvati. Post the ceremony, Maharaj Ji and I discussed how Jhulelal Sai had become a unifying force for the Hindu Sindhi community in India post partition thanks to the likes of (Late) Dada Ram Panjwani, (Late) Smt. Bhagwant Nawani  and others who have played a key role in spreading his reach to the common household. It was wonderful to interact with Maharaj Ji and to know a little more about the community. I pray to almighty for his long life.

I end with this wonderful video of Saeen Saif Samejo and Bhagat Bhooro Lal singing “Daastan-e-Moomal Rano) on Coke Studio Pakistan. Moomal/Rano is a legendary Sindhi folk story similar to Heer/Ranjha (Punjabi Folklore). Saeen Saif has done a wonderful job in bringing together an extremely talented group of musicians to create an impressive music score which is further enhanced by his melodious singing. Bhagat Bhooro Lal’s rustic voice further adds to the overall feel of the song. Don’t forget to click on Subtitle icon in the lower end of the frame for English translation of the lines. I hope you enjoy watching this as much as I did

 

https://youtu.be/Ou7qlUM6cb8

Jiye Sindhiyat!

Vo Ladki Hai Kahan!

This year’s trip to London was memorable for many reasons. For starters, unlike the previous time, the weather for most days was supportive. Those who have travelled to London will agree that the weather there is as unpredictable as our cricket team these days! My meetings went well and the client appeared appreciative of our efforts. I now hope we are able to deliver a solution to their expectations.During the trip, my boss and I met an old colleague and her husband for dinner. We have known her for many years now; she and I having started our careers together in 2010 as Trainee(s) in the same firm that I am currently employed with. She relocated to London somewhere around 2013 and currently stays there with her husband.

We met on a Friday evening and decided to go to a nearby Chinese Restaurant – Ping Pong Dim Sum at St. Katherine’s Dock for dinner.  It is a casual dining restaurant that serves a variety of Chinese dishes (apart from Dim Sums) and some innovative cocktails. Being a Friday evening, the place was bustling with people and inspite of not having a reservation we still were able to get a table fairly quickly. Just as we were getting started, we saw another Indian family walking in. There was a mid-aged gentleman, a beautiful lady (looked like his wife) and four young girls: two of them seemed as if they were in high school and the other two looked like in their twenties. They were an extremely good looking family; one that immediately reminded me of the attractive faces one often gets to see in the chic Sindhian magazine. One of the elder girls in particular (who was sitting opposite me at some distance) wearing an off-shoulder top looked splendid.

 As the evening progressed, the topic that all of us came back to every now and then was my wedding. It almost seemed to be a million dollar question that the other three wanted to know about. I find it amazing that as soon as you touch the magical “30” years mark how closely your identity gets linked to your marital status!. In order to wriggle out of the situation I jokingly said that if I could, I would happily marry the chic babe wearing the off-shoulder top. We all laughed and my boss (knowing my love for Sindhis) even commented that if left to me, I would also wish that she turns out to be Sindhi as well! (Well, I have to confess he is right; no harm in wishing!). The remainder of the meal was uneventful where we were busy with general chit-chat. We decided to have desserts and coffee at the next door Café Rouge as the couple wanted to have Tiramisu. We sat out,  under a heater at Café ,as the weather was quite pleasant with a slight chill in the air. (Very much like Delhi without the pollution in Mid-November). Each time the conversation veered towards my marriage, i mentioned about the family and my interest in beautiful daughter which meant we reached a dead end in no time. 

While we were having our deserts, the “family” stepped out of the restaurant and walked in our direction passing us. As soon as they passed us, my friend got up and started walking towards them. I did sense that she was up-to something but wasn’t sure what. She wasn’t in our sight when she was walking towards them (as they had reached some distance) so we were not aware about what was going on. After a couple of minutes, she started walking towards us with the “family”. As soon as she reached us, she calmly looked at me and said – Dear Milind, please meet uncle, aunty and their lovely daughters. They are here to attend (Pointing towards the stylish daughter) her college function and are fellow Sindhis from Mumbai. Her mother (the beautiful aunty who resembled a prominent Page 3 Mumbaikar) smiled and said hello as did her husband. The chic girl couldn’t stop giggling and the father looked at me and politely said “she is too young to get married” and then they started walking away. 

The entire chain of events seemed quite surreal  including my friend’s guts to walk up-to a stranger and present a matrimonial proposal on my behalf as well  (It reaffirms my belief that women  usually can get away with most things (hahaha!). The four of then sat down and continued with our desserts and coffee. I did ask my friend about the family’s details but she said she spoke more about me than find out about them and doesn’t remember her family name which she thought was fairly complicated but did end with an “-ani”. 

Oh!, what a wonderful dreamy sequence of events it was! I wish my friend remembered their names as well as it would have helped me find out more about them (hahahah!). On a hopeful note, they do know my name, just in case! 

As my mother says “Maalik dise pe tho” (God is watching). 

Hiranandani, may be? :)

I end with this wonderful link to Saeen Mithu Tahir’s wonderful rendition of a contemporary version of “Pere Pavandi Saan”. Don’t forget to click on Subtitle icon in the lower end of the frame for English translation of the lines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCP8uv9v0yI

Jai Jhulelal!

Teejri and Thadri

I am writing this post on a flight to London. A trip to London during August/September every year has become a regular feature in my professional diary for the last few years; it is something that I look forward to for the unique experience it brings with itself.  Things are slightly different this time as I did not realize that our very own Sindhi festivals of “Teejri” and “Thadri” fall in the same week that I am away. Whilst “Teejri” is essentially a ladies festival, I quite like the vibe that it brings about with itself.  “Thadri” on the other hand, is the festival that I look forward to for the sheer culinary pleasures that it brings with itself – the pleasure of eating home cooked “Lolas”.   The only consolation this time being that I am back on the same day when “Meetha Lolas”  will be served.

Simply put, Teejri is to Sindhis what Karva Chauth is to Punjabis. The festival is observed by women to pray for the long lives of their husbands. It is customary for women to put mehendi (“Heena”) on their hands a day before the festival and I am generally forced to by my sister to take both of them to the “mehendiwala” who is in great demand on that day and waiting times can often be more than an hour. What else can one do but be patient! (Difficult to win against your sister, isn’t it!)  I have grown up seeing my mother (and other ladies in the family) waking up around four o’clock in the morning next day to have the only meal that she will have till she sees “Chandr” (Moon) in the evening, which usually is “Koki” (Regular readers are no doubt familiar with my love for Koki which I have outlined in previous posts).  There is then Pooja at our Sindhu Samaj in the evening which is bustling with activity. Once the Pooja is over and mummy is back that the task of keeping an eye on the moon begins. Ladies break their fast once they see the moon and you will find people waiting anxiously to see the moon. There is such a pleasure in “gazing at the stars” which we often miss and that occasions like these remind us of. 

Thadri on the other hand, as I said is a festival of sheer culinary delight. It is celebrated to worship “Sheetla Mata” and hence nothing warm/hot is eaten on that day. A day before the festivals, “Lolas” (Thick Breads) are cooked which are consumed the next day. I especially like the ones with jaggery in them that one eats with salted butter and Raita. Make no mistake, cooking Lolas is no easy task and it usually takes around 3-4 hours to prepare them. Then my mother does a small Pooja followed by sprinkling of water in the entire home which symbolizes purification of the house.

Both these festivals remind me about our unique cultural heritage and the memories associated with these festivals never fail to bring a smile.

I end with this wonderful half an hour talk show that was recently aired on radio Radio voice of Sindh, UK about the various Hindu (Sindhi) festivals during  the auspicious month of "Sawan". As the program is in “Nij” Sindhi, I too found it slightly difficult to understand each and every word (No one else but me to blame for not learning Sindhi !) but I found it extremely informative.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYweYa6nixw&t=1691s

Jeay Sindhi and Sindhiyat !

Bhai Pratap

I spent the last weekend reading a tribute written by Ms. Saaz Aggarwal for Bhai Pratap (Late Pratap Dialdas Nanwani) – an unsung hero in our community; a gentleman whose dedication and devotion towards helping fellow Sindhis , in my opinion, is almost unparalleled.  Dada Pratap played an important role in establishing Sindhi refugee area of Adipur- Kutch which is lovingly known as “Mini-Sindh” today. As Dada Bhaneja writes in his book (about migration) “…… a common denominator was the ruthless uprooting from their native lands and being thrown into a geographical region which had little connection to their culture except for religion. And even there, expressions of religious devotion and rituals turned out to be different than those of their ancestral land.” Dada Pratap helped ease this pain for thousands of fellow Sindh’s .The article goes on to detail various facets of Dada’s personality – his sharp business acumen, his commitment towards social service, his role in India’s Freedom struggle as well as rehabilitating thousands of Hindu Sindhi refugees. 

I first heard about Dada Pratap in one of the episodes of Sindhi Sarvech program on Youtube in which one of the guest referred to Dada’s contribution in helping rehabilitate Sindhis in the area of Adipur-Kutch and his vision about developing it as India’s “Sindh”.  The mention of Kutch immediately evoked a familiar feeling as my “Maasi” (Mother’s sister) stays in Kutch so have grown up hearing stories of the town. Sindhi Sarvech program is a collection of interviews by Dada Ram Jawahrani (another prominent Sindhi Social worker based in Mumbai) with known Sindhis . I have grown fond of the program as it is purely in Sindhi; thereby giving an opportunity to the listener to hear one’s mother tongue (which is fast disappearing!). It is also very fascinating to hear about how every single guest on the program has dealt with extremely difficult circumstances during the time of partition to emerge victorious. Almost all guests credit this resilience to their Sindhi roots which speaks a great deal about the character of our community.

However, it is unfortunate that such “heroic” efforts of Dada Pratap haven’t received the recognition that they deserve with (largely) only Sindhis in Adipur-Kutch area knowing about him. May Sindhiyat be blessed with more such “Bhai Pratap”(s) for we need them now much more than ever before!

On another note, Sindhi Sangat is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) involved with promoting Sindhi Language and Sindhi culture.  They are running the 3^rd International Sindhi Nursery Rhymes Competition 2018 aimed at encouraging young children to learn Sindhi rhymes. Details are available on the link below. Please do spread the word and if you have young children in the family, do encourage them to participate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQfODIpOG08

Jeay Sindhiyat!

PS: For the interested reader, link to Ms. Saaz Aggarwal’s article is as follows:
https://www.sahapedia.org/bhai-pratap-tribute-forgotten-hero