Secularism and Sindhis

The other day I was hearing Dada Ram Jethmalani's (dated) speech at a Sindhi event in Dubai. In his quintessential Sindhi style (which reminds me of my grandfather !) , he spoke about how Secularism is ingrained in Sindhis and that the community is a perfect example of  what it means to have "secular values". He goes on to elaborate about how during his days in Shikarpur (Sindh), Hindu children were presented with gifts and cloths on Eid and Muslim children on Diwali ("Dyaarih" in Sindhi). (For the interested, The link to his speech is given at the end of this post.)

Something similar is echoed by Steven.W. Ramey in his book " Hindu, Sufi, or Sikh: Contested Practices and Identifications of Sindhi Hindus in India and Beyond". In his interactions with various Sindhi Hindus in Lucknow , he mentions about how many respondents, when asked about their religious identity, mentioned that they were "basically Hindu". Ramey states : " The insertion of qualifying terms such as "basically" implies that they are not fully or truly Hindu and reflects the influence of the dominant understandings on Sindhi assertions".

At my home too, we have grown up with  Guru Nanak Baba Ji's picture along with other gods and goddesses in our "small" mandir. In-fact such pluralism is a normal way of life for most Hindu Sindhis. We always called our Dadi (Paternal Grandmother) as "Mummy-Ammi". Recently, at my sister's friend's wedding (also a Hindu Sindhi) the entire wedding was solemnized at the gurudwara according to Sikh rituals. Infact, Guru Nanak Jayanti is a much celebrated occasion in the Hindu Sindhi calendar as most Hindu Sindhis are "Nanakpanthis".

Our places of worship, Gurmandir ("Tikaano" in Sindhi) is actually an amalgamation of Gurudwara and Mandir and (until recently) generally had  a picture of Guru Nanak (and quite often even Guru Granth Sahib) in addition to Hindu gods such as Ram and Krishna. However I am told (unverified) that the new gurudwara legislation does not allow a number of "hybrid" practices which if true, is another testimony to the polarized world that we live in wherein identities have to be looked from a black/white prism ("either/or") rather than acknowledging existence of "grey" ("And") areas as well. Dada Bhaneja makes a mention in his book about his father's "Sufi" Spirit ; something shared by a lot of Sindhis especially the older generation. The much celebrated kalams of Bhagat Kanwarram have largely been written by Muslim sufis/saints. 

I believe it is this spirit of tolerance and adaptability that comes with it that has played an important role in the material success of the community. I hope that as a community we are able to carry forward this sense of inclusiveness which has helped us come this far.

Link to Dada Ram Jethmalani's video :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxDJuRNX8a4

Reinventing Samaj(s).

I have previously written about the important role that Samaj(s) play in the community although its popularity has been facing steady decline over past few years. I consider myself fortunate that I live very close to Rajinder Nagar Sindhu Samaj which is among the oldest and well known Samaj in Delhi, having shifted to its present location from the Janpath Barracks in the early ’60s. As I understand, such community centers came up post partition in order to preserve Sindhi culture, language and tradition. 

Today, most Samaj's have turned into (largely) places of religious interaction and Jhule Lal worship along with running matrimonial services for the community. Whilst both these are important aspects and should be promoted, I think the larger community interactions that Samaj should promote has been ignored. This has over the decades led to minimal interaction between  younger Sindhis and as a result we now have an entire new generation which is largely unaware of their roots and identifies little with "being Sindhi" (other than the surnames!)

I have the following suggestions to offer in this regard:-

1. All Samaj's should ensure that they run classes to teach written "Sindhi" language. The emphasis here should not just me on teaching the language in isolation but instead should be to showcase to the students a glimpse of  Sindhiyat. Whilst teaching the language should be the primary aim , however in every class, there should be some time for general discussion on various aspects which may be of interest to younger generation such as a our ancestory, various Sindhi festivals, some insight into the works of Shah, Sachal and Sami etc.

The importance here is on delivery as a lecture format is unlikely to work. I must mention here about the wonderful work being done by Dadi Asha Chand of "Sindhi Sangat" (NGO) who have developed a number of Information Technology tools/apps/videos in this regard and are always eager to assist in using these.

2.  At regular intervals, Samaj should invite eminent local Sindhis to talk about topics of contemporary interest. The medium of the talk should not necessarily be Sindhi but could be local dialect (depending upon the location). The central idea being to encourage young Sindhis to start getting connected to their roots. Again, videoconferencing is an extremely efficient (and cost effective) way of getting distinguished Sindhis to interact with Sindhis living elsewhere. I rarely see lectures/discussions happening in Samaj's these days.

3. Samaj's should also introspect and see how they can involve more youngsters in their day to day affairs. They could perhaps ask a group of volunteers to perhaps assist them with automating some of their processes or helping create a web-site etc.
 
I end with the below video clipping of Dada J P Vaswani where he emphasizes the importance of preserving sindhi language - I found it to be a good watch and hence sharing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujCJ99A4zsU&t=116s

Cheti Chand Celebrations

The festival of Cheti Chand (Sindhi New Year) is celebrated on the first day of  Chet (Chaitra) month every year. The festival also marks the birth of "Uderolal" also popularly known as "Jhule Lal". It is celebrated with great zeal by Hindu Sindhis across the world.

I have been fortunate enough to attend two Cheti Chand celebrations this year - one that is carried out by our local Sindhi Panchayat wherein a "Behraana" procession is carried out which travels throughout the colony before ending at "Sindhu Samaj" where a small program is arranged followed by langar prasad. It is perhaps the only time in the year that I get to hear the traditional "Shehnai" being played. Throughout the procession, various families offer prasad to the accompanying members.

Yesterday, I also attended for the first time  Cheti Chand Mela in Punjabi Bagh that is organised by Sindhi Jagriti Sabha for the last 43 years. I was quite awestruck by the sheer scale of the event (had never anticipated that it would be at such a massive scale!). It reminded me of the numerous Diwali Melas that I had attended in my neighborhood. My sister and me also saw the various Sindhi performances that had been organized including one by Dada Mangharam and Dadi Jamuna from Ajmer and by "Rockstar" Vipin Shewani from Mumbai. All the performances were quite enjoyable and I am glad that Sindhi music still evokes a decent level of interest from the community.

I had recently came across this wonderful article on Cheti Chand by Ms. Zahida Rehman Jatt in Dawn newspaper (Pakistan). I strongly suggest this as a 'must read". Do not also forget to see the video link capturing the wonderful dancing by the devotees:

https://www.dawn.com/news/1318886

Jeay Sindhiyat!

Radio Sindhi

Ever since I was first came to know about Radio Sindhi, I have been a regular listener. Radio Sindhi is a web based Sindhi radio channel run by a Mumbai based company. Originally it had four web stations which have now expanded to seven. In fact, the first time that I heard the radio, I found it so interesting that i downloaded their app from the google play store and listen to it every now and then. Whenever i travel (which is quite frequent these days) , i do switch it on the first thing in the morning. I find traveling alone quite lonely at times as being an early riser , i do not really have much to do in the mornings and Radio Sindhi is a worthy companion at that time of the day. I find listening to people speaking in Sindhi very comforting and joyful. Every time, I hear Dada Gope Chander and his daughter, Smt. Aarti singing the famous " Damadam Mast Kalander" on Radio Sindhi, my happiness knows no bounds. 

I believe that Radio Sindhi is an excellent medium to connect our displaced Sindhi diaspora. I am happy to see it growing over the past few years due to the relentless efforts of the channel owner as well as a number of large hearted sindhis who have made financial contribution to the channel. It is important that such initiatives are appreciated by the community so that they can continue to grow in the years to come. 

Another one of my favorite songs is " Ho Jamalo" especially Abida jee's rendition that i hear quite often on Youtube. As I understand, this song was popularised in 1950's/60s by Abida jee and other singers in Pakistan. This song celebrates the courage of Jamalo Khoso Baloch .Wikipedia States:- (edited)

Jamalo Khoso Baloch was sentenced to execution by hanging, by British East India Company officer John Jacob  in Sukkur, probably in 1856. Jamalo (as he is conventionally called) was held in jail near the Sukkur Bridge, which had recently been built for trains by the English, but was untested. The government of Sindh announced that whoever test-drove a train across the bridge would be given a prize. Jamalo sent a letter to Jacob, offering to perform the train crossing, on the condition that he be released from jail and his sentence if he crossed safely. He did cross safely, was freed, and was given a prize by the East India Company's governor of Sindh. His wife composed the "Ho Jamalo" song about his exploit, and it has since become famous in the region.

I hope that initiatives like Radio Sindhi  will continue in the future as well.

Jiye Sindhiyat!

PS : For the interested, Radio Sindhi website is : www.radiosindhi.com.

Lachchmandas Pohumal Khemani

Shivratri has always been an important day in our home. Like most sindhis, my mother too is a follower of Lord Shiva. Generally speaking, we aren’t a very religious family as my father has always emphasized the importance of good deeds (“Sarbaht ka bhala”) over plain rituals. I have always found this aspect of being Sindhi as quite unique to us – whilst the sindhis who have crossed over to India during Partition were mainly Hindus, however I do find that our religious practices do have influences from other religions as well. As an example, during Diwali Puja at my home, not only will we have idols of various Hindu gods and goddesses but also of Guru Nanak Dev Ji as well. Not many are aware, that most sindhis are “Nanakpanthis.” Guru Nanak Jayanthi is an important day in the Sindhi calendar and is celebrated with great joy in the community. This flexible approach to religion, to me, is reminiscent of the great “Sufi” culture of Sindh wherein there was religious tolerance and being “human” was valued much more than anything else. 

A lot of my Punjabi friends find it a little odd about me not having non-vegetarian food on Mondays. Being a Shiv bhakt, my mother doesn’t encourage us eating non-vegetarian food on Monday. Of-course, like most other things, this too is now changing and the strict noes are being replaced by “preferably not”. I have grown up hearing how my (now) deceased maternal grandfather (“Nana”) used to attend the Shivratri Jagran at a mandir in Chandni Chowk along with his dear friend from Multan, Mr. Mony. He used to leave home at 7.30/8 in the evening, a day before Shivratri, used to attend the jagraan the entire night and come back by around 5.30-6 in the morning. Immediately after coming, he used to enter the kitchen and start preparing the “prasad” which was usually “Koki” (Sindhi Bread) and “Green Moong” (dry lentil). After this he used to leave for work, fasting the entire day and ended the day with just fruits and prasad in the evening.

Unfortunately, my grandfather expired when I was quite young (barely six years old) and hence I have little memories of him. He was always dressed in a white kurta pyjama and was a man of few words. I do distinctly remember that a couple of hours before he died, he spoke to my mother on the phone (and I think with all his other children as well) and told them that the end was now near and blessed each one of us. Most of my knowledge of him has been through my mother and the various anecdotes that she narrates every now and then.

I remember him and my beloved naani on every Shivratri  (Late Smt Meera and Late Shri Lachchmandas Pohumal Khemani from Kandiaro (Nawabshah), Sindh).

I pray to almighty that their soul rests in peace.

Om Namah Shivaya

Partition and Sindhis

The other day I was speaking to a Sikh friend of mine about how partition changed the entire course of thousands of families within a matter of days. Like many others, mine is also a refugee family, my grandfather having migrated from District Nawabshah, Sindh, in 1947.  Whilst the stories of families that have migrated from erstwhile unified Punjab are far more tragic than those of families that migrated from Sindh,(given that there was much more bloodshed in Punjab than Sindh) nonetheless Punjabis and Sindhis have much in common to share about the partition. The underlying theme remains largely similar - wealthy families who had to within a matter of days or in some cases even hours decide on questions that undoubtedly altered the course not just of the present members but also of generations to come i.e. leaving their homeland and move to a largely unknown place in the hope of providing safety and security to their near and dear ones; leaving behind all that they called their "own"and start lives afresh literally from scratch.

 As Dada Bhaneja asks in his book (Troubled Pilgrimage) - "What makes us stay or leave our homeland foreover" ; a seemingly innocuous question unfortunately to which  there are no simple answers.

However, in one way, I believe Punjabis have been slightly luckier than us (Sindhis) as they have a land that they can call their own.(as Punjab was divided between India and Pakistan) which has helped keep "Punjabiyat" alive.It is not as if I am unhappy with the way Hindu Sindhis have been treated here in India, in fact, I shall always remain grateful to this motherland (India) for it has cared and nurtured us (Sindhis) only like a mother can ; just that i am sad that it was only Sindh (of all the regions)  that wan't divided between India and Pakistan and went "in toto" to Pakistan ; thereby denying Hindu Sindhis a piece of land which they could call their own.

On the positive side, Hindu Sindhis are perhaps one of the few communities that are spread not just throughout India but across the world and are truly "Global Citizens". I was surprised to hear that internet based Sindhi Radio Channel - Radio Sindhi is heard in more than 100 countries across the globe which i think is remarkable for a community that is just 6-8 million people strong (rough estimates). I hope that we are able to retain our Sindhiyat as well so that our future generations too can experience this wonderful 2000+ years old culture.

I end with a couple of lines from Saeen Juman Darbadar's  poem that is regarded as Sindhi nationalism’s anthem (in Pakistan): 

“Wathi har har janam warbo, mitha Mehran mein milbo 

 (We will be born again and again until, my sweetheart, we meet in our own land of Mehran)”

 PS: Sindh province is also referred to as Mehran locally and hence the reference.

About "Unsung" Heroes

I am writing this post after having had a lovely time off work last week following the long weekend break on account of Republic Day celebration. Republic Day is celebrated here in India on 26th of January every year which is the date when the Constitution of India came into effect. This "sacred" document has been the culmination of years of hard work of the 308 members of the Constituent Assembly and countless others who had worked tirelessly for this masterpiece. Republic Day is an opportune time to remember and reiterate the nation's commitment to safeguarding our Constitutional "Values" but also remember and cherish the contribution of fellow Indians who were an important part of this project.

Similarly, over the years, I have seen selfless service by a number of Sindhi individuals who have toiled hard to protect (and spread) "Sindhiyat" without coming into limelight. Living near to Sindhi Community Centre, I have always been close to my "Sindhi roots" . Today in the post, I remember three such men (two now deceased) who have contributed a significant portion of their lives for the community* :-


1. (Late) Dada Bhojraj Vanjani :- My first memory of Dada Vanjani is of him coming to our block to invite the community members to the various programs that were organized at the Community Centre. Always dressed in an impeccable white shirt and trousers, he was an extremely polite gentleman. Ever smiling, he always used to tell my mother " taan bhi aeinda kayo aen baaran khe bhi vathi aenda kayo" (You should come and bring the children along as well). He selflessly served the Samaj for decades and is a model for generations to come. .

2. (Late) Sh. Mohan Gurbani :- Another distinguished worker of the "Samaj", I have extremely fond memories of Sh. Gurbani. He was a devoted social worker, who worked not only for the "Samaj" but for countless other Sindhi organizations as well. The "Bespectacled" gentleman, he was a trusted lieutenant, who preferred to work behind the scenes.The entire community owes him deep gratitude for his selfless service.

3. Sh. Anil Makhijani :- Mr. Makhijani's name brings a smile to face. He is the reason why I am able to keep up with my interest in "Sindh and Sindhiyat". Mr. Makhijani's photography / videography skills are nothing less than legendary. His youtube account has more than 1200+ subscribers and you can be assured that all major Sindhi events in Delhi will be captured by Mr. Makhijani video recorder  and be uploaded on his youtube page in no time!. I owe him deep gratitude for recording and broadcasting  events that I never even knew existed!. In addition to being skilled at videography, Mr. Makhijani is adept at playing a number of musical instruments as well.

I end with this wonderful Sindhi kalam sung by evergreen Saeen Rajan Jhangiani. Mr. Makhijani is on your left side playing the electronic pad/drum . The reason i like this kalam is not only because of Saeen Rajan's melodius voice ably accompanied by the dholak and electronic pad/drum and  but also because of the wonderful dance by Dada Chander Jhangiani (at 5 min 46 secs in the video)  ; the steps  are quintessential Sindhi :) Reminds me of some of my elderly relatives and family weddings. Jiye Sindhiyat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfRletAFnR0


PS: *- The above list is by no means exhaustive. There are many more "Unsung" Heroes- both men and women who have tirelessly worked and dedicated a major part of their lives to helping preserve Sindhi culture  ; however I have restricted myself to the three that first come to my mind. I intend to write more about such men and women in my subsequent posts.