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

Being Sindhi (Contd...)

I met a dear friend yesterday after few months. Both of us are quite close, having known each other for the last decade or so. We have a lot in common - both of us are Sindhis,  our families know of each other, have grown up in the same neighborhood and do feel strongly about our ancestry and Sindhiyat. Although over the past few years ago, we meet less ; however the bond still remains as strong as ever. 

I have always known that his family have been ardent follower of Baba Guru Nanak Jee and Guru Granth Sahib ; his paternal grandfather having played an important role in the locality's Gurmandir ("Tikana") and till today still continues to visit the Gurmandir for the weekly service. What I did not know is that for the last many decades, they observe the practice of keeping Guru Granth Sahib at home. My friend tells me that the practice has its origins in the Sindh era as one of his great grandfather post retirement from his job voluntarily took up the role of "pathi". As I have mentioned earlier (in my posts), most Sindhis are Nanakpanthis and the community has historically shared a close relationship with Sikhism.I am told that it was a common practice in Sindh whereby the eldest child was 'gurdinno' or 'Given to the Guru'. I am also told that this was particularly true of "Lalwani" and "Makhijani" families. Pluralism has always been a way of life for the Sindhis. Steven.W. Ramey begins his book " Hindu, Sufi, or Sikh: Contested Practices and Identifications of Sindhi Hindus in India and Beyond" with the statement : 'A disciple of a Muslim Sufi advised a community of Hindus in Lucknow, India, to install the Guru Granth Sahib , a text central for Sikhs'. 

The family is extremely particular about this practice and has a dedicated room in their house wherein "Kadah Parsad" is served daily. Not only do they have the holy book there but also idols of various dieties as well as family elders. All the yearly collections go to the locality Gurmandir as a contribution towards "langar" served on Guru Nanak Devji's Birthday. I was extremely pleased to know that my friend intends to keep this practice ongoing. It is in acts like these that one sees the undying spirit of Sindh! My best wishes to the family.

I end with the below lines by great Sindhi writer Krishin "Rahi" which I heard for the first time while watching the below video and have remained with me ever since. Youtube link of Dada Ghanshyam Vaswani's wonderful rendition of the same is also given below.

Jeke hite jameya, se bhi Sindhi sadba
Sindhi thi bhi sindh khe disan khoon sikanda

Dhaaryan Vaangya Jadah Sindh Vanjhee Disanda

Allah Manu Kiya Chahunda 

T Sindhi aaya Sindh Disan

(The ones born here (India) will also be called Sindhi

Inspite of being Sindhi, will always yearn for a glimpse of Sindh

The day (when) they will be able to visit Sindh like visitors

Oh Allah! What will people  say

That Sindhis have come to see Sindh)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYFgaLaYN7c

Jai Jhulelal!

KOKI

Its 6 o clock in the evening here and I am writing this post in a jovial mood ; elated by the weather outside as it has just begun to rain . In the midst of hot and humid Delhi summers, rain showers are a welcome respite. Adding to the joy is my mother's standard evening query - Maani mein chaa khayinda (What will you have for Dinner?)? How can it be anything else but Koki in this weather.

If there is one food item that binds almost all Sindhis (like a glue!), it is the community's shared love for Koki and Saibhaaji. Personally, I am a little biased towards Koki! Who cannot like this thick bread made out of wheat flour kneaded with clarified butter (Desi Ghee). There are a number of variants of Koki as some also add chopped onions ("basar") but I like the one without them and with  jeera (Black cumin) and kaali mirch (Pepper) . Koki with salted butter and a cup of hot tea is a meal in itself!. 

A few years ago, I was traveling to Mumbai for work on an IndiGo flight.Normally I have my breakfast before I leave for the airport, but on that day, as it was an early departure, I requested my mother to pack my breakfast, which was my favorite Koki. During the in-flight snack service, upon being asked by the air-hostess about if I would like to buy anything, I politely refused and opened my tiffin box. Little did i realise that the air-hostess was a Sindhi as well, who looking at the tiffin box smiled and said - Another Koki lover!. It proved to be a great conversation starter. Such is our love for Koki!

On another note, I attended the bi-monthly concert organised by Sindhi Academy, Delhi last week. This time one of the singers was young Vineet Satpal, a fellow sindhi trained at the academy who was performing on such a platform for the first time.It is heartening to see young talent being promoted by the academy. The other singer was Saeen Dushyant Ahuja - a master at Sindhi ghazal singing. He sang marvelously.

 I end with the below link of a fast paced musical number that Vineet sang and enthralled the audience. As always, video credits go to Saeen Anil Makhijani.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNAF9ZKEdlk

Jai Jhulelal!

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!