Mayfair Gardens and L V Prasad Eye Institute

The other day Monica mentioned that she has been seeing a fair number of Sindhi patients coming in for consultation and treatment at the eye clinic she works at. She shared that most of these patients seemed to be financially well off and wondered if the nearby areas had a substantial Sindhi population. I mentioned that Delhi does indeed have a sizable Sindhi population. At the time of the partition , whilst most refugees settled in/around Lajpat Nagar, Ramesh Nagar and Rajendra Nagar, the affluent ones ( mainly Amils and Bhaibandhs from Karachi)  subsequently settled in South Delhi as well in /around Safdarjung Enclave, Greater  Kailash and Haus Khas areas. In fact, one of the lesser known affluent Sindhi colonies in Delhi is the exclusive Mayfair Gardens in Hauz Khas. I first heard about Mayfair Gardens a few years ago when my aunt mentioned about the wonderful Guru Purab celebrations that take place at the gurudwara there. Dada K. R. Malkani's "Sindh Story" also makes a mention about a lunch hosted by Mr. Nari Thadani at his Mayfair home  in honor of G.M. Syed during the latter's visit to Delhi in 1987.  It  is an exclusive residential colony in the heart of Delhi with majority Sindhi population. In-fact it is amongst the costliest residential places in Delhi where a 3 bedroom apartment can easily cost upwards of USD 1 Million. Monica was surprised to hear all this. 

Talking about Sindhi identity, Monica's also mentioned that her ophthalmological training took place at institutions where Sindhi families have been the major benefactors. She completed her ophthalmological training from Mithu Tulsi Chanrai Campus, L V Prasad Eye Institute, Bhubaneshwar  which is funded by Chanrai family. She also spent considerable time at Arjun Waney Eye Centre , a satellite centre located in the small city of Berhampur in Orissa.

Shri Mithu Tulsi Chanrai Campus at LVPEI, Bhubaneshwar
Photo Courtesy: Internet

Arjun Waney Eye Centre in Berhampur, Orissa 
Photo Courtesy : Monica Budhwani / WhatsApp Group

Chanrai family with their origins in Sindh are one of the wealthiest families operating trading business(es) across India, Singapore and Africa. The business was originally set up as a textile trading corporation by Late Jhamatmal and Late Thakurdas Chanrai in 1860. The business has flourished since then and today the family is well known across the world. This centre for excellence was established by Dada Jagdish Mithu Chanrai in loving memory of his father to help eradicate blindness and transformational change of people with visual impairment. 

Dada Arjun is also a prominent businessman based in London. Regular readers of the blog will remember my earlier post about him and the famous Zuma restaurant in London which he owns. Sindhi Chokro : Dada Arjun Waney (sindhi-chokro.blogspot.com). He also runs a philanthropic trust which has a major focus on treating preventable blindness. The trust is named after his mother, Smt. Savitri Waney. 

I was happy to hear from Monica about these two prominent benefactors who are investing considerable time and resources to help eradicate preventable blindness from rural India. Both the founders and their trusts deserve an applause from all of us for their selfless service which is so very embedded in our Sindhi DNA. My best wishes to both of them. 

I end with this link to a brand new version of Sindhi folk song " Jiye Sindh Jiye" recreated and sung by dear Mohit Lalwani along with Jatin Vaswani. As he mentions in the footnote "Jiye Sindh Jiye' is a song wishing well for the people of Sindh, all around the world. It talks about the timeless glory of Sindh and the people of Sindh." I like "Ada" Mohit's singing and hope you enjoy this version too. 

Jiye Sindh Jiye | MOhit lalwani | Sindhi Folk - YouTube

I also take this opportunity to wish all of you a happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2022. I pray to Lal Saeen to shower his mercy and blessings on all of us. 

Jai Jhulelal

Amritsar Diaries

Earlier this month Monica, Tina and I decided to visit Amritsar. With the country starting to recover from COVID epidemic and cases being at an all time low coupled with the long weekend break as Dussehra this year was on a Friday, we decided to do a three day trip to Amritsar. Mummy was also keen that as a newly married couple, Monica and I visit Harmandir Sahib to seek Gurubaba's blessings. 

We decided to visit Harmandir Sahib early on Saturday morning. Whilst the original plan was to reach the gurudwara at around 0400/0430 hrs to watch Palki Sahib being taken back to the Shri Harmandir Sahib, we unfortunately ( but expectedly)  got late and reached the temple premises at around 0615 hrs.  Every day in the evening ( I think at around 10 o clock) the holy book , Guru Granth Sahib, is carried in the Palki Sahib to Shri Akal Takht Sahib Ji for symbolic night's sleep and then each morning the next day  at around 4 AM , Guru Granth Sahib ji is taken in the Palki sahib back to Harmandir Sahib. There is a huge line of devotees each morning to witness Palki Sahib being brought back to Harmandir Sahib. Since it was the long weekend, the rush seemed to have doubled. In fact the receptionist at Hotel Taj where we were staying mentioned that they were fully sold out for the next few days. 

Whilst we were in the queue to enter the main hall where Guru Sahib is kept, right next to us was another Sindhi family from Alwar in Rajasthan. The parents had come with their two young daughters to seek Guru baba's blessings and the mother was speaking with her husband in chaste Sindhi. Meeting a fellow Sindhi family at 7 in the morning with their 8 year old younger daughter , Pari , mentioning about  Seyal Phula /Maani being her favorite breakfast dish was an absolute joy !  

(L-R) : Tina, me & Monica 

In the evening, we visited the recently opened Partition Museum, a 5-7 minute walk from Golden Temple. It is run by the The Arts and Cultural Heritage Trust in association with Department of Culture, Government of Punjab. It is the world's first museum focusing on 1947 partition and aims to tell the stories of the millions impacted during partition, through oral histories, refugee artefacts, archival photographs, original documents and art works.  I had heard about the museum when about an year or so ago, I read about the museum running a special series on the impact of partition on Sindhi diaspora. The famous Bollywood actor ( and fellow Sindhi)  Dilip Tahir was one of the panelists at the museum. It was heartening to see an entire section in the museum dedicated to Sindh and Sindhi stories  stories of partition. Unfortunately photography is prohibited inside the museum premises. All three of us found the visit enriching as it gave us an insight into the aspects of partition that we were previously unaware of. The section contains generous donations in forms of artefacts, photographs etc. from various Sindhi families. I strongly recommend a visit to the museum to everyone who is visiting Amritsar. The link to Partition Museum's website is as follows:-

https://www.partitionmuseum.org/

Partition Museum Entrance 

( L-R) Tina, Me and Monica at Partition Museum 

I end with this link to Kajal Chandiramani's melodious rendition of Sija Ubir Na Toon Shal Raat Huje. What lovely singing!. Hope you like it too. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hAMKL5Nn2k

Jai Jhulelal 

Dada (Dr.) Kartar Lalvani

I first read about Dada Kartar Lalvani when I was watching Sindhi Sarvech programme a few years back. For someone who was just starting to explore his Sindhi identity, the video was quite fascinating - an elderly Sikh gentleman speaking in chaste Sindhi with a fellow Hindu Sindhi. The story of Dada Sahib's journey over the last six decades has been a fascinating one - about how partition forced them to give up their comfortable life in Karachi to the daily struggles of being a migrant family in Bombay to pursuing higher education in UK/Germany to being the first Indian to  start a Pharmaceutical company in United Kingdom! 

My interest in knowing more about the Sindhi Sikh community started post watching this interview. Regular readers of the blog will recall an earlier post on the close relationship between Hinduism and Sikhism in Sindh and how plurality is embedded in Sindhis. The closeness is also evident from the fact  that a lot of families (Hindu Sindhis) still perform the Gurudwara ceremony of “Anand Karaj” to solemnize weddings. 

Dada Sahib was born in 1931 in Karachi to a Sikh family. He emigrated to UK in late fifty's and completed his PhD from University of Bonn in Germany in Pharmaceutical Chemistry. He returned back to England to start "Vitabiotics" in 1971 - a pharmaceutical company that is currently the largest vitamin company in UK with revenues of over GBP 300 Million.Dada Sahib has also been awarded Order of British Empire for his exceptional services. The company is now run by his able son, Tej Lalvani who is a regular judge at the business incubator show Dragon Den, UK. 

Lalvani family is an illustrious one with Dada sahib's brothers - Gul and Partap Lalvani being the founders of  the global telecommunications company Binatone - named after their sister Bina Ramani ( Lalvani).  

Dada Sahib's fascinating journey is a true testimony to the entreprenuial Sindhi spirit - of surviving and succeeding against all odds. For many of us who are currently navigating challenging circumstances, Dada Sahib's story should serve as an excellent example to never give in and continue to face the circumstances with sheer grit, determination and hard work. I am sure good days are just round the corner. 

Dr. Kartar Lalvani ( Picture Credit: Daily Mail/Internet)

I end with the link to Dada Sahib's Sindhi Sarvech interview. For those of us who have not heard about Sindhi Sarvech program before, this is a series of recorded interview hosted by Dada Ram Jawaharani with notable Hindu Sindh personalities. I belive the series was shot around 15 years back. All episodes are around 25-30 minutes long and are available on youtube ( Sahyog Foundation). I find these to be an excellent medium to understand and explore Sindhi heritage. I strongly recommend watching the series to anyone interested in knowing more about our roots. 

Sahyog Foundation presents 'Sindhi Sarvech' ~ Dr. KARTAR LALWANI, interview by Dr. Ram Jawhrani - YouTube

Sindhi Festivals

 The last week was an eventful one. The Hindu Sindhi community celebrated this festivals of Teejri and Thadri followed by Shree Krishna Janamashtami yesterday. After a gap of around 2 years, there was finally some activity at the neighbourhood Sindhu Samaj albeit at a much lesser scale. As many of you would be aware, Teejri is a festival celebrated by women by fasting for the entire day to pray for the long lives of their husbands. In the evening, there is a community prayer which includes Teejri Mata ki Katha recited by Maharaj Shashikant at Sindhu Samaj. The women finally break their fasts after offering prayers to the moon ( Chandr as they say in colloquial Sindhi). Following Teejri and a day before Janamashtami is Thadri or Vadi Thadri as they say. On this day,  we eat food that is cooked a day earlier to please Devi Jog Maya / Sheetla Mata. In my own home, as is the case with most other Sindhi homes, the preparation begins a day earlier with mummy cooking Meetha Lolas, Besani / Namkeen Lolas etc a day earlier for next day consumption . We try to refrain from switching on the gas burner on this day. I personally enjoy eating Meetha / Mitha Lolas so keenly look forward to Thadri each year. In fact, i one of the previous years , i remember having rescheduled my UK trip to ensure I landed back on Thadri day to eat Lolas. 

Thadri Food at Teckchandani Household
(L-R) Chothas, Meetha Lolas, Butter, Raita and Besani/Namkeen Lolas

It is good to see the numbered Sindhi community getting together to celebrate these festivals. Community participation is the key if Sindhiyat is to thrive in the coming decades. My younger sister , Tina tells me about how Maharaj Shashikant was encouraing everyone who went to offer prayers to speak in Sindhi at their homes to preserve and retain our cultural heritage. 

I end with an insightful Sindhi Satsang by Sarvabhauma Prabhu ( Dr. Shishpal Sharma) on the auspicious occassion of Janamashtami. Dada Sahib is a fellow Hindu Sindhi from Pakistan who shifted to India in early 90s and is currently involved with ISKCON movement. He is a qualified medical doctor (MBBS) and belongs to a distinguished family who have been serving  Radha Krishna temple for the last eight generation in Mithi, Sindh, Pakistan. He is presently based in Vrindavan, India  and frequently travels across the world to preach Krishna Consciousness.  I hope you find the Pravachan to be of interest. 

(1) Facebook Live | Facebook

Jai Jhulelal. 

Trip to Vijaywada

Vijaywada is a small town in Andhra Pradesh located on the banks of river Krishna ( Southern part of India) that rose to prominence a few years ago when following the bifurcation of (erstwhile) Andhra Pradesh into Telegana and Andhra Pradesh, it was declared to be the new capital of Andhra Pradesh by the then Chief Minister, Shri. Chandrababu Naidu. However, following the defeat of Mr. Naidu in the last state elections, the fate of this town is largely in limbo as the new elected government is non commital on the city's status as " Capital" of (New) Andhra Pradesh. I had first gone to Vijaywada in 2014 on a day long business trip and remember it as having a "sleepy small town feel" to it. I recently again had a chance to visit Vijaywada to attend my wife  Monica's convocation ceremony. Monica is a trained medical doctor (Ophthalmologist) who recently completed a two year fellowship in Cornea and Refractive Surgery from Sankara Eye Centre located near Vijaywada. It was also a good opportunity for me to meet her colleagues and friends as none of them were able to attend our marriage given COVID restrictions. 

Despite limited air traffic further impacted by COVID, Vijaywada's International Airport was a pleasant surprise with its top notch facilities. I did not expect such a modern airport in the hinterland. I am told that at the moment it operates primarily as a domestic airport given that the only international flight is currently suspended following COVID. I was picked up at the airport by Mr. Arifkhan Mohammad who runs a small taxi business in Vijaywada and whom Monica regularly used for commuting to and fro from the airport. Arif bhai's business too has been substantially hit by the downturn and hence he now self drives the taxis. I will never forget Arif Bhai's " Shaadi Mubarak sahab "greeting at the airport  and his repeated reference to Krishna river as " Daryah". I am not sure about the word Daryah's actual origins but have always associated it to be a Sindhi word for river. In fact, one of the many names of Lal Saeen ( JhuleLal) is also Daryahshah. It was an enjoyable 40 minutes hotel ride with Arif bhai and I am so glad to have met him. 

During our stay, we went to meet Mr. Ramesh Rupchandani and his family who are known to Monica's family. Rupchandani family, originally from Ajmer, have been settled in Vijaywada for the last 40 years and have a flourishing saree business in the town. The vibe at Rupchandani household was that of a typical Sindhi household with Mrs Rupchandani serving us with typical Sindhi breakfast of Yellow Daal -Poori & sanna pakodas among other delicacies . The family speaks fluent Sindhi and knowing about my interest in Sindhiyat, uncle told us about the existance of Vijaywada Sindhi Seva Samiti Trust in Vijaywada which has around 260+ Sindhi families registered as members . Uncle holds an honorary position in the trust and is lovingly referred to by his wife as " Mukhi" given his interest in community activities. Uncle offered to take me to Sindhu Bhavan which unfortunately I had to decline that day given other commitments but did tell him that I might visit it the next day prior to flying out to Delhi. Both Monica and me were discussing on our way back about how the vibe in most Sindhi households irrespective of the location/place is still very similar. It was an absolute pleasure meeting Rupchandani family. I was also surprised to know about the presence of such large number of Sindhi families in interior Andhra Pradesh. 

The next day prior to our return journey, Monica and I did visit Sindhu Samaj located in the central district of Labbipet. Spread over huge area of what seemed like a 400 square yard plot, Sindhu Bhavan consists of a Jhulelal Temple as well as a separate building for hosting social functions. I met Mr. Prem  there who volunteers at the Samaj and looks after its day to day running. The Samaj has a resident Sindhi Brahmin( " Maharaj") who looks after the temple. In the typical spirit of Sindhi secularism , within the temple hall, there is a separate space where Guru Granth Sahib is kept. It reminded me of a traditional Sindhi " tikano". Unfortunately, I do not see any more such shared spaces in Delhi. I am told that as per a local legislation in Delhi, any place where Guru sahib is kept comes under Gurudwara regulations and hence it is not possible to keep idols and Granth sahib together. Shri Prem told me that there are around 260 Sindhi families registered with the trust primarily from Vijaywada with a few of them ( around 6-8 families) from neighboring Guntur region as well. The Samaj has recently been renovated with generous donations from the community. There is a full fledged marriage hall with provision for around 8-10 living rooms. There is also a huge hall on the second floor which can be hired for personal events. The building is fully airconditioned and has an installed lift as well. All major Hindu Sindhi festivals including Holi, Guru Nanak Jayanti, Diwali etc. are celebrated at the Bhavan. 

Jhulelal Mandir, Vijaywada ( July,2021)

Sindhu Bhavan, Vijaywada ( Exterior Structure is being renovated ; July,2021)

Jhulelal Idol at Jhulelal Mandir ( July,2021)

Guru Granth Sahib ( Jhulelal Mandir, July2021)

List of Prominent donors ( July,2021)

Marriage Hall with rooms on the mezannine floor ( July,2021)

Recently renovated function hall on top floor ( June,2021)

Overall the facilities are quite impressive and I was pleased to see such a thriving community in Vijaywada. Mr. Prem mentioned that most Sindhis in Vijaywada are economically well off and are a close knit community. It is heartening to see the community taking efforts and acting as a cohesive unit to preserve our culture and heritage. I hope and pray that the Sindhi community in Vijaywada continues to prosper. 

I end with this link to Saeen Saral Roshan's melodious rendition of " Pere Pavandi Saan" written by Shah Abdul Latif Sahib. I hope you like it. 

(23744) Saral roshan great style sindhi song pere pawandi - YouTube

 Take care and Stay Safe. 

Jai Jhulelal. 

Promoting Sindhi Identity

The challenge of how we connect the younger generation of Sindhis to " Sindhiyat "  has been in existence for the last many decades and one where in my opinion , we as a community have failed miserably. Ask a young or even a middle aged Sindhi today to speak about his Sindhi identity for 5 minutes and they are  most likely fail the test. A number of senior community members have tried in their own ways to connect the new generation of Sindhis who are spread across the world and growing up in multicultural environments with their Sindhi roots albeit with limited success. This has always concerned me as for the identity to survive , it is important that it is passed on to the next generation. We have the shining example of Sikh community in particular who have been doing an excellent job in passing on information about their history and culture to the next generation. 

Whilst I can't pinpoint the exact reasons for our limited success, I think the community's emphasis on using Sindhi language as a medium for dissemination of such information probably needs to be relooked at. Whilst Sindhi language is best suited for engaging in conversations on such topics, the sad reality is that we now have an entire generation ( or maybe two) of Sindhis who are unable to communicate in Sindhi. Whilst some of them do understand the language in its very basic form, however, are unlikely to spend time watching / reading content in Sindhi. I have seen this happening in my extended household  and am aware that the same is true for a number of other families too. 

In such a scenario, it may be a good idea to start developing content in Hindi and English which are understood by a majority of the population. The easiest way to do this is to start adding English and Hindhi subtitles in Sindhi videos which can then be disseminated to a wider audience. In addition, there should be a distinct emphasis on creating programs where medium of discussion is English/Hindi. Prominent Sindhi organisations in USA/UK/Canada can good come together and create a series consisting of 15/20 minutes videos each which speak about the community's origins, history, current status etc suited to the requirements of the International Sindhi diaspora. I remember watching a couple of such videos in English produced by Sindhi Sangat where (Late) Mr. Kamlesh Moorjani from Canada used to be the host but unfortunately post his untimely demise such videos doen't seem to be produced any longer. As a community, we need to keep evolving with the changing times and hence need to keep reinventing to suit the needs of the globalized diaspora. As Shah Abdul Latif rightly said " Separation re-unites us even more warmly, than just being together ". 

I end with this lovely Sindhi Kalam sung by Girish Sadhwani, a master of Sindhi and Sufi " gaiki".  I hope you like it as much as I did. 

(20313) "Tosa Muhinji Suhina Sain" By Girish Sadhwani - Promoted by Ram Amarnani On Sindhi Programs - YouTube

Jai Jhulelal !

Inequality amongst Sindhis

 There are numerous online Sindhi shows being telecast these days. Almost every major Sindhi organization runs a live show every week on Facebook. One of the shows that I watch every now and then is a live chat show titled " Sindhi Anmol Ratan ". The show invites  prominent Sindhis from India and all around the world to know more about them as well as discuss future of Sindhiyat. The Host team includes prominent Sindhis like Shri Peter Dhalwani (Pune), Shri Murli Adnani (Mumbai), Shri Gurmukh Jagwani ( Jalgaon), Shri Mohan Soni ( Santiago, Chile) as well as Dr. Bharti Chhabria. It is one of the few shows where the discussions are insightful and the host team seems to be committed to creating a framework to harmonise various efforts to preserve and promote Sindhi identity. Dada Gurmukh in particular is an eloquent speaker and a pleasure to listen to. A paediatrician by training, Dada migrated to India from Karachi  in 1987 and is now settled in Jalgaon. Given his upbringing in Sindh and Sindhi taleem ( Education), he regularly recites Shah, Sachal and Sami verses on the show. At the same time, having active connections in Pakistan as well, he is well aware about the challenges faced by the community on both sides. What I like about the show is that there is an effort to make a difference in the lives of ordinary Sindhis which I believe is quite lacking in the community. 

I have always been curious about likely population of Hindu Sindhis around the world. This is not an easy exercise especially for a scattered community like ours. A fellow Sindhi, Nischay Kalra,* back in 2018 analyzed the census data (2011) published by the Indian government and concluded that there are around 2.7 Million Sindhis in India. These are the individuals who marked Sindhi as their mother tongue during Census recording. I personally think this number is  underestimated as given the current state of Sindhiyat and disappearing Sindhi boli, it is likely that many Sindhis would have marked Hindi/ regional language as their primary language. An interesting statistic highlighted by Nischay is that as per the data, other than Manipur & Mizoram, there are Sindhis in all other states/Union Territories in India. This statistic does show that the entrepreneurial Sindhi is spread all across. 

In one of the recent episodes of "Sindhi Anmol Ratan" show, I heard Dada Jagwani estimate that there are around 8-10 Million Hindu Sindhis in India, around 2.5 Million in Pakistan and another 2.5 Million Hindu Sindhi  disapora spread throughout the world. I think these numbers sound more realistic as I am sure that Hindu Sindhi population is India will be more than twice of that in Pakistan. More importantly, he also mentioned that roughly 30% of Hindu Sindhi population in India is Below Poverty Line ( BPL) / Economically Weaker Section (EWS).  This means that roughly one in three Sindhis is economically backward. This to my mind is a worrying statistic and one that deserves further attention. Unfortunately, as a community, I don't think we are doing enough to help the poor and the marginalized. Over the past few decades, most of our community efforts have centered around identity and culture preservation. There are little/no organized efforts to provide economic and financial assistance to less privileged Sindhis in a meaningful manner. It should therefore not come as a surprise that in Sindhi dominant areas  like Ulhasnagar, one often hears about increasing religious conversion of Hindu Sindhis into other faiths ( primarily Christianity). I hear from friendly sources that easy access to livelihood opportunities, sustenance allowance etc. play an important role in the conversion. To be honest, for someone who is not able to make daily ends meet, cultural identity, religion etc. are plain "abstract" concepts and serve no useful purpose. 

The financial inequality existing in the community is quite disappointing. On one hand, we have community members regularly being listed amongst the wealthiest in the world whilst on the other hand, we have a sizable number within us who find it difficult to make ends meet. As a community , we do lack organized efforts to provide regular meaningful assistance to our fellow community members. Whilst I appreciate the efforts of many Sindhi Sansthans who in their own little circle of influence are doing a commendable job and it is not the intention of this post to criticize or pass judgments on philanthropic activities being carried out by individuals and/or organizations , however , I do think we need a larger cohesive game plan to tackle this anomaly. In the neighborhood Sindhu Samaj, I understand that Sindhi widows are given some allowance by the Samaj. If I am correct, it used to be INR 500 per month which has now been revised to INR 1,000 per month. Quite frankly, this is woefully inadequate as in today's day and times, we need to provide at least 10X this amount for individuals to be able to afford a basic meal on a daily basis. Similar is the case with Migrant Sindhi refugees who are left all alone in these difficult times as most of the assistance received from sources is ad-hoc and grossly inadequate. I must also add that a comprehensive assistance plan should also include helping these individuals find suitable job opportunities as well. For a number of migrants, getting access to even low end jobs proves to be quite a daunting task. 

 I do hope Dada Gurmukh and the team succeed in their mission and are able to create a platform via which meaningful assistance can be rendered to needy Sindhis . The community along with cultural and heritage preservation also needs to take care of its members as without them all efforts to preserve Sindhiyat will be irrelevant. 

I end with this link to a delightful dance performance by Mrs. Anshu Alimchandani Dudia on " Haan Maan Sindhi Aayan" sung by dear Mohit Lalwani. I hope you enjoy this. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lu8L2zuNTM

Jai Jhulelal

*: Link to Nischay Kalra's blogpost is as follows:-

https://medium.com/@NischayKalra/how-many-sindhis-live-in-india-3827a9c98fe7