Sindhi people
| Sindhis سنڌي सिन्धी |
|---|
| Total population |
|
About 65 million |
| Regions with significant populations |
 Pakistan: 43,842,000[1] |
| Languages |
| Sindhi, Hindi, Urdu |
| Religion |
| Islam, Hinduism |
Sindhis (Sindhi: سنڌي ) are a Sindhi speaking socio-ethnic group of people originating in Sindh in Pakistan. Sindhis that live in Pakistan are predominantly Muslim but there are also smaller minorities of Hindus and Christians. Many Sindhis immigrated to India at the time of independence in 1947 due to the Persecution of Hindus in Pakistan, although some remained in Pakistan.
History
The original inhabitants of ancient Sindh were believed to be aboriginal tribes speaking languages related to Munda languages. The Dravidian culture blossomed over the centuries and gave rise to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient Sindh (now in present-day Pakistan) around 3000 BC. The Indus Valley Civilization went into decline; historians cannot agree on the cause of the decline, but some theories include invasion of Indo-Aryan tribes from Eastern Europe or the change in the course of the Indus River.
The ancient civilization of what came to be known as Mohenjodaro and Harappa both derive their modern location names from the Sindhi language as opposed to the language of the Indus Valley Civilization which remains undeciphered.
In Sindhi, Moen means "dead people", Jo means "of," and Daro means "mound," so it (Moen-Jo-Daro) means mound of the dead. Due to the geographical location of this city, it was prone to being flooded. One such calamity saw the entire city flooded and remained under water for a long time, buried under mountains of sand. A branch of the Aryan invaders called the Indo-Aryans are believed to have founded the Vedic Civilization that have existed between Sarasvati River and Ganges river around 1500 BC and also influenced Indus Valley Civilization. This civilization helped shape subsequent cultures in the South Asia.
Muslim travelers, specifically the great Persian scholar Abū Rayhān Bīrūnī in his book 'Kitab-ul-Hind', has declared that even before the advent of Islam into Sindh (711 A.D.), Sindhi was prevalent in Sindh. It was not only widely spoken but written too in different scripts. Al-Beruni has described many Sindhi words leading to the conclusion that Sindhi was widely spoken and poor in vocabulary in his times.
Sindh was often the final stop for Middle Eastern and Central Asian empires such as the Persians, Greeks, Arabs, Turks and Pashtuns this gave Sindh a distinct and unique culture even before the arrival of Islam.
The site of historical activity, Sindh was at the crossroads of civilization sitting at the edge of South Asia. Sindh was also one of the regions to become predominantly Muslim and was part of the earliest Islamic empires of the Abbasids and Umayyids. The Muslim technocrats, bureaucrats, soldiers, traders, scientists, architects, teachers, theologians and Sufis flocked from the rest of the Muslim world to Islamic Sultanate in Sindh. The Muslim Sufi missionaries played a pivotal role in converting the millions of native people to Islam. Settled by Turks, Pashtuns, and Mughals, Sindh continued to evolve as a frontier state and by the time of British colonial occupation was ruled by Baloch kings.
In 1947, Pakistan and India attained independence. Nearly 7 million Muslims from India migrated to Pakistan while nearly equal number of Hindus and Sikhs from Pakistan migrated to India. The Muslim refugees (known as Muhajirs from India settled in most urban areas of Sindh. While the Hindu Sindhis settled in India and later migrated to other parts of the world. A Sindhi community lives in the city of Ulhasnagar, Maharashtra, India.
Aspirations of the Sindhis before the Partition
Sindhis are predominantly Sufis who believe in harmony and tolerance in the matter of religion. Before the partition of India, the majority of Sindhis consistently voted against candidates supporting Pakistan. Although the British colonialists used their considerable power and influence to support the pro-Pakistan candidates in 1946, such candidates succeeded in obtaining only about 40% of the popular vote.
By gerrymandering the electorate, the colonialists managed the election of a majority in the Sindh Assembly which favored joining Pakistan. The Sindhi vote for Pakistan was also facilitated by the now famous 'Lahore Resolution' passed by the Muslim League -- this resolution promised "autonomy and sovereignty of constituent units" and "protection of religious minorities". Sindhis have strongly resented Pakistan, whose policies since inception have been the very anti-thesis of both these principles[3]
.
Partition and mass exodus of Hindu Sindhis
In 1947 when the British left. Pakistan was created by the Partitioning of India. All of Sindh was allotted to Pakistan. In 1947, Sindh had 25 per cent population that were Sindhi Hindus. According to the 1941 census, about 23% of Sindh was populated by Baloch tribes and nearly one-third by partial descendants (or claimants) of Muslim conquerors, administrators and missionaries who were mainly Arabs, Persians, Afghans and Turks (including the Mughals), thus making Hindu Sindhis the minority. Most of the Hindu Sindhis were city dwellers and were largely pre-occupied with trade and commerce. They were responsible for export of products made in Sindh and contributed significantly to the economy of Sindh. When Partition of India occurred Sindhi Hindus expected to remain in Sindh. Generally, there was good relation between Hindu Sindhis and Muslim Sindhis. When large waves of Mohajirs started to pour into Sindh, violence erupted on the streets. The Hindu Sindhis were forced to flee Sindh leaving everything behind. Popati Hiranandani who was a Sindhi Hindu tells in her autobiography[4] that the Police were merely onlookers when violence erupted and they did not protect the Hindu community. Many Hindu Sindhis wanted to return to their native Sindh, when the violence settled down, but this was not possible. Property belonging to the Hindus was given to the Mohajirs. The Hindu Sindhis faced many hardships in India living in refugee camps, but the Hindu Sindhis worked themselves out of poverty earning the Sindhi community much admiration and respect. The Hindu Sindhis are now scattered through out the world and feel like a stateless people and regard Sindh as their roots.
Current
Since Partition native Sindhis have resented the influx of Pashtun and Punjabi immigrants to Karachi. In 1972 the Jeay Sindh Hulchal or Jeay Sindh movement was founded by Saeen G M Syed. The motto of this movement to get liberation of Sindh and ethnic Sindhis from Pakistan. G M Syed was put under house arrest until his death on 25th April 1995[5]. Nonetheless, traditional Sindhi families remain prominent in Pakistani politics, especially the Bhutto dynasty. In recent years Sindhi dissatisfaction has grown over issues such as the construction of large dams, perceived discrimination in military and government jobs, provincial autonomy and overall revenue shares. The assassination of Benazir Bhutto has created conditions which contribute to the ongoing "destabilization and fragmentation of Pakistan as a Nation".[6] Bashir Khan Qureshi is the current Chairman of JSQM[7] or Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz.
Culture and society of Sindh
Sindhi women in Pakistan are still very traditional overall, but many wear very colorful clothes, while donning a Chador on their heads; men traditionally wear white and/or blue clothes and sometimes wear turbans or a traditional Sindhi cap on their heads. This, however, has changed in cities where some more devout women can be seen wearing the Hijab, while the Shalwar Qameez and Western clothing have become common for men.
Muslim Sindhis tend to have traditional Muslim names, but sometimes with localized variations. Some famous Sindhis include the Bhutto family, who are a Sindhi political dynasty in Pakistan, and Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai who was a writer of Sindhi poetry.
Sindhi Surnames
Unlike other Hindus of India, who have a 'gotra', Sindhis often have a 'nukh', which means roots. This is much of the reason why Hindu Sindhi surnames end in 'ani'- which means 'anshi', derived from the Sanskrit word 'ansh', which means 'descendence'. So if someone returned or came from Georgia, his nukh would be 'jeorus', and his surname could be coined after the family head's name (subject to change every seven generations), eg: your family head 7 generations back had the name: 'Tolaram', then your surname would be TOL-ANI. Same goes for all the ani's in the world. May the person be from Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Anatolia, Armenia or wherever, as this 'ani' is only unique to Sindhi civilization.
Another variation does exist to this norm. Many surnames of northern Sindh eg: (Shikarpur) and Multan (ancient name: Sawarawkistan) end in 'ja', eg: Ahuja, Raheja, Hinduja etc. 'Ja' in Sindhi means 'of', so if a person belonged to the village of 'Junay', then their surname would be 'Juneja'. Now the Question arises, why is there a need to add 'ani' or 'ja' to Sindhi surnames? It's because, post Mahmud Ghaznavi invasion, many Sindhis had escaped. They were called 'Banjaras' in India, Sinti in distant European lands, and 'Sintowee' in Mongolia and China. 'Gypsy' is a term used for them frequently. However, many Sintis awaited the end of Ghaznavid rule, so that they could return back. Many did return back, but many were pushed westwards, and thus have never returned. Those who managed to return are called 'AARYAN', which is a term different to the sanskratic version 'ARYA'.
AARYAN in Sindhi means those who have come back. These tribes added 'ani'(southern sindh) and 'ja' (northern sindh) to their names. Already an Indo-Iranian race, the Sindhi Hindus, once becoming Sintis in distant lands acquiring a range of cultural habits of different cultures, and furthermore with many inter-cultural marriages, the fabric in the race of Sindhis varied tremendously. Different dialects in Sindh were born, and different dressing sense as well. The Aamil Sindhi for example were a cross-breed of Indo-Iranian Sindhis and Alexandrian Greeks, and thus emphasized more on education.
The Bhaibund and Shikarpuri Sindhis, who returned back (Sintis) from Armenia, Turkey and Egypt, brought with them business skills and tactics. There are many more variations in the community, and it is quite difficult to identify who belongs where. Thus, 'nukhs' are the only way to identify one's roots. Furthermore, due to constant upheaval of Sindhis, and further migration and amalgamation with different migrant tribes, a lot has changed, and Sindhi music and dance post Islamization has not remained the same. In such a scenario the Sinti music of the Gypsies can be called the pure sindhi dance and music. Islamization of Sindh further brought about Sufism, which further enhanced the culture of Sindh.
Until today, Hindus of the diaspora Sindhi community practice elements of Sufism in their day to day life. Jhulelal, the Sufi pioneer of Sindh, revered by both Hindus and Muslims, has been much of the reason, why still today the Hindu minority of Pakistan live in Sindh. In fact there is a joint temple and mosque at Oderolal (another name for Jhulelal), based on the emergence of Lord Jhulelal, who appeared from the Sindhu river, and saved the Sindhi Hindus from being persecuted. A lot of the culture of Sindhi Hindus has been eroded, and with the Diaspora of the community, furthermore the essence of the community has been lost. Once again they are gypsies in foreign lands, and can be called 'a community destined to be homeless'.
Sufism in Sindh
Sufism has deep roots in Sindhi culture with many prominent Sindhi Sufis Dargahs all over Sindh. The Sufu mystic poets Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi and Hafiz Shirazi deeply influenced Sindhi Sufis. Notable among them are : Shaheed Shah Inayat Sufi, Shah Abdul Karim Bulri, Makhdoom Bilawal, Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, Saeen Sachal Sarmast, Syed Misri Shah, etc.
Economy
Sindh has became the most industrialized and urbanized province of Pakistan. The head offices of Pakistani companies and regional offices of the international companies are located in Sindh. The Sindhis have been in forefront in the economic development of the province. The new dams and canals have irrigated many thousands of acres of land that were barren. Sindh produces many agricultural products for exports.
The construction of multi-billion projects like the Port of Karachi, Karachi Nuclear Power Plant, Port Qasim, Karachi Shipyard and Pakistan Steel Mills provided hundred of thousands of jobs to the residents of Sindh. The city of Karachi remain the hub of transportation in Pakistan. Karachi is the location of major airport, seaport, railway and land transportation in Pakistan employing hundred of thousands of people.
Politics
The founding father of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was Sindhi. Pakistan's political scene is dominated by Sindhi politicians like Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto, Muhammad Khan Junejo, Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi, Asif Zardari, Muhammad Mian Soomro who served as President, Prime Minister and Senate chairman and major political leaders of Pakistan. While in the province of Sindh. the Sindhis have always dominated the government and its various departments.
Pre-partition National Sindhi heroes include: Darya Khan Rind, Raja Dahir, Hoshu Sheedi, Hemu Kalani.
Lal Krishna Advani a well known politician and a candidate for the prime minister from India is a sindhi.
Education
Education in Sindh is divided into five levels: primary (grades one through five); middle (grades six through eight); high (grades nine and ten, leading to the Secondary School Certificate); intermediate (grades eleven and twelve, leading to a Higher Secondary School Certificate); and university programs leading to graduate and advanced degrees.
The primary, middle and high schools are established in all parts of Sindh providing, Sindhi, Urdu and English medium schools.
The colleges and universities are established in major towns and cities of Sindh. They provide (BA), (BSc) and Bachelor of Commerce / BCom/BBA degree courses. The Medical colleges and Engineering colleges are also established in the major cities of Sindh.
There are many Postgraduate and Research institutes in Sindh providing state of the art education to Sindhi students.
Indian Hindu Sindhis
In 1947, Pakistan and India attained independence. Nearly 7 million Muslims from India migrated to Pakistan while nearly equal number of Hindus and Sikhs from Pakistan migrated to India. Today, Hindu Sindhis are predominantly found in India and many later migrated to other parts of the world. Some Hindus still continue living in Sindh (Pakistani Hindus), and it is estimated that Sindh has 2.3 million Hindus.[8]
Indian Sindhis today have re-invented themselves after the mass-scale uprooting and financial losses of Partition in 1947. On the ruins of Old Sindh has arisen a New Sindh, which truly has a Global presence today. Well known Sindhi Industrialists like the Hindujas and Rahejas show the Sindhi businessman embodies that adventurous spirit, that inner strength which has made today's Sindhi a true Citizen of the World.
In India, the Sindhi poet Narain Shyam and fiction writer Mohan Kalpana have led the development of Sindhi literature in India followed on a separate track.
Insight into Hindu Sindhi culture in India
Sindhis are part of one of the most ancient civilizations of the Indian sub-continent. The ancient province of Sindh now forms part of Pakistan but a great number of Hindu Sindhis migrated to India and many other countries of the world; where they have settled comfortably in the higher levels of economic strata and have made a name for themselves as extremely hard working, wealthy and successful people.
Sindhis are a cosmopolitan community and transcend all caste, religious, racial and national barriers. Like most communities in India who live a life full of color, festivity and hospitality, the Sindhis are no exception. Sindhis, who can be Hyderabadis, Khaipuris, Bibands, Aamils or Shikarpuris, generally eat food that consists of the richness and aromas of spices, ghee and exotic masalas. They are fond of wearing colorful rich clothing and jewellery. Partying and socialising is an intrinsic part of the Sindhi lifestyle. They love to be extroverts and enjoy the good life. They celebrate most of the Indian festivals with great pomp and enthusiasm. Though Sindhi food is high on calories and fat, the Sindhis are a health conscious lot. They are equally fond of sweets their favourite being gulab jamoons. Other dishes like the koki, kadhi, dal pakwan, are hot favorites of not only Sindhis, but people from other communities as well. Sindhi entrepreneurs have also been an important catalytic agent of economic development in many areas of India and have come up from scratch to a very respectable living standard all over the world. Common territories world over that Sindhis have migrated to include Spain, Canada, USA, Italy, Cyprus, Casablanca, Dubai, Hong Kong, London. Many are to be found in Sub-Saharan West Africa, where they thrive on local businesses.
Sindhis in Bollywood
The famous Sindhis in Bollywood include: Govinda Ahuja, Aftab Shivdasani, Karan Johar, Tarun Mansukhani, Ritesh Sidhwani, Rajkumar Hirani , Dalip Tahil, Shiny Ahuja, Jatin Lalwani, Ramesh Taurani, Nikhil Advani, Sadhna, Babita, Sangeeta Bijlani, Preeti Jhangiani, Kitu Gidwani, Hansika Motwani, Aarti Chhabria, Ramesh Sippy, G. P. Sippy, Rohan Sippy, Ramsay Brothers, Govind Nihalani, Vishal Dadlani and comedian Asrani.
See also
- Sindhi literature
- Sindhi music
- Sindhi poetry
- Sindhi language media in Pakistan
References
- ↑ Population Census Organization, Government of Pakistan - Population by Mother Tongue
- ↑ Ethnologue report for India
- ↑ www.freesindh.org, A non-profit organisation funded by Sindhi-Americans solving problem faced by Sindhis living in Sindh
- ↑ Popati Hiranandani, one of the best-known Sindhi women writers, born in 1924 in Hyderabad, Sind
- ↑ G. M. Syed - A national leader of the Sindhi people who struggled for human rights, democracy, secularism and freedom of Sindh
- ↑ The Destabilization of Pakistan
- ↑ Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz
- ↑ Hinduism in Pakistan