Plight of the Sindhis
by Shewak Nandwani
Reproduced from Sindh-L

Dear Friends,

It was indeed a good news to hear that Bhagwan Gidwani has been declared as No.2 top-winner among the Best Indian Novelists of the Century in the Poll organized by www.Meghdutam.com in collaboration with the Indian Newspapers.

It indeed is a very good news for all Sindhis. I cannot forget his Key Note address at a Sindhi Sammellan. I was not there but I have read about it in one of the Indian magazines.

I had posted an article a few weeks ago about the exodus of Sindhis from Pakistan. I had mentioned that it was due to the negligence of our leaders (specially Sindhi leaders) that we had to suffer so much. I had also mentioned about our roots that we should never ever cut ourselves from our roots. Bhagwan Gidwani clearly states the facts in his address. It is really a great article. As this article is quite long, I have divided the same in two parts. The first part is being posted today and 2nd part will follow tomorrow. It was about ’ Sindhis in Diaspora’ Gidwani clearly explained that presently , a Sindhi in Pakistan- be he a Hindu or Muslim- has hardly any political right and freedom. His economic opportunities are severely limited. He faces discrimination at all levels; his language, Sindhi, is under continuous suppression- and he is considered as a second class citizen, inferior to the Punjabi overlord ad inferior also to refugees from Bihar and U.P. who were discouraged from settling in Punjab, but encouraged to pour into Sind, turning Sindhis into a minority in their own homeland. Sind today is like a COLONY of Pakistan. Pakistan does NOT care (and as contempt for) SINDHI ethos, aspirations and culture. Recalling the perpetration times, Gidwani pointed out that Hindus and Muslims remained together in Sind without tensions, without bitterness, and if at times a few quarrels erupted, they were settled quickly as in a family. "Every living family quarrels at times. It is only the dead who never quarrel". He added that it was necessary to recall attention to those good relations between Hindus and Muslims of Sind, if only to inform our youngsters of the cultural background in which their parents lived before this Diaspora. Religious fanaticism was as foreign to Sindhi Muslims as it was to Sindhi Hindus. Normally out of mutual consideration, Sindhi Muslims would not eat beef , and Hindus avoided pork. Muslim spiritual seekers went with Hindu Yogis on pilfrimage to Hindu Holy places. Muslims joined in song and dance, and listened to Bhagat Kanwar Ram in ecstasy as he sang "Oh Naaley Alakahjay bero taar munhijo" (Lord keep my boat afloat).

Gidwani added , "In my student days, at Sadhbela at Sukkur, in Sind, I saw Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto- he was known as Zulfie then. He was at a Langar- the community meal of Sadhbela, and I also saw him taking away a little Halwa, which was served with the meal. He could not have bee there just for the free meal, for he was always flush with money. Maybe he was there to render thanks for a wish fulfilled, or to seek blessings for a wish for the future. I don;t know. I sat with him, exchanged greeting, for like many of us, I had enjoyed the hospitality of his household at Larkana, but certainly did not ask him why he was at Sadhbela. Recently , s South Indian friend questioned me; How come, no one asked Bhutto, why he was there? Only a non-Sindhi would ask such a question. for us, it was not too uncommon in Sindh to see Hindus in Durgahs and Muslims at Hindu holy places.

Explaining the bonds, Gidwani explained that Sindhi Muslims accepted our ancient heritage of Mohan Jo daro as their own. When Muslims from India poured into Sind, bent on loot and massacre, it was Sindhi Muslims who protected Hindus.

Gidwani recalled an incident when an early train of Sindhi refugees arrived from interior of Sindh into Karachi, to catch a ship to Bombay. Muslim mobs from Bihar, U.P, Punjab, who had poured into Sind, viewed them with greed and lust. Sindhi refugees felt fear and were dispirited, but a young girl among the refugees prayerfully started a song and then the entire trainload of Sindhis joined in- :Rakhiyen muinjha Dholna, aiba na pholna, nagra nimaniya ja jeeven teeven palana" (Lord! You are the protector; overlook my faults, and somehow protect the helpless). The song raised he morale of Sindhi refugees, but more so, it became rallying cry for Sindhi Muslims to form protective guard around Sindhi refugees, so that no one dared molesting them- and this went on for many trains that followed.

Gidwani added that this song had been sung by Nimano Fakir to spread Sachal Sarmast’s message of universal love and brotherhood. Sachal was an immortal Sindhi poet, a Muslim, named Abdul Wahab, but listening to his poetry of love and brotherhood of Hindus and Muslims under one single benevolent God, you would not know whether he was a Hindu or a Muslim.

He spoke of the poetry of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, who was the greatest poet of Sind, in modern times, and quoted from his Sur Ramkali- devoted to Hindu yogis in which Bhittai says:

"Yogis respond to an ancient , timeless call -a- call given well before Islam... Their hearts are with Rama, and for them joy is the same as sorrow and they offer Aarti with tears of blood.... Go, be a Yogi, forget your attachments, follow the Guru and proceed to Hinglaj."

Shah was a great poet ad a yogi at heart who loved Hindu and Muslims alike, though he had no use for mere rituals, "Roza and Namaz, iho bi chango kam"- (they are alright in their own way), he said- but what he urged was that the hearts be filled with love and compassion.

Having explained the distinct social, cultural and literary heritage that Hindus and Muslims of Sind shared, Gidwani turned to the 50 years of Diaspora itself, to count its gains and losses-- As individuals, Sindhis have done brilliantly well. In the field of education, Sindhi Hindu is over-taking every other community, and is the best educated community in the world. If the computation is on per capita basis. Every Sindhi, now, is of course literate, and in younger generation Sindhis- male and female- there is a virtual explosion, and we have more Computer engineers, Masters of Business Administration, post-graduate scholars, researches, lawyers, doctors and such like, than any other community, on per income capita basis. "And our girls? they are getting ahead of our boys in education. And that is as it should be."

But the far greater explosion this Diaspora, according to Gidwani, is in the economic and financial prosperity of the Sindhis. Not only in Bombay, the main Sindhi center, but everywhere, Sindhis are doing great in business, industry and diverse professions. We have now the multi-millionaires in dollar terms in hundreds among Sindhis, and their number is rising. Some have even said that the partition was a blessing in disguise as it ushered in new opportunities to Sindhis. But Gidwani held that view to be totally wrong. He explained that in a free independent India, with the British gone, and India able to interact with the world, with globalization on its way, with Sindh the a part of India, with its own provincial Government, and Sindhi legislature, and Sindhi influence in politics, public administration, and on the financial and social fabric of entire undivided India- surely, width all that, our opportunities would have been far, far greater, ad more exciting. However, a tribute to Sindhi genius was due, that inspite of exile from homeland, Sindhis have managed to keep their head well above the water.

Even so, Gidwani’s feeling was that Sindhis have achieved far less than their real potential. And if we have achieved an edge in education and some kind success in business and industry, we have to remember someone of our pre-existing advantages. As it is, Sindhi business houses were prominent abroad, well before partition. Many Sindhis had personal & business contact and accounts in India. That helped some fortunate Sindhis, but their percentage is small. Most Sindhis came, and impoverished, robbed of all they had. They too had an advantage. They had one friend in India- perhaps only one friend- and no more. That friend was Mahatma Gandhi.

Gandhiji understood the history and heritage of Sindh, which most Indians and even Sindhis have forgotten. And when Sindhi Hindu was being forced out of Sind, he wanted immediate arrangements to resettle Sindhi refugees. Many in India seemed to argue- "But Bapuji, you wanted no Hindu or Muslim exodus. Why then special arrangements for refugees?" A clever argument worthy of a fox in a fable, but without substance, and without sensitivity. What Gandhiji sought was independence without Partition. Others betrayed him, and accepted Partition. But on refugee problem, Gandhiji was inflexible. He repeated, " I am a Sindhi". It was like what John. F. Kennedy would say, many years later at Berlin wall, " I am a Berliner."; and in a pointed dig, Gandhiji added, "if there can be war over Kashmir, why not war over rights of Sindhi Hindus?" He was speaking of the plight of Sindhi Hindus in Pakistan, but the message was crystal to Indian leadership, to whom Kashmir was personal and emotional, near to their heart, while Sind or Sindhis meant nothing. It was Gandhiji’s help, then,that ushered a spirit of accommodation in India. Gandhiji intervened, exhorted and telephoned the Indian leaders and men in influence, until facilities for Sindhi refugees began.

Gidwani found it strange that in pre-partition times, Sindhis used to respect , admire and adore great leaders from India. Yet when Pakistan came, except Gandhiji, everyone was reluctant to help the Sindhis. " Do not ask why I light a candle on Gandhiji’s birthday", says Gidwani, and added that Gandhiji gave us a start. If he had lived, he would have helped. Sindhis to achieve political representation in India. Without that, Sindhis reach their full potential. For the rest, Gidwani said, the Sindhi spirit has kept us afloat. And in this Diaspora we are at stage when wealth, education, influence and opportunities of Sindhi are rising. But the question was; who is rising? Sindhis as individuals, or Sindhi community as a whole? The stark reality, according to Gidwani, is that in the midst of all this progress, the community as an entity is disappearing. Sindhi culture is fading away; our children will know nothing of it. Sindhu language is vanishing; our youngsters will know little of it. Even knowledge, that Sind was our homeland, and sustained us for centuries, will loose all the impact for our younger generation.