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Sindhis
سنڌي , सिन्धी

, File:Pankaj gold medal.jpg, L.K. Advani, Pankaj Advani, Karan Johar
Regions with significant populations
Pakistan: 43,842,000  India: 4,890,000
Languages
Sindhi
Religion
Islam, Hinduism,Sikhism & Christianity

Sindhis (Sindhi: سنڌي ) are a Sindhi speaking socio-ethnic group of people originating from Sindh, now a province of Pakistan. Sindhis living in Pakistan are predominantly Muslim but there is a significant number of Hindus Sindhis, and a small minority of Christians. Most Hindu Sindhis migrated to India in 1948, following creation of the Islamic state of Pakistan in 1947. These Hindu Sindhis are presently a small but visible minority in India. There are also small populations of Sindhis in Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia,Nigeria, Europe and the Americas

History

The original inhabitants of ancient Sindh were believed to be aboriginal tribes speaking languages of the Indus Valley Civilization around 3000 BC. The ancient civilization centered around the towns whose modern names are Mohenjodaro and Harappa (both derived from the Sindhi language - the language of the Indus Valley Civilization remains undeciphered).

The Indus Valley Civilization went into decline for reasons that are not entirely known. Their decline coincided with the arrival of Aryan tribes from Central Asia. The Indo-Aryans are believed to have founded the Vedic Civilization that have existed between Sarasvati River and Ganges river around 1500 BC. This civilization helped shape subsequent cultures in the South Asia.

Muslim travelers, specifically the great Persian scholar Abū Rayhān Bīrūnī (Al-Beruni) in his book Kitab-ul-Hind, has declared that even before the advent of Islam into Sindh (711 A.D.), the Sindhi was prevalent in Sindh. It was not only widely spoken but written in different scripts. Al-Beruni has described many Sindhi words and reached the conclusion that the language, though widely spoken, had a limited vocabulary at that time.

Sindh was often the final stop for Persians, Greeks, Arabs, Turks and Pashtuns travellers. This gave Sindh a distinct and unique culture even before the arrival of Islam.

Because of its location at the Western edge of South Asia, Sindh was one of the earliest regions in the Indian subcontinent to be influenced by Islam. It was part of the Islamic empires of the Abbasids and Umayyids. Muslim technocrats, bureaucrats, soldiers, traders, scientists, architects, teachers, theologians and Sufis flocked from the rest of the Muslim world to the Islamic Sultanate in Sindh. Sufi missionaries played a pivotal role in converting millions of native Sindhis 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.

Partition and mass exodus of Hindu Sindhis

In 1947, with the departure of the British from India, the state of Pakistan was created out of the Muslim-majority provinces of British India. All of Sindh was allotted to Pakistan. According to the 1941 census, 25% of the population of the province of Sindh was Hindu, about 23% was made up of Sindhi Baloch tribes and nearly one-third was made up of descendants of Muslim conquerors, administrators and missionaries who were mainly naturalized Arabs, Persians, Afghans and Turks (including the Mughals), who had assimilated with native Sindhis. Most of the Hindu Sindhis were city dwellers and were largely occupied with trade and commerce. They were responsible for export of products made in Sindh and contributed significantly to the economy of Sindh. A number of Sindhi Hindus opted to remain in Sindh even after Partition, because there was no history of conflict between Hindu and Muslim Sindhis. However, when waves of Muslim refugees from India (known as Muhajirs) started to pour into Sindh, violence erupted on the streets. Many Hindu Sindhis were forced to flee Sindh leaving everything behind. Popati Hiranandani, a Sindhi Hindu writes in her autobiography that the local police were complicit in the anti-Hindu violence.. After the mass exodus of Hindus, their property was taken over by Mohajirs, making it impossible for them to return. These Hindus were settled in refugee camps in India, and went on to assimilate into the local population, mainly in Western India. The city of Ulhasnagar in Maharashtra, India presently houses a large number of Hindu Sindhis.

Present Day

The influx of Pashtun and Punjabi immigrants to Karachi and other parts of Sindh caused a great deal of resentment among the local Sindhi population. In 1972 the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz movement was founded by G M Syed. The aim of this movement was the liberation of Sindh and ethnic Sindhis from Pakistan. G M Syed was placed under house arrest until his death on 25th April 1995. In spite of this, 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 led to a renewal in separatist activity..

Ethnic divisions

Sindhis are an Indo-Aryan language speaking people who have been modified by mainly Iranian, Turkic, Afghan and indigenous tribal populations over time. As a result of their geographic location and countless invasions and migration, the Sindhis display a wide variety of phenotypes.

As regards the composition of the Sindhi population the two main stocks that inhabit Sind are related to, and common, one with the Punjab and another with Balochistan. The majority stock is that of Rajputs and Jats who are the partial descendants of Sakas, Kushans and Huns who also constitute the majority of the population of the Punjab. The title Huna, i.e. Huns, remains in use by some clans and is possibly a reference to this partial ancestral lineage. During Kalhora rule a number of Jat tribes such as the Sials, Joyas and Khawars came from the Punjab and settled in Sindh. They are called Sirai i.e., people from the north, and speak Siraiki, a group that overlaps and is sometimes considerable transitional between the Punjabis and Sindhis.

The two main Rajput tribes of Sind are: the Samma, a branch of the Yadav Rajputs who inhabit the eastern and lower Sind and Bahawalpur; and the Sumra who, according to the 1907 edition of the Gazetteer are a branch of the Parwar Rajputs. Among others are the Bhuttos, Bhattis, Buriros, Lakha, Sahetas, Lohanas, Mohano, Dahars, Indhar, Chachar, Dhareja, Rathors, Dakhan, Langah etc. The Mohano tribe is spread over Makran, Sindh and southern Punjab. They are also identified with the 'Mallah' of the Punjab and both have in common a sub-section called Manjari. All of these Sindhi tribes are known under the common nomenclature of Sammat and includes both Muslim and Hindu Sindhis.

The smaller stock is that of Balochi tribes settled in various parts of Sindh mostly during the last five hundred years or so. Since they were martial people and ruled over Sindh for some time before the arrival of the British, they acquired vast lands in the province with the result that a large number of present-day Sindhi landlords are of Baloch origin. According to the 1941 census, which was the last one held before independence, Balochis formed 23% of the total Muslim population of Sindh. Among the Balochi tribes inhabiting Sindh are the Rind, Dombki, Jakharani, Leghari, Lashari, Chandio, Karmati, Korai, Jatoi, Burdi, Khosa, Jamali, Umrani, Bugti, Marri, Mazari, Talpur, Brohi, Nizamani, Buledhi, Karrani, Bozdar, Nukharni, Rahu and Magsi. These tribes are spread over Balochistan, Sindh and the south-western districts of the Punjab. This group is almost entirely Muslim.

A third sub-stock of the Sindhi population comprises the partial descendants (or claimants) of Muslim conquerors, administrators and missionaries who were mainly Arabs, Persians, Afghans and Turks (including the Mughals). They are a small minority settled in cities and towns and have largely blended with the other components of the population and yet maintain something of a sub-culture and are often referred to as Ashraf or the noble descendants of Muslim immigrants with a certain degree of prestige in society. Of this third element, Muslim Arabs have possibly contributed the most to the development of the modern Sindhi language and literature and to the advancement of its intellectual and cultural activities.

Another group of people who are largely overlooked in any discussions about groups and culture of Sindh are Haris a name derived from the term Harijan formerly used to describe Dalit people of India. These people are generally believed to be the descendants of indigenous populations that were enslaved by various invading people. Many are still living under abject poverty and in slave like conditions in rural Sindh, because of the benign neglect and only nominal efforts by the government to improve the situation. Some are nominally Hindus where as others have converted to Islam and moved on as artisans and wage laborers.

The last group of immigrants are the Urdu speaking Muhajirs.

Islamic Sindhi culture is a combination of Islamic traditions and local traditions with variances that include an adherence to a Muslim diet, i.e. Halal. Sindhi culture also absorbed considerable Arab cultural influence as well as that of the Iranian Baloch who still comprise a significant minority that have assimilated well with the Sindhis. Sindh is home to the Hindus who have remained in Pakistan as well as other religious groups such as Parsis. Muslim Sindhis tend to follow the Sunni sect, but Shia Muslims are a substantial minority.

Culture and society of Sindh

Muslim Sindhis

Dress

Most Sindhi women in Pakistan are still very traditional, 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.

Names

Muslim Sindhis tend to have traditional Muslim names, but sometimes with localized variations.

Hindu Sindhis

Cuisine

Koki, kadhi, dal pakwan are popular Sindhi dishes.

Names

Sufism

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.

Hindus of the diaspora Sindhi community also practice elements of Sufism in their day to day life. Jhulelal, the Sufi pioneer of Sindh is revered by both Hindus and Muslims.

Notable Sindhis

Politics

Pakistan's political scene is dominated by Sindhi politicians like Sain G M SyeedA Symbol of nationalism in SINDH, 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.

Lal Krishna Advani, a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party in India is also Sindhi.

Before partition, important Sindhi politicians included Darya Khan Rind, Raja Dahir, Hoshu Sheedi and Hemu Kalani.

Entertainment

A number of Sindhis became prominent in Bollywood. They include actors Aftab Shivdasani, Dalip Tahil, Sadhna, Babita, Sangeeta Bijlani, Hansika Motwani, Preeti Jhangiani and Asrani; director Karan Johar, Tarun Mansukhani, Rajkumar Hirani, Nikhil Advani and Govind Nihalani; producers Ritesh Sidhwani, Jatin Lalwani and Ramesh Taurani; and musicians Ehsaan Noorani and Vishal Dadlani.

Notable television actors Hiten Tejwani, Shilpa Saklani and Kitu Gidwani are also Sindhi.

See also

• Sindhi literature
• Sindhi music
• Sindhi poetry
• Sindhi language media in Pakistan

References

1. Population Census Organization, Government of Pakistan - Population by Mother Tongue
2. Ethnologue report for India
3. Popati Hiranandani, one of the best-known Sindhi women writers, born in 1924 in Hyderabad, Sind
4. Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz
5. G. M. Syed - A national leader of the Sindhi people who struggled for human rights, democracy, secularism and freedom of Sindh
6. The Destabilization of Pakistan

• Sindhi people