[🇵🇰] History of Sindhis

[Ghazi52]

At the exhibition, a hand-filled claim form—case no 405 of 1951 by Seth Naraiandas Hiranand—is displayed prominently with images of a Shikarpur haveli left behind.

Another map of Sindh shows different regions marked by patterns of Ajrak, a traditional block printing technique believed to be from the era of Mohenjo Daro.

Peengho, a swing part of Sindhi households | Rama Lakshmi, ThePrint


Other artefacts include family belongings such as a Bukhara carpet, and peengho—a traditional wooden Sindhi swing. The exhibition said that many families miss their family peenghos, which were too big and heavy to carry when they were fleeing Pakistan. A gentleman’s red velvet vanity case, haveli doors, prayer books and Jhule Lal shrines, wedding saris, wedding announcements and photographs, line cupboards with Roman design sliding doors, nose ring, braid decorations, lacquered bowls and vases, and metal traveling trunks.

A gentleman’s red velvet vanity case, wedding saris and other artefacts | Rama Lakshmi, ThePrint


The exhibition also featured a clip from Abana (1956), the first Sindhi-language film, capturing the refugees’ spirit of resilience.

But the difficulty of belatedly collecting Sindhi Partition-related artefacts is not lost on the community.

“It’s very hard to find. Most homes probably have one photograph. They have nothing, they came with nothing,” said curator Aruna Madnani, who is the founder of the Sindhi Culture Foundation.

 

[Ghazi52]

Designed sliding doors | Rama Lakshmi, ThePrint


Pratibha Advani, a former media professional and the daughter of BJP leader LK Advani, recounted the story of how her father rolled up two or three sets of clothes in a towel and crossed over to the other side of the newly drawn, blood-stained border.

The organisers said the exhibition was just a small, first step. They hope it will grow into a resource hub for community conversations, reconciliations, and exchanging ideas about heritage preservation.

Jhule Lal shrine at the exhibition | Rama Lakshmi, ThePrint


“There’s a lot more to be done. This is just a beginning,” said Jitu Virwani, Chairman and Managing Director, Embassy Group, and a donor. He spoke about a 40-acre complex called the Jhulelal Tirathdham that is being developed in Bhuj, Gujarat. It will include a larger Sindhi community cultural centre and museum.

Cover image: The Sindhis who came to India didn’t just lose a house or farm or jewellery. They lost an entire homeland forever | Rama Lakshmi, ThePrint

 

[ThunderCat]

Sindhis are inhabitants of Sind (or Sindh), the region of arid plains and deserts located along the lower course of the Indus River as it flows on its journey from the Himalayas to the Arabian Sea. Both the terms Sindhi and Sind are derived from "Sindhu," the ancient name of the Indus. Modern Sindhis are descendants of the many peoples who have settled in the area from earliest times.

The Indus is central to the history of the Sindhis. It was along this river that the Harappan (or Indus Valley) civilization developed during the 3rd millennium bc. Usually identified with Dravidian peoples, this sophisticated urban culture matched the achievements of Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt. The Harappans left an archeological record of contemporary life in Sind, but we know less of the centuries following their decline.

From around 1700 bc onward, successive waves of Aryan invaders entered the Indian subcontinent from the northwest. The earliest of these nomadic tribes settled in the Punjab, where the outlines of Hindu Vedic religion and society emerged. This was quite different from urban Harappan culture. It was nonurban, based on the herding of cattle; its religion was dominated by male deities and sacrificial ritual; and its society was organized into a hierarchy of classes (castes), with the Aryans at the top and local non-Aryan peoples at the lowest levels. As the Aryans pressed steadily southward along the Indus Valley, their culture replaced that of the Harap-pans.

The Harappan towns and cities disappeared, with Aryan (Hindu) civilization emerging as the dominant culture of Sind. Subsequently, groups such as the Persians, Greeks, Scythians, and White Huns who entered the region were absorbed into the existing structure of the Aryan-dominated society. During the 3rd and 2nd centuries bc, Sind formed part of the Mauryan Empire. At this time, Buddhism was the main religion in the region, though it was subsequently reabsorbed by Hinduism.

Arabs reached the mouth of the Indus by sea in ad 711 and within a few years gained control of Sind. From this time on, the region was dominated by Muslims and the culture of Islam. Around ad 900, the Arab governors of Sind—at first subject to the Caliph in Baghdad—established their own dynastic rule. Of mixed Arab and local blood, Sumra and Samma chieftains governed for several centuries, eventually being replaced by invaders from Afghanistan between 1518 and 1522.

By the end of the 16th century, Sind was annexed by the Mughals. It remained part of the Mughal Empire until the mid-18th century. Sind was conquered by the British in 1843. (The British General, Sir Charles Napier, in charge of the operation, garnered a degree of notoriety when, after his successful campaign, he sent his superiors the one word dispatch "Peccavi," which is Latin for "I have sinned.")

Sind formed part of the Bombay Presidency of British India until 1937, when it was made a separate province. Following Pakistan's independence, Sind was integrated into West Pakistan in 1955. In 1970 Sind was reestablished as a province of Pakistan.

The usage of the term "Hindu" is misleading. The rest seems fine.

 

[Dogun18]

The usage of the term "Hindu" is misleading. The rest seems fine.

Are you of Sindhi background, Thunder?

 

[Sharma Ji]

Syed Kirmani - Indian cricketer, musalman Sindhi iinw

Lalwani, Mirchandani, Moolchandani, Wadhwani <- I've known folk with these surnames, regular folk, couldn't really spot much of a cultural difference from regular Dilli people, maybe because they were regular Dilli people.. hmm

@Vsdoc .. aao, anthropological waali baatein karein