The Evolution of ‘The Sindhi’

Many are aware of the tragic history of Sindhis, especially when a large number of them lost their homes and lives during the partition. Fleeing with nothing more than the shirts on their backs, they were forced to gamble with their mortality and their families as they boarded the trains that took them across the border into newly formed India. Once there, life began for them anew. The wealth and status they enjoyed almost moments ago were nothing more than a fading memory as they were driven down to near pauper-dom.

 

Starting from scratch, they only had their wits and a few contacts, if they were lucky, to rely on. With business savvy and in some cases, through questionable means, Sindhis all around the world gradually began to prosper and make their mark on the world. Scarred by haunting memories of overnight loss, they valued money more than ever and made it work for them. Long before Robert Kiyosaki published the infamous ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad,’ there was The Sindhi Dad, who was actually making it happen.

 

Sindhis had spread far and wide and established themselves in every corner of the globe. The running joke was that Sindhis were in more places than AT&T had connections! The resolve and fortitude they needed along with the sacrifices they made to achieve what they had, was truly something to marvel at and admire.

 

Still, Sindhis too are human and a majority of them fell victim to the allure of society and its fickle rules. Parents encouraged their kids to join the family business or enrol in a reputable profession connected with wealth such as banking. We’ve all come across couples who proudly stated ‘My son is a banker!’ However, if you ever asked them which department in banking, they hadn’t the slightest clue!

 

The fragile sticker of status which was shrouded by ever changing requirements had one constant, wealth! The loose belief was the wealthier you were, the better your family was. However, there was and is only one Achilles heel, scandal! The higher a family climbed the social ladder into the limelight via the accumulation of wealth, the more of society’s snakes sought to bring them and their reputation down. The slightest scent of scandal was enough to start a wildfire! Notorious B.I.G. said it best in his 1997 single entitled ‘More Money, More Problems.’

 

As the saying goes, ‘The only constant in life is change,’ and like everything else, Sindhis too must evolve. The younger generation are now encouraged to follow their own paths and as a result, not every one is a ‘banker’. Not only do we have more Sindhis than ever in professional fields such as engineering, medicine and law, but we even have many venturing in to the arts. Kavita Daswani, author of ‘For Matrimonial Purposes,’ was one such Sindhi that broke the mould and ventured into unconventional territory and succeeded! I’m sure her parents proudly state their daughter is a writer and for a refreshing change, can even recite the books she has written

 

Further evidence of evolution comes from a more tragic realm. Once considered taboo and unfathomable, broken engagements and divorces are now common practice in our society. Undoubtedly these are tragic occurrences, but there was a time when families wouldn’t accept such an act. Our history is littered with numerous appalling stories where individuals stayed in abusive, loveless marriages with cheating spouses. The fact that individuals choose to take society and its judgemental eyes head on and do what is best for them, in spite of the stigma attached, is reminiscent of the resolve and fortitude exhibited by our forefathers.

 

For the longest time, Sindhis were one of the last few cultures that consisted of purely heterosexual community, or so we were led to believe. Today there are over 60 million homosexuals in the world, that’s roughly 10% of the world’s population. Are we to believe that a miniscule portion of this figure doesn’t include our brethren? Today, more Sindhis are coming out of the tijori and are embracing their sexuality with pride while ignoring the taboo attached to it since the dawn of time. In fact, homosexuality was so unthinkable there isn’t even a word for it in Sindhi!

 

Our ancestors adopted strict views on the bloodline of their family to such an extent that Bhaibands could only marry fellow Bhaibands and Amuls with Amuls. Cross breeding was frowned upon and in most cases was not allowed. In this day and age, we witness a new mentality where not only mixed sect/class marriages are common, but mixed race marriages are accepted.

 

Each day, more Sindhis are choosing what makes them happy, choices which are ironically already acceptable in the rest of the world, over the constraints that were put forth as the norm by society. However, with evolution comes the perils of extinction and in this case, the Sindhi language is paying the price. Already diluted over generations, Sindhi is spoken less and less by the younger community and many fear that it’s only a matter of time before it’s a forgotten language. The fact that only a relative few can read and write Sindhi supports the fear felt across the community.

 

As the world turns, Sindhis continue to evolve and while we are approaching Satya Yuga, we can only hope for the betterment of us as individuals and as a community. The fact that many are breaking free from the shackles of society to live their lives is a step in the right direction. However, knowing that in evolving we risk losing our mother tongue is a sad burden to bear. So, in trying to keeping Sindhi alive, I sign off in the manner which most of the elders end a phone call….

 

….chungo, chungo. Po ta galaynu