Re: Her, Pol, Soc: On the makeup of the Sindhi Sammelan in Orlando

[mbhutto <tunio@21STCENTURY.NET>]

Suresh Gajwani wrote:
1. OUR RECENT PATHS ARE DIFFERENT:

> ---------------------------------------------------
>      We, the Hindu Sindhis, have had a different journey in the past 50
> years than our Muslim brothers. Partition was hard on us, since we are
> the ones who had to leave our homeland. We had to resettle in "Foreign"
> countries and make a new life for ourselves. Because of this we have
> been fragmented throughout the world.In order to survive most of us had to
> abandon our Sindhi identity and take over the identity of the community we
> belong to.

It is for your kind perusal that  there are  more than 3.5 million Sindhi
Hindu still  in Sindh. Comrade Sobho Gianchandani gave these facts and
figures,  last year at SANA convention in Chicago. Sindhi Hindus were not
forced to leave. It was their choice.Please go through SaeeN.Gidwani s'
speech, he delivered at Toronto Samelon and  it was posted on Sindh-L two
weeks ago.

> Today, many Sindhi kids are more comfortable with other culture, history
> and language than our own.

It is not their fault because they don't know about our culture and
tradition.They even don't know that they  inherit  one of the  four ancient
and civilized cultures of  the world. 5000 years ago when people in Europe ,
America and Asia were living like animals, our ancestors were living in
planned cities, Pacca houses ( Red Brick Houses), there were drainage
system, Swimming pool, Prayer House ( Stopa) etc.Please visit Mohen jo Daro
site on  internet.

> To make up for this lost time, there is a yearning on many of our
> fragmented brothers and sisters to get together and share thoughts. (The
> Sindhi Sammelan has doubled in participation every year!).

Sindhi Muslims here in The United States, Canada and other countries  are
also fragmented like Sindhi Hindus.

> No one really knows where it is going, but one has to start somewhere.
> And, for this Sammelan, it has started at the level of Hindu Sindhis.

We salute  to the Organizers ( Kaloo Thadhani , Prem Lalvani and others )
for this great job.

>      This is not to discount the many problems faced by our Muslim Sindhi
> brothers in Pakistan. They are serious, but quite different. All of us
> feel bad about it and are willing to help. However, I feel the  chances of
> being able to help are actually higher if each of the two communities
> progress along their different paths and then agree to join
> hands at some time to work on common issues, than if we were forced into
> trying to develop together as one "homogeneous" community.
>

None of  Sindhi  from Sindh ( either Sindhi  Muslim or Hindu ) has made an
appeal  for help. They are fighting on their own, to save Sindh, including
land, culture, people and language. Your struggle is only to save  your
lost  identity under powerful Indian, American and European  cultures.If  we
are really honest to save our culture and language we should have to  save
it in Sindh and Sindh only,  neither  in the United States and Europe nor
in India,  where  survival of  our Sindhi culture( minority of minorities)
under the shadows of  powerful cultures is impossible.

>  2. DIVERGENT SOCIAL INTERESTS:
> ---------------------------------------------------
>      Whether we like it or not, there is little contact between the two
> Sindhi communities in the US or elsewhere. At the micro level, we do not
> socialize together or have many functions in common. The so-called
> "Common Culture" is not a reality in the lives of most Sindhis.

What do you mean by culture ? Do we have different language, literature,
music,  food, living style, friendship and  hospitality  norms ? To the best
of  my knowledge religion is not a part  of culture.

> Hindu Sindhi families are not interested in encouraging their sons and
> daughters to look for Muslim Sindhi mates. I suspect the same is true of
> the Muslim Sindhi families. One of the key goals of a Sammelan is to allow
> kids to meet each other, build friendships, and hopefully find their life
> partners. Mixing the Sammelans from two communities will
> discourage many of the parents to attend, killing the whole idea of
> bringing people with common interests together.  I know this sounds very
> parochial, but it is real. Sweeping it under the rug, for public relations
> purposes, does not solve the problem.

Liking and disliking is a personal matter.If someone s' family  likes to
have American, European or African friend / partner but does not like Sindhi
as a friend / partner because of  he or she is Hindu or Muslim, it is their
psychological problem and narrow mindedness. No one can force them. I  HAVE
PERSONALLY  OBSERVED THAT PEOPLE  FROM BOTH SIDES ARE TIRED OF THAT KIND OF
MENTALITY. WAIT FOR FEW YEARS MORE. OUR NEW GENERATION HAS DIFFERENT
FEELINGS.

>  3. IMMEDIATE GOALS ARE DIFFERENT:
> ---------------------------------------------------
>      Goals change all the time and the goals for the community and the
> Sammelan will change with time also. But the primary goal of the Sindhi
> Sammelan is to bring the Sindhis together. Culture is a clear goal, but
> not necessarily the only goal, or even the primary goal.

Our relationship is because of our culture.If culture disappears or  it  is
no more  our converging point, we do not have a solid reason for
relationship. Then we belong to  the different tribes, casts, classes
colors, cities etc.

>
>
>  4. POLITICAL CLOUT IS IMPORTANT:
> ---------------------------------------------------
>      Hopefully one of the key goals would be to work towards an umbrella
> organization empowered to watch out for the benefit of the community. Some
> people feel that this is not a big deal. But the most important event in
> our recent history (PARTITION WITHOUT LAND) happened because we did not
> have proper representation at that time. (Why else are we the only
> minority that got kicked out with no land. Punjab was divided in two
> parts; Bengal was divided in two parts. Only Sind was given 100% to
> Pakistan. Why?)

Sindh was already divided by the Britisher. Katch, Kathiwar, and Gujrat
were  parts of Sindh and in West, Lasbello and in  North east  Multan, and
in North Sibi and Jhall Magsi  were also the  parts of Sindh.It was the
conspiracy of Britisher who shifted capital of Sindh from Karachi to
Bombay.Sindhis were punished because of their active role against British
rule.The true independent struggle started from Sindh.Hemo Kalani was
hanged, Pir Sibghatullah Rashdi ( Pir Pagaro leader of Hur movement )  was
arrested and killed even his body was not handed over to his family.First
Martial Law ( army rule) was imposed in Sindh.Thousands of Hur Mujahid (
freedom fighters) were arrested and killed during independent movement.After
long struggle Britisher restored Sindh s' status of state and shifted its
capital back to Karachi and separated Sindh from Bombay Presidency.
Large scale migration of Sindhi Hindus was not expected at that time.People
who had their vested  interests  related to Bombay since Bombay Presidency,
exploited the situation. Created insecurity among Sindhi Hindus in Sindh .
Majority of our people migrated to India was business class ( non-political
people ) they did not realized about the consequences of  the migration.When
urdu-speaking (  refugees ) from India saw the golden opportunity they
exploited it.

> Minorities get sold out at bargaining tables all the time, unless they
> have a strong voice and clout. Today, Sindhis have made a name for
> themselves as a very successful, and wealthy, community. This actually
> increases the risk that someday we will be singled out as the minority for
> persecution. History has many such examples - Jews in Europe, Lebanese in
> Middle East, Chinese in Indonesia, South Indians in Bombay and so on.
> Successful minorities are envied, and every few years you hear of a
> demagogue who picks on a minority as a scapegoat to further his/her
> personal political goals. (Idi Amin did this to Indians in Uganda and Shiv
> Sena did this in bombay to the people from South India a few years ago!)
> Political Clout is not a wish. It is not a luxury. It is a necessity for
> long term survival of our community. Just because there is no burning
> issue today does not mean that there will not be a burning need for it in
> the next few years. When that happens, it will be too late to start to
> build such a clout. Two good examples of political clout are the Jews and
> the Cubans. They are very small in numbers (less than 1% of the
> population), but have managed to have some serious influence at both the
> Washington and World political levels (Mas Canosa, President of the Cuban
> Foundation in Miami, was one of the first people to visit Gorbachov after
> Russia
> embraced Perostrika!). If we were smart, we would want to build a
> community with that level of influence. And once we have that clout, it is
> available to be used to support causes at the broader level including the
> needs for preserving the true Sindhi Culture.
>

Where you want your political clout or   influence,  in USA, Europe, India
or Sindh. Jews have established their roots in Israil.Which country is your
target ?

>  4. "FOR" is not always connected to "AGAINST"
> ---------------------------------------------------
>      There is some confusion that just because you are "FOR" something;
> you must be "AGAINST" something else. Just because you are "For" your
> family, does not mean that you are "AGAINST" the neighborhood; just
> because you are "FOR" Florida, does not mean that you are "AGAINST" the
> US. So if the Hindu Sindhis were "For" a Sammelan of their own, does not
> mean that they are "Against" the concept of a broader "Sindhi" movement.

Finally you realized it.We don't have time please think about it. We have
lot of friends and foes.There are few cultural groups whose survival is
related to our Sindhi culture s' destruction only.

>      Many of us would be very interested in working on issues of common
> interest to both communities. But that does not preclude a smaller
> community from trying to get together within themselves. The best
> example of such a concept is the United States. We are all good US
> citizens, without having the need to abandon our ethnic identities. We
> can be good Sindhis and good US citizens. We can be good Polish
> Americans and good US citizens. In the same light, we can be good
> "Hindu" Sindhis and good "Sindhis" and we can support both causes
> without hurting each other.
>
>  5. Timing is the key:
> ---------------------------------------------------
>   We have never denied entry to our Muslim brothers and sisters.

Muslim Brothers and sisters appreciate your Sindhi style hospitality.

> We are not Anti-Muslims. I am proud of our past where we lived happily
> together with a Sufi minded approach on the part of both Hindus and
> Muslims.

It was your homeland and  your  right not privilege

>     BUT IT IS NOT NECESSARY FOR US TO ABANDON OUR ETHNIC IDENTITIES SIMPLY
> BECAUSE WE ARE NOT READY TO PARTICIPATE AT A GLOBAL LEVEL AT THIS TIME.

You ethnicity is Hindu or Sindhi? These are two different things.

Hayaatee Baqee Taa Yaar Auttaaqee

Ishaq Tunio
Chicago