Her, Soc, Pol: Sindhi Council of India

[Nadeem Jamali <jamali@CS.UIUC.EDU>]

Friends,

I picked up a brochure at the Orlando Sammelan about the Sindhi
Council of India.  It contains an appeal to all Sindhis that is
worth reading.  I'm attaching it below; please share it with
other Sindhis.

Jhulelal!

Nadeem

----------------------------------------------------------------------

AN APPEAL TO ALL SINDHIS

In January 1997, a 200 member Sindhi delegation representing the 70
lack Sindhis from all walks of life and settled in practically every
state of the Indian Union met the then Prime Minister Shri Deve Gowda
through the good offices of Shri Suresh A. Keswani, M. P. (Rajya
Sabha) and presented to the Prime Minister a long list of pending
demands of Sindhis since the partition of the country in 1947.

1. Their discontent originated from following historical facts;

   a. The freedom struggle and the resultant partition of the country
on religious grounds led to the acceptance of the exchanged of
populations between Pakistan and India.  Under the scheme the
immigrating Punjabi and Bengali Hindus could be re-settled in half
portions of states of Punjab and Bengal that became part of India.
There was no similar facility of homeland provided in India for Sindhi
Hindus who lost their total state to Pakistan.  Even the district of
Tharparkar which was originally leased to the British by Maharaja of
Jokhpur and where Sindhi Hindus were in majority was not demanded by
Govt. of India due to lack of vision in our leaders.

   b. Sindhi as a consequence, were settled in 96 refugee colonies set
up all over India the living conditions of which to say the least were
pathetic.  In a number of refugee camps the living conditions are
unhygienic even to this date.  Sindhi in the process lost all land
related vocation like agriculture, etc. and had to seek jops or pursue
trades, profession and callings in the urban areas of the six states
i.e. Maharashtra, Gujrat, M.P. Rajasthan, U.P., Delhi and southern
provinces where they came and occupied the refugee camps.

   c. In 1957, linguistic reorganisation of the states of India did
provide a chance to the Govt. of India to declare Adipur, Gandhidham,
Kandla Area as Union Territory and provide homeland to Sindhi who had
set up a city in this locatoin by their own efforts under the
inspiring leadership of the great Sindhi leader Bhai Partap who had
received 16000 acres of the land from Maharaj of Kutch for
rehabilitation of Sindhis.  The Govt. of India however did not see the
need to provide a homeland to the Sindhi speaking people, though the
Sindhi language was accepted in the Eighth Schedule as an official
language.

2. Thus the main demand of the Sindhis was for a homeland.  Pending
consideration of this demand Sindhis were also prepared if a
Development Corporation with adequate budget was to be announced by
the Govt. of India which could answer the critical immediate problem
of providing long denied basic civic amenities in the 96 refugee camps
spread all over India, the responsibility for maintenance and upkeep
of which was transferred from the Union Govt. to the State Governments
since 1957 and which was being neglected.

3. The unrest of the Sindhis was also triggered by growing regionalism
and castist tendencies lately being promoted by number of political
parties in India.  Sindhis were denied representation in state
legislatures and Parliaments because they were thinly spread all over
the country.  They had discovered that Elective Merit was only a
euphemism used by political parties for giving party tickets to the
candidates drawn from the dominant caste combinations.  It was also
realised that deteriorating economic management of number of States by
various party Governments had led to serious law and order problems
and the nexus between the crime and politics had endangered not only
the viability of Sindhi businesses but had become a threat to the life
and limb of Sindhis engaged in small and big businesses or professions
and services all over the country.

4. Sindhis were feeling politically neglected.  Inspite of their
having achieved an economic miracle through dint of hard work,
adventurous spirit and total dedication to their avocation, they had
no political weight.  Sindhis had begun to realise that even though
they had greatly contributed to the National Capital Formation process
and building of the Nation, through their incoming foreign exchange
remittances, they had been denied even their elementary demands of a
Holiday on their Deity Jhulelal's Cheti Chand day.  Similarly the
commitment for the development of their Sindhi language and literature
was put on a political back-burner.  In the process Sindhis were
witnessing the slow demise of their 5000 years old Sindhu Valley
culture, art and craft, music and folk dances, and their rich
heritage.

5. The language and literature, culture and heritage, ethnicity and
the ethos are all connected with the soil, the shores, the mountains,
the rivers and the vallies.  The human need for belonging is
indescribable.  It can only be experienced.  The Sindhis of India
having overcome the economic disaster which the Freedom Struggle and
the resultant partition of the country in 1947 brought upon them have
now a dream to rebuild their Cultural Edifice with its more than 5000
years history.  During next 50 years the Indus Valley Hindus will add
their mystical colour to the multifaceted and multi-dimensional Indian
fraternity, by becoming a major productive asset of the country
through pursuit of excellence.

6. The Governing Body of Sindhi Council:

   The National level Governing Body of SINDHI COUNCIL OF INDIA has
Hon'ble Mr. Suresh A. Keswani M.P. (Rajya Sabha) as its founder
President.  There are three Vice-Presidents looking after three
divisions namely Finance, Operations and Development respectively.
There is a Secretary General to take care of day to day management and
administration who is assisted by Full-time salaried Administrator
General at the National level office i.e. Delhi.  The national office
in addition has five secretaries and five joint secretaries plus
twenty Supreme Councilors.  Finally there is also a Treasurer cum
Public Relations Officer.  These thirty-six elected office bearers
plus Administrator General and his full time paid employees run the
day to day affairs of Sindhi Council of India at the national level.

7. Regional Level Executive Committees and Office Bearers:

   Under the National level organisation there are ten REGIONAL LEVEL
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEES one each for the below mentioned Regional level
Sindhi Councils:

  i. Sindhi Council of North India: Delhi Punjab, Himachal Pardesh,
J&K and Union Territory of Chandigarh, Co-ordinator-Shrikant Bhatia,
IIA-86(b), Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi-110024 Tel.: 6839020/6832709 Fax:
6839020

  ii. Sindhi Council of Uttar Pradesh: Uttar Pradesh state plus Nepal,
Co-ordinator-Shri Murlidhar Ahuja, 36, Pan Dariba, New-Heaven, Lucknow
(U.P.)

  iii. Sindhi Council of East India: Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa and
seven north-eastern states, Co-ordinator-Shri Narsing Atlani,
K.S. Co. 9/1, Kailash Pandit Lane, Calcutta-700053, Tel.:
2487399/Telefax: 4226555

 iv. Sindhi Council of Madhya Pradesh: Madhya Pradesh,
Co-ordinator-Shri Moolchand Manwani, M.P. Sindhu Bhawan Trust (Regd.),
7, Shivaji Nagar, Bhopal, 462006 (M.P.) Tel: (O) 384668 (R) 553744

  v. Sindhi Council of Rajasthan: Rajasthan, Co-ordinator-Justice
I. S. Israni, J-54, Krishna Marg, C. Scheme, Jaipur-302001 (Raj.)

  vi. Sindhi Council of Gujrat: Gujrat, Co-ordinator-Shri Amar
Doulatani, M/s Girish Fashions Pvt. Ltd. B/1. Shree Managal, Near
Omkar, Swastik Char Rasta, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad-380009, Tel.: (O)
6423500 (R) 7483084

  vii. Sindhi Council of Maharashtra: Saharashtra excluding Mumbai and
areas covered under Sindhi Council of Mumbai, Co-ordinator-Shri
N. Kumar, Poonam Plaza, Palm Road, Civil Lines, Nagpur 1, Tel.:
0712-527981-87

  viii. Sindhi Council of Mumbai: Mumbai, Thane, Ulhasnagar, U.T. of
Daman, Diu, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Goa, Co-ordinator-Shri Narsing
Golani, Golani Brothers, 303, Dalamal Chambers, New Marine Lines,
Mumbai-20. Tel.: 2089010

  ix. Sindhi Council of South India: Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra
Pradesh, Pondicherry & Kerala, Co-ordinator-Shri Lalchand K. Nichani,
1/D, 14th Avenue, Hamington Road, Chetput, Chennai-600 031 Tel.:
589422, 560326

  x. Sindhi Council of N.R.I.S.: All overseas Sindhis,
Co-ordinator-Murli Adnani, C/o 16AB Mathura Road, New Delhi-1, Tel.:
3385642, 3386571

Each regional council consists of 26 members, one regional President,
two regional vice-presidents plus one regional treasurer who also
functions as regional vice-president for finance, one regional
secretary general, five regional secretaries and sixteen regional
councilors.

9. CITY LEVEL CHAPTERS:

   In the cities falling in the geographic boundaries of above
regions, there are one or more chapter committees in each city where
Sindhi people are residing.  The City Level Chapter Committees or City
Branches have membership of 50 or more members.  The management of
City branches of Sindhi Council is governed as per the constitution of
Sindhi Council of India, by the elected office bearers namely Chapter
President, two Chapter Vice-Presidents, a Chapter Treasurer, a Chapter
Secretary and Chapter Joint Secretary plus eight Chapter Councilors.
We expect SINDHI COUNCIL to be set up in every city of the world where
50 or more Sindhi families/individuals are residing.

10. AIMS & OBJECTIVES:

   Loss of SINDHI HOMELAND & SINDHI POLITICAL RIGHTS have been the
root cause to give birth to the basic urge for Global Sindhi Unity.
This has led to the formation of SINDHI COUNCIL.  The real yearning
has however been for the need to rediscover what we fondly call
"SINDHYAT".  This has been described as that thirst for adventure and
enterprise which is mellowd by Sufi sublimity and spirit of Surrender
to the diktats of the Destiny under the Blessings of JHULELAL SAINT.

11. The emerging Information Age during the twenty-first century is
going to throw up new challenges for all those races who have to
operate under multi-product, multi-locatoinal and multi-cultural
environment.  The instruments of creation of wealth all over the world
are undergoing significant changes.  The geographical boundaries
dividing nations may recede into relatively reduced relevance.  The
basic factors determinint the relationships between the nations may
not remain constant.  All past assumptions in these respects may need
to be re-scrutinised.  The factors of production namely the Capital,
the Labour and the Entrepreneurship etc. may relocate geographically
to the locations which ensure their highest productivity.  The Sindhi
Council of India therefore aims to rekindle the sprit of Enterprise
among Sindhi brothers and sisters and provide ever opportunity,
encouragement and assistance to Sindhis to achieve the coveted
objective of PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE not only in the areas of commerce,
trade, professions, enterprises, science and technology but also in
all our endeavours including in the fields of EDUCATION, MEDICARE,
SOCIAL, CULTURAL and RELIGIOUS matters.

12. You may want to set up a Sindhi Council Chapter in your city.  All
you need to do is to write to Shri Murli Adnani, Jt. Secretary for NRI
Region Sindhi Council of India, 16-AB, Mathura Road, New Delhi - 110
001 - India.

Yours in brotherhood

  Shrikant Bhatia
      P.R.O.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

--
Nadeem Jamali                                           jamali@cs.uiuc.edu
Department of Computer Science
University of Illinois-UC                   http://osl.cs.uiuc.edu/~jamali