Re: SINDH-L Digest - 6 Nov 2004 to 7 Nov 2004 (#2004-91)

[unigain <unigain.mm@MSA.HINET.NET>]

Extract ,relating to Sindhis, from a  book review

A MULTILINGUAL nation has to know its diversity before arriving at any sense
of unity. Surely, literature is the best means of fostering this
understanding. But in India, few bridges are built across the regional
tongues. The media spotlights Indians writing in English, while regional
literary fraternities are mostly locked within their own languages.

In this milieu, Tamil writer Sivasankari stands out for sustained,
long-term, and formidable efforts in her Knit India Through Literature
project. Ambitiously conceived and executed, the venture had its first two
volumes introducing the literatures of South and East Indian languages. This
volume revels in the harvests of Konkani, Marathi, Gujarati and Sindhi.

Sind has been lost to India after the Partition, but Goa, Maharashtra and
Gujarat are explored in chatty, introductory travelogues. Each section has
Sivasankari interviewing writers, followed by translations from their works,
rounded off with an analysis of modern literature in the chosen language by
scholars in the field.

Konkani and Sindhi

The sections on little known Konkani and Sindhi fascinate. Despite
historical, geographical and cultural divergences, Sindhi and Konkani
writers are preyed by the same fears. "I fear that Goa will soon change its
appearance and characteristics. Nature is being destroyed and concrete
jungles are emerging,'' says senior writer Manohar Rai Sardessai.

Loss of country, community, property, torture and genocide - the Sindhis
have seen it all. The  Arab invasion (712 A.D.) fostered a blend of Iranian
Sufism and Vedanta, making mysticism vital to both Hindu and Muslim Sindhi
thought. The Partition spelt unimaginable trauma. "We have no home state. We
are homeless and rootless,'' says poet Popati Hiranandani.

Sindhis knew no caste divisions, no untouchability; women had enjoyed
considerable freedom. In merging with the cultures of the nations where they
resettled themselves, will the migrants lose their progressive values? "If
the Sindhi culture had been strong, its language would have been healthy
too,'' reflects Hiranandani. "It is a tragedy that Sindhi festivals,
language and traditions are slowly fading away.''
                            *
The book is:
KNIT INDIA THROUGH LITERATURE, Volume III - The West: Sivasankari; EastWest
Books Pvt. Ltd., 571, Poonamalle High Road, Aminjikarai, Chennai-600029. Rs.
800.
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