Nandita Bhavnani and Rita Kothari with moderator Soni Wadhwa, spoke on ‘Fragmented Selves: Sindhi language, Literature and History’
- Anju Makhija and Menka Shivdasani spoke about Sindhi poetry and read from some of their English translations
Sindh Courier Report
Hyderabad, India
The 15th 3-day Hyderabad Literary Festival (HLF2025), aimed to highlight the linguistic diversity of India, kicked off on January 24, 2025 at Hyderabad, the capital city of Telangana state of India.
HLF 2025 has been organized by “Hyderabad Literary Trust”, a registered non-profit organization, with the support of several literary and cultural organizations, and publishing houses. For the second successive year, Sattva Knowledge City, HITEC City is the venue of HLF 2025.
On the first day of the Hyderabad Literature Festival, the main venue had panelists Nandita Bhavnani and Rita Kothari with moderator Soni Wadhwa, speaking on the topic ‘Fragmented Selves: Sindhi language, Literature and History.’
All three are scholars in the field of Sindh Studies and the discussion covered many points. Inspired by Rita, some of her students have also entered the field of research in this area.
Nandita, who said she had never really focused on her Sindhi identity, spoke of how much she had learnt about Sindhi and the Sindhi people while spending a month in Sindh in 2001. She also mentioned how some of the trends seen which could be considered a result of Partition had in fact been set in motion before.
The audience interaction was also interesting, with viewpoints from both Sindhis as well as non-Sindhis.
In the session on Story, voice, and verse, Anju Makhija and Menka Shivdasani spoke about Sindhi poetry and read from some of their English translations.
Moderator Soni Wadhdwa ended the session by reading a Sindhi poem, to the delight of the spectators.
In the evening, the group of delegates, most from Mumbai but some from other cities, got a much-needed opportunity to interact with each other at a dinner hosted by the Lithuanian embassy.
This year the HLF2025 has focus on Sindhi as an Indian language known for its deep-rooted history, literary richness and contributions to India’s cultural fabric. Sindhi embodies an enduring ethos through its oral story-telling traditions, music and scripts, serving as a bridge to India’s historical trade, spirituality and culture. The Hyderabad Literary Festival is showcasing Sindhi as its regional language.
On Sunday January 26, Subhadra Anand and Saaz Aggarwal will have a session to discuss little-known aspects of Sindhi culture including literature, visual and performing arts, the global trade diaspora, the unique multi-faith worship and other facets of this fascinating community.
Read: Indian Hyderabad Literary Festival to Showcase Sindhi Language
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Report and photo credit: Saaz Aggarwal
Great job