Sindh Courier Report

Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

A Sindhi literary sitting was held at Kubernagar, Ahmedabad with Shri Ramesh Jagiasi in the chair, on Sunday March 19, 2023. The participating poets and writers presented their literary creations which were thoroughly discussed and reviewed.

Shri Ramesh Jagiasi presented Sindhi translation of renowned poet Javed Akhtar’s famous poem ‘Nazar nazar main faraq hay’. Shri Manohar Nihalani readout short story titled ‘Afsano Neengar Jo’, while Shri Kodu Janib presented his few Haikus. Shri Thakur Bhanbhani presented his new poem ‘Silsilo’ and Shri Rajesh Mulchandani read his poem titled ‘Wado Sciencedan’.

Similarly Shri Manoj Chawla presented a poem ‘Budh’ and Shri Naresh Gurnani recited his poem ‘Too’n’.

The participants were of the view that resumption of literary sittings in Ahmedabad would help promote Sindhi literature and encourage the writers.

A new initiative was introduced in the literary sitting according to which the creations – poetry or prose, of Sindhi writers living outside Ahmedabad, would be taken up for critical analysis.

To begin with, a poem titled ‘Golha Me’n’ was taken up for discussion which has been written by a young poetess Sameeksha Lachhwani daughter of Mr. Nari Lachhwani from Bhopal city of Madhya Pradesh.

The poem was very much liked by the participants of literary sitting.

Meanwhile, Mr. Nari Lachhwani, a writer and artist from Bhopal said that holding of Sindhi literary sittings in Ahmedabad was a welcome move, much needed since a long time.

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Sindhi titles of poetry and prose read at literary sitting:

1. نظر نظر ۾ فرق
2. افسانو نينگر جو
3. جپاني مختصر نظم ھائڪو جي طرز تي سنڌي نظم
4. سلسلو
5. وڏو سائنسدان
6. ٻُڌ
7. تُون
8. ڳولھا ۾

The post Sindhi Literary Sitting Held In Ahmedabad first appeared on Sindh Courier.

Rutam Vora

Paresh Gangwani, a Rajkot-based company law consultant didn’t think twice before choosing an English-medium school for his firstborn, Navya, aged five. For the Gangwanis, their mother tongue, Sindhi, was ‘good enough’ for day-to-day family conversation, but not more.

In Ahmedabad, Nishith and Khushi Notani, the parents of a nine-year-old daughter, are no different and see English medium as ‘the need of the hour’. “Schooling in Sindhi medium would restrict their (kids’) exposure to Sindhi culture alone, which is not going to benefit them in their professional career,” says Nishith, a self-employed professional.

This lack of interest from young parents has resulted in the two remaining government-run Sindhi-medium schools shutting in Ahmedabad. Three privately-run Sindhi-medium schools survive, but are feared to be on the brink of closure. The Sindhi language, which has traditionally used the Arabic script, is facing its toughest test, as newer generations deem the script difficult to learn and not worth the effort.

An ancient tongue boasting luminaries such as Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, the renowned ‘Shakespeare of Sindhi’, now stares at a gloomy future, spoken within the confines of home. “This isn’t a recent phenomenon. There has been a fall in the number of students in Sindhi-medium schools for the past 25 years. The changing preference for English medium can be seen as a social transformation. English, or even Hindi, is more acceptable than Sindhi for schooling,” says Jagdish Bhavsar, chairman, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) School Board. The last remaining Sindhi-medium government school was closed down last academic year.

An ancient tongue boasting luminaries such as Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, the renowned ‘Shakespeare of Sindhi’, now stares at a gloomy future, spoken within the confines of home.

AMC School Board, which runs 455 schools with 1.49 lakh students enrolled, has started converting its Sindhi-medium schools into English medium.

“We started our first English-medium school in 2002-03,” Bhavsar says, adding that the number has since grown to nine, and is likely to touch 12 next year. Other language schools, meanwhile, are on a decline as student numbers fall drastically.

Among the schools the board currently runs, 303 are Gujarati-medium, 67 Hindi-medium, 63 Urdu-medium, 10 Marathi and three Tamil-medium. Among those shut down in the past five years were Malayalam- and Telugu-medium schools.

Fading words

Rajkot-based Gangwani points out that his father’s was the last generation that studied in the Sindhi language using the Arabic script. “I never studied in Sindhi, nor will my kids, because the facilities are no longer available in our town. Also, it gives no guarantee of success,” he repeats.

In Gujarat, except in a few places like Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Adipur in Kutch, Sindhi trust schools have all but disappeared. At those that remain, Sindhi is taught as just another subject. As the schools have a large number of non-Sindhi students, the objective of ‘promoting Sindhi culture and language’ somewhat takes a backseat in the larger business of education.

The handful of private schools that do have a strong Sindhi connect, however, have few takers and are gradually forced to turn to English medium, with Sindhi taught as a subject.

“The new generation finds the script difficult to learn. Even when learnt, it has limited application in society,” says Harish Kakwani, former director of IGNOU’s Gyan Vani educational FM radio station in Ahmedabad.

About 30 years ago, Ahmedabad alone had nearly 12 Sindhi-medium schools. Today there is none.

He sees a silver lining in the form of competitive exams, where Sindhi holds out promise as a scoring subject for those choosing it. “Thanks to everyday family conversations in Sindhi, the students are good at the language. They just need help with the script. Still, there are not many Sindhi aspirants at competitive exams,” he rues.

He recalls that about 30 years ago, Ahmedabad alone had nearly 12 Sindhi-medium schools. Today there is none. “People started feeling inferior after studying in Sindhi schools. It is out of this inferiority complex that Sindhi families turned to other language schools including Gujarati, Hindi and English mediums,” he reasons.

Scattered legacy

Those in the know say that Sindhi’s existential problem runs way deeper.

Since independence, the community has been battling huge odds to keep its language and script alive. After escaping the horrors of Partition, large sections of the community arrived as refugees and struggled to find a foothold in their adopted land.

The struggle for livelihood often trumped the desire to preserve and promote their indigenous culture and language.

Since independence, the community has been battling huge odds to keep its language and script alive.

“The Sindhis migrated from Sindh in Pakistan. They found shelter in different parts of India. Wherever they settled, they adopted the local language, culture and festivals as their own. They wanted to achieve financial progress, and they knew that wouldn’t be possible through Sindhi language. As a result, today Sindhi literature, language and script all face the danger of becoming extinct,” says Harish Bhagchandani, managing trustee, Sindhu Sewa Samaj, a leading trust in Ahmedabad.

Kakwani, who finds mention in the eminent personalities list of the National Council for Promotion of Sindhi Language (NCPSL), echoes this, “This is a big tragedy with the Sindhi community. They never got their own land (after the Partition). They became scattered all around the country. This made Sindhi a stateless language. Hence, Sindhis in different states tried to identify themselves with the respective local languages.”

Kakwani is among those who have not given up hope. He runs a public trust named Vision Sindhu Children Academy, which attempts to connect the younger Sindhi generation to their roots through the performing arts.

According to estimates from the Indian Sindhi community, their numbers cross one crore and they are spread across the world, with the largest concentration — nearly 70 lakh Sindhi speakers — in India.

Muted hopes

Vasudev Gopalani, President of Sindhi Panchayat — an organization representing over 950 Sindhi families — is a disheartened man. Few Sindhis are interested in learning their mother tongue, whether to immerse in its rich literature or even for a handy purpose such as gaining an edge in competitive exams. “Our libraries remain vacant, with hardly any visitor in weeks. The entire community is going after the mass trend — of modern learning. But in doing so, we are threatening our very identity,” he cautions.

Kakwani is among those who have not given up hope. He runs a public trust named Vision Sindhu Children Academy, which attempts to connect the younger Sindhi generation to their roots through the performing arts. Efforts are on to make the Sindhi language easier to learn for the new generation. This includes switching from the Arabic to the more commonly used Devnagari script and even Roman script to entice overseas Sindhis to learn the language.

“This would make the language more acceptable among the youth,” says Kakwani.

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Courtesy: The Hindu Business Line (Posted on Jan 20, 2018)

The post Tongue-tied in Sindhi first appeared on Sindh Courier.

By Jyoti Mulchandani | Ahmedabad

Shrimati Deepa Mahadev Wadhwani, a Sindhi proud of her roots, lives in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Born on 23rd March 1952, Shrimati Deepa works untiringly to keep the Sindhi heritage alive. She is part of various Sindhi organizations, wherein she has held prominent posts of the President, the Secretary or the Treasurer. She holds Sindhi bhajan sessions and the reading of the Sukhmani Path to bring about an awareness among the younger generation about their culture. She has written books documenting the Sindhi way of life, one of which is ‘Sindhi Dinh-Vaar Ae Ritiyun Rasmu’ which describes the religious days of the Sindhis and their rituals and customs. A multi-faceted personality, she has acted in Sindhi movies too.

Here is her account of her life and family.

My Family

“My maiden name is Savitri. My paternal grandparents are from Dhabhro, while my maternal grandparents are from Kandiaro, Sahiti pargana of Sindh. My father, Shri Ochiram Relumal Vanjani, passed his matriculation exam in Sindh and was the eldest among his four siblings. He worked in Karachi and since he was educated, the family’s living style was modern and trendy.

In 1948, after the partition of India, my father sent the family, including his uncles, by ship to India. He was the last from the family to leave Sindh. It was raining very heavily the night before he was leaving, and he had no place to stay. A Muslim brother helped him by sheltering him in his house and my father spent the night there.

The next day, he left by ship for India. He landed at Gateway of India, Bombay. My father realized that Bombay life was too fast for him and decided to go to Rajkot, Gujarat, as some of our relatives were already settled there. He didn’t enjoy the life there too and came to Ahmedabad, Gujarat. He found the city to his liking and called the entire family to settle here.

They stayed in tents put up by the government on the banks of River Sabarmati. He put in a claim for a property in India against what they had left behind in Sindh, and the family got two houses in the Vadaj area of Ahmedabad.

I was born in Vadaj on 23rd March 1952. My father had a job at the High Court at Ghee Kanta. He then got a job at Ahmedabad Electric Company. He liked his job as it helped him use his educational background. We had many financial difficulties, but with the support of my mother, my father faced them all.

We children were growing up, so father bought a bigger house at Kubernagar. My father was a generous, kind and polite man. I was the eldest among the siblings and always stood first in my class. My father had great plans for me. He wanted me to become a doctor and put in all efforts to give me a good education. But the destiny had other plans for us, and at the age of 42, he passed away of cancer.”

“I was 17 and a half years old and had just passed my SSC exams from Mahatma Gandhi High School when my father passed away. I could no longer study and the family needed financial support. Ahmedabad Electric Company offered me a job when I turned 18. In those days, there were IBM punching machines used for entering data in the computer and the company trained me as a punching machine operator. I joined my job in January 1970.

I got married in May 1973 and got busy with family life and had hardly any time for social life. As my children grew older, I started my efforts to revive the Sindhi culture in the community.

My Activities for the Sindhi Community

“Today, it is a trend among the Sindhis to downgrade their language and adapt to other cultures. But I believe that we have to continue our efforts to promote our Sindhi language and heritage in our community. Soon, Sindhis will be proud of their roots and Sindhiyat, if we work upon it.

I gradually joined many Sindhi organizations. At Lion’s Club Ashapali, I was appointed as the President thrice, the Secretary twice and the Treasurer once. I am part of Ellisbridge Sindhi Panchayat which has been active for the last 52 years.

I have performed my duty as a Sindhi at both Kubernagar in the East of Ahmedabad, the place I grew up in, and Satellite in the West of Ahmedabad, the place I have been married in. I am part of various organizations at both places, either as a member or the joint secretary or the president.

I love writing too. I submit articles in Sindhi newspapers and write books too.

There was a Sindhi Darbar (a place of worship) at Azad Society run by an old man. Once he passed away, his son decided to close down the Darbar as he found it difficult to maintain it along with his family responsibilities.

I was concerned about this situation as there was no other Sindhi tikaana or darbar in the neighborhood. I decided to collect some ten ladies and we started singing bhajans on Chand (the second day of any Hindu lunar month after Umaas, the no-moon night) for 2 hours and ended the session with a prasad. Now it has been fifteen years since we started these sessions. We are 30 members, a limit we have set as the sessions are held at a member’s house and not everyone can accommodate large numbers. We decide the name of the member who hosts the satsang (the bhajan singing sessions) on Chand by a draw system. This way each member gets a turn every 2 and a half years. The entire household of the host also participates and learns the Sindhi bhajans, the ardaas (a set prayer in Sikhism), and the importance of Chand. The singing and chanting also spread positive vibrations in the house.

We also read the Sukhmani Path for two hours every Thursday for the last 25 years.

I am also a part of several Sindhi ladies’ kitty parties which are held at homes or hotels.

We have formed a Sindhi Sakhi Group of Sindhi ladies that meet at the hall provided by Ellisbridge Sindhi Panchayat. We organize entertainment programs for the members and also promote women who run businesses from home.

We have Sindhi family groups too in which we participate with our husbands.

Every first Friday of the month, we perform Mata ji Chowky and sing Sindhi and Hindi bhajans to venerate the Mata (Goddess).

We had held a function celebrating the Golden Jubilee of Ellisbridge Sindhi Panchyat in which we had 50 Sindhi recipes put up by various participants. We had awarded prizes to the three best dishes.

Two Sindhi organizations Vishwa Sindhi Sewa Sangam and Suhina Sindhi, Pune, joined hands to keep our Sindhiyat alive. They have various activities and shows for the community. I joined them recently, but because of the Covid-19 pandemic, I have not been able to contribute much.

I was appointed as the President of the Ahmedabad district by this organization and have been recognized as a part of their Global Membership Team.

I participate in cooking shows on the Sindhi channel too.

I always insist that we speak Sindhi with our children, even if they answer in Hindi or English. Gradually they will start conversing in Sindhi.

Sindhi Food

We Sindhis enjoy a wide variety of dishes for breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner. I’ll name a few of them here:

Sindhi Sweets – khorak, all types of khirnis, mohanthal, ladoos, satpuras, chotha, lola, mithi chashni bread, saiyun, malpuro, seero, maae jo seero, gajjar jo seero, mithi gajjar jo seero, kutti.

In Sindh, it was a tradition to send gold guineas on each piece of khorak. Nowadays, we place a 5 or a ten-rupee coin.

We Sindhis love papads and khatairn (pickles) of gajjar (carrots), ambri (mangoes), bassar (onions) in oil or water. Mango pickles can be meethi khatairn (sweet pickles), saji ambri ji khatairn (a whole mango pickle), khatti khatairn (sour pickle). Mirch ji khatairn (green chilli pickle) and garan mirchan ji khatairn (red chilli pickle) are also enjoyed by the Sindhis.

Our Sindhi murrabbo is also famous.

Sindhi Breakfast – Saiyun patata, bassar wari koki, dai-koki, loon mirchwari koki (salt and pepper koki), meethi koki (sweet koki), meetho lolo, chehro fulko, dal ja parotha, batate ja parotha.

We make bhat (porridge) too.

Sindhi Snacks -sana pakora, mirch, bassar, vaagan and bhee ja pakora, bhee and patattan ji tikki, mixed vegetable tikki

All kinds of Chillas such as besan jo chillo, meetho chillo, chehro chillo, atte jo chillo are also relished.

Puri patata and dal-puri are all-time favorites of the children.

Sindhi Lunch – wadiyun,bheeya patata, ras mein bhajiyun, all types of koftas, bhariyal vaagan, bhariyal karela, bhariyal bhindiyun, seyal bhindiyun, phoolpatasha, macroliyun, sai bhaji, mehan ji bhaji, turin ji bhaji – we add garlic, onion and tomatoes in most of them.

Seyal fulka of Sindhis is well-known. If you have four fulkas and five people to feed, you make seyal phulka. It will be enough to feed all five.

We have different kinds of doda too – Juwar jo dodo, bajriya jo dodo. We make a kutti of the bajri dodas with jaggery and ghee for winters.

In curries, we have besan ji curry and tamate ji curry.

Pulaos and thum mein chawar are the kinds of rice we love.

Sindhi food is rich, tasty and filling.”

My Appeal

“I appeal to all Sindhis to contribute in every way possible for the cause of reviving and promoting our Sindhi language and culture for the younger generation.”

About Her Book

She believes that our Sindhi festivals are rooted in the principles of science. In her book, Sindhi Dinh-vaar Ae Ritiyun Rasmu, she has explained the importance of fasting and the significance of various important days of the lunar calendar.

The book is written in Sindhi-Arabic as well as Sindhi- Devnagri scripts making it suitable for those familiar with either of them. It has a brief introduction to the author and a list of various Sindhi organizations she works with to preserve the Sindhi heritage.

Deepa starts off the book by naming the Sindhi months of the lunar calendar and how they are aligned with the months of the universally used Gregorian calendar – a very important piece of information for those who are not familiar with the lunar months.

The aartis and bhajans to be sung to venerate Jhulelal – a form of Varun Dev, the rituals followed to worship Him with pallav (a prayer beseeching Jhulelal to shower His blessings on all) and the panjadas which are sung in His praise, are all explained in detail.

The katha (a religious discourse) to be read while observing the Sindhi festivals such as Teejdi, Vadi Satte, Mahalaxmi ja Sagra, Mahadev ja Sagra, Ganesh Chauth, Vispat ji Katha, etc. with the relevant rituals, prayers and aartis are included in the book.

Sindhi follow certain customs during the wedding, the pregnancy and the childbirth, all of which form a part of the book. Each of this event is celebrated with great joy with dancing and singing. The book has many of the Sindhi songs called ladaas that are sung on these occasions. Shrimati Deepa has also added her own take on the ladas. She has written loris (lullabies) for the babies too.

The book is an asset for any Sindhi keen to follow the rituals and customs of the community, and for a non-Sindhi who is curious to learn about Sindhi culture.

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Courtesy: Sindhi Khazana (Published on November 28, 2021)

Pics by Shrimati Deepa Mahadev Wadhwani

The post Deepa Mahadev Wadhwani – A Multi-Faceted Personality of Ahmedabad first appeared on Sindh Courier.

Kumar Ghanshani says, “Making verbal claims of being a Proud Sindhi is not enough. The community should prove it practically and make Sindhi film industry and theater a success”.    

[Kumar Ghanshani is a versatile artist having earned fame for his theater performance, acting in Sindhi films, live radio and TV compering, stage shows, mimicry and writing scripts and dialogues etc. Based in Ahmedabad city of Gujarat state of India, Kumar is a well-educated person. During his career, Kumar has performed in hundreds of stage plays, radio dramas, stage shows etc. Sindh Courier approached him recently and had a detailed conversation on his family background, his life as an artist and several aspects of art, especially the prerequisites for being an artist – Nasir Aijaz, Editor]          

Sindh Courier

SC: Our readers would like to know about your family background and the ancestors. Where did they live Sindh, and when and where did they migrated to settle in India?   

KG: Bhau (Brother), my ancestors belonged to Nasarpur – a historical town of Sindh. They were Amils, the Kamora (Bureaucrats/Government Officers). They migrated in 1947 and first came to Jodhpur and then settled in Ahmedabad, India. My father Dr. Gul Ghanshani was also born in Nasarpur Sindh.

SC: Would you share about schooling and higher education?

KG: I studied at Adrish High School, a Sindhi medium school, and then graduated in commerce. But later, I did masters in Hindi Literature from Rajasthan University. At this stage, I made up my mind switch over to art, and thus completed a 2-year diploma in Drama from the Gujarat University.

SC: Isn’t it amazing that a commerce graduate studied Hindi Literature and then switched over to the art? What were the reasons behind it?

KG: In fact the home atmosphere influenced me a lot. My father Dr. Gul Ghanshani was himself an actor, director, orator, cartoonist, writer, poet, and had an in-depth knowledge of Urdu literature. My mother, brothers and sisters too were associated with the field of art, particularly the theater.

It was the family influence that I was inclined to the art since early age. During my school life I actively participated in such activities and used to do anchoring/compering, acting and rendered Prarthna and ‘Thought of the Day’, which was a daily routine. I also participated in such programs at district level. These were the indicators that made me to choose this field.

SC: When did you perform in your first stage play?

KG: I don’t remember the first play, as I had been performing small roles since school life, and by the time I completed graduation, I had performed in some two to three dozen Sindhi and Gujarati plays. But my first full length drama, a 3-act play, was ‘Paigham’ (The Message), scripted by my brother. I had the opportunity to work with various theater organizations. Such theater companies were of Vikram Shahani, Chandi Samnani, and the other one of my brother Baldev Ghanshani. And also, our own company Sindhu Kalakar Mandal. We also had guidance of other stalwarts like Uttamchandani. I performed in 12 three-act plays and some 15 one-act plays of Sindhu Kalakar Mandal.

SC: As you told, you gained lot of experience in theater and other related fields, even then you needed to do a diploma in drama?

KG: I had a different perception in this regard. I think one should learn all the aspects of the field, he specifically choses. Every field has its own grammar, and one should have command over it. Take the example of the field of theater – it has a number of aspects one must learn, like voice modulation, face expressions, movement, posture, stage composition, costumes and lighting etc. These all things we have to learn from the Gurus.

It’s true, and I do believe that the art and talent is gifted by the God, but one needs grooming through learning i.e. methods, and for that artists or actors are called Method Actors.

SC: How do you select the character in a drama, and what is your technique to perform?

KG: Fortunately or unfortunately, I have never been given an opportunity to select any role for myself, as always, major roles have been offered to me. But yes, as everybody has his own technique, I too have. I use to study the script thoroughly for four to five times; I use to study the other characters as well as my own besides the surrounding atmosphere depicted in the script, and then I use to add some words and such other things to make the character lively – that’s adding the Mirch Masalha (Spices).

SC: You also have performed in radio dramas. Do you see any difference between stage drama and radio drama? How do you perform and give effects without presence of an audience?

KG: Yes both are different fields in a sense that one has to perform in presence of audience while the other one is performing on air. But the voice modulation works in both fields. It’s the voice modulation of an actor that makes a radio listener to feel the movements of performer.

SC: What are the prerequisites for new entrants in the field of acting?

KG: Any artist must be sincere to his profession. Punctuality and spirit of team work are also some of the prerequisites but above all he must keep aside his ego, as it will help one to develop team spirit and mix up with the team members. For ensuring quality of work, the new entrants must keep eye on what is happening in his surroundings and the world; they should have imagination, and remember events or incidents, taking place in surroundings, as such memories will help them develop true feelings in the character.

SC: Would you share your experience about script writing and how you started radio/TV compering and mimicry?

KG: Once I was assigned to improve a script of a play. It was a 3-act drama and I had to change it into one-act. At some stage I also translated drama scripts from Gujarati. This experience made me to think that I can write the scripts also.

While writing scripts I use to develop a theme, as no story could be authored without theme. I always choose the themes that have social message. The next step is creating the characters and then developing it into a script.

As regards anchoring, I started it from a program on Doordarshan. One day I was called to conduct a program as their announcer could not come. I didn’t feel any difficulty, being well-versed with Hindi and Urdu languages. After my first program, I was asked to continue, and soon earned fame, and the programmers started booking me.

During my stage shows, I often did mimicry, which was liked much by the audience. My father was opposed to doing mimicry, but the fact is that it helped me a lot to get bookings.

As I told, I have been performing in radio plays, but I feel more comfortable at the stage.

SC: You have also played roles in some Sindhi movies. Share your experience as well as observation about Sindhi film industry, and response of Sindhi community to Sindhi movies and also Sindhi theater.

KG: Yes Bhau, I have acted in four Sindhi movies and wrote dialogues of two movies.

As regards community response, I would say, it’s very poor. I have observed that the Sindhis have no liking for Sindhi movies. They will spend hundreds of rupees to watch Hindi Bollywood movies but would avoid spending on Sindhi movies. They do not turn up even if offered free tickets. You would be surprised to know that hardly two shows of any Sindhi movie could be held in Ahmedabad. Compelled by such an attitude of community towards Sindhi movies, the producers and directors have to approach the well-off people or certain organizations to sponsor their film shows. Similar situation is faced by Sindhi theater. The Sindhi plays too are sponsored by even then hardly 200 people could be seen in a hall having capacity of 700.

Another factor which hinders the success of Sindhi Film Industry is that Sindhi community is scattered across India living in pockets in different cities.

SC: Do you think any change could be brought about to ensure success of Sindh Film Industry, and how?

KG: In my view, it’s only the Sindhi community that could promote Sindhi Film Industry. When they proudly claim being a Sindhi, they should prove it. Making verbal claims is not enough, they should do it practically and come forward. There are a number of social, educational and other organizations of Sindhis, there are lot of temples and educational institutions managed by Sindhis, which too have to play their role. They should buy tickets in bulk and bring students and other Sindhis of different walks of life to watch Sindhi movies in cinemas.

Lastly, I think the financers should also come forward for producing Sindhi movies. But again the main issue is who will put in their money to produce a Sindhi film that doesn’t recover even the amount they have invested.

__________________

(Interviewed through WhatsApp Voice Messages) 

The post Let’s meet Kumar Ghanshani, a versatile artist first appeared on Sindh Courier.

[Naresh Udhani is a Film Writer, Lyricist, Producer and Director based in Ahmedabad city of Gujarat state in India. Naresh, whose ancestors belonged to Naseerabad, district Larkana Sindh, has directed five Sindhi movies and the 6^th one is going to be released by end of this year. He is also producer of two earlier movies and one to be released soon. In a conversation with Sindh Courier through voice messages, Naresh talked about a host of issues faced by Sindhi film industry in India – Nasir Aijaz, Editor]

Big Sindhi Investors Do Not Put Their Money Into Sindhi Film Industry

Q- Abana was the first Sindhi movie produced in India in 1958. How many Sindhi movies have been produced since then and what is the overall situation of Sindhi film industry in India?

A- Yes Abana was the first Sindhi movie produced in India after partition in 1958. But hardly 12 to 15 Sindhi movies could be made till 1984-85. Again four to five movies were produced till 2007-08. My first Sindhi movie Maasoom (Innocent) was released in 2009 and was like the revival of Sindhi film industry as some 35 movies have so far been released during this brief period of 13 years.

Q- It is good to know about the revival of Sindhi film industry. But isn’t it strange that Sindhi financers have made heavy investments in Bollywood but neglected the Sindhi film industry?

A- We Sindhis in India are scattered in different cities except certain pockets in a few cities. It’s one of the major reasons that Sindhi movies failed to make any return. All of my five movies made so far went into loss, but even then I have produced my sixth movie.

Actually, people like me, who have spirit of Sindhyat, have continued making investments in Sindhi movies. ‘Aseen jeki Sindhyat ja deewana ahyun, Uhe ee Sindhi film thahiyun tha’.

Those making huge investments of hundreds of millions in Hindi movies of Bollywood are in fact commercial and professional investors who also earn huge profits. They have neither focused on Sindhi movies nor will do in future. Why would they invest on Sindhi movies knowing that it will cause them nothing but loss?

We are making a movie by investing hardly 2.5 million to 3 or 3.5 million rupees and even then a film earns not more than one million or one and half a million. We have to sustain such a big loss on each movie.

Q- I can realize the issues faced by you, as Sindhis are scattered in different cities of India and their population is not enough to throng to a cinema. In such a situation, do the cinemas accept Sindhi movies for screening?

A- Yes Saeen we also face hardships in this regard. We have to implore the theater owners for screening of our movies. They make us bound to pay for all the tickets if the movie fails to attract the spectators and the tickets are not sold.

Q- What kind of topics are selected for Sindhi movies? I have been watching these movies on YouTube and found that mostly comedy or romantic or mixed movies are produced.

A- Your observation is correct. The movies produced here are often a mixture of comedy, romance, and social issues with the addition of songs and emotional dialogues.  Mr. Mohan, a Nagpur-based producer, makes only comedy movies.

Q- Have you or any other Sindhi film producer held exhibition of movies outside India to widen the market. There are lots of Sindhis in Dubai and other countries around the world?

A- Yes, beside India, my movies have been exhibited in Canada, Hong Kong and Nigeria. Two Sindhi movies were also screened in Dubai as producer Satish Changani himself is based in Dubai.

Q- For the same purpose, I mean for capturing the market, have Sindhi film producers ever tried to exhibit their movies with subtitles in English and other languages or dubbing in different languages?

A- So far no Sindhi movie has been dubbed in any of other languages in India. But I think it is easy to release Sindhi movies with English subtitles.

Q- I learnt through one of your interviews on YouTube that Sindhi movies are screened in hardly a dozen cities. For example you had released your movie Nazuk Rishto in about 12 cities. What had been the response by Sindhis. Was there a great rush of people to watch the new movie, as had been for Bollywood movies or even in Sindh a large number of people watched Sindhi movies in the past?

A- The situation in India is different from Sindh, as I told that Sindhis are scattered community. Moreover, the times have changed a lot. In the past, when the movies were made in print, no movie could be released in several cinemas simultaneously. But now the advanced technology has made it possible to release a move in more than ten thousand theaters at a time. Gone are the days when the movie lovers used to get their seats booked standing in queues.

I must share that my movie Vardaan was released in thirteen cities while Nazuk Rishto was released in eleven cities at a time.

As regards the response from Sindhis, I would not hesitate to share that on an average, it is not encouraging. Yes but as far as my movies are concerned, people used to buy tickets to watch the movie.

You would be surprised to know that Sindh producers or directors have to arrange any sponsor for screening of their movies – some well off persons or organizations.

Most of the producers/directors often release their movies in one city and then move to others, but it was my two movies that were screened in around a dozen cities at the same time.

Q- Have you ever thought of or taken any practical step to produce a Sindh movie of international level casting the renowned actors, with the help of big investors?

A- A Sindhi movie ‘Piyar Kare Dis’ released in 2009, was co-production of a Mumbai-based producer Kumal Nathani and another from Dubai or Singapore. A huge investment was made by engaging renowned actors, singers and getting composed songs etc. but the result was zero. Hardly 20 shows could be held of this movie. Spend tens of millions or two to three millions – huge loss is sure. And for that reason, every producer tries to make a film with a minimum budget and ensure maximum screening.

My 6th movie Vardan-2 has been co-financed by Mr. Mohan K Soni from Latin American country Chile while the associate producer is Mr. Ajeet Khairpuri from Hong Kong. This became possible only because my movies became popular through social media.

In my view, based on my experience, a blockbuster movie doesn’t require a big cast and popular actors. It needs a good story, screenplay, dialogues as well as the direction. The actors may be new and unknown but if their performance is powerful, they would make a film blockbuster. So we here focus on these things instead of big cast and investment.

Q- Share something about your six movies you have produced so far, and any new venture?

A- My first movie Maasoom, produced and directed by me, released in 2009, was based on a story of a Thalassemia patient. Second movie Qarz, also produced and directed by me, was themed on spoiled youth who get involved in seeking loans. It was released in 2011. My 3rd movie as director – Piyar Ja Rang was released in 2013. It was themed against the social evil of unmarried couples’living together, as in our Sindhi society does not accept it being disastrous for the families. Vardaan, the most successful movie was released in 2016. It touched on the important topic of educating the daughters. For this movie, I was declared as Best Director by an organization based in Hyderabad Sindh. The 5th movie – Nazuk Rishto, was released in 2019. It highlighted how delicate are the matrimonial relations.

Pyar Jaa Rang was produced by Kodu Rawlani, Vardaan by Rajesh C. Lalchandani and Naazuk Rishto by Chander Sawnani.

The 6th movie is Vardaan-2, which will be released by the end of this year.

Q- You earlier talked about revival of Sindhi film industry, which in fact is not up to the expectations. What do you think how the Sindhi film industry could progress, as it would not only promote Sindhi language and culture but also create opportunities for a large number of Sindhis to show their talent?

A- If we want to ensure the success of Sindhi movies, we must focus on the selection of powerful stories, dialogues, lyrics, music as well as the direction and picturization. But at the same time we need the patronage of Sindhis, as promotion of Sindhi language, culture and revival of Sindhi film industry depends on the success of movies. Moreover, organizations like Sahitia Academy and Sindhi Language Council should also come forward to patronize Sindhi movies, the same way they extend financial help for publishing the books. The governments in other states financially help the movies of their respective languages but since the Sindhis have no state of their own, we direly need financial support by these organizations.

Watch Video: Naresh Udhani speaks at All India Sindhi Academic Conference 

Q- My last question is about your ancestors and your personal life.  

A- My ancestors migrated from Naseerabad, Larkana Sindh in 1947 and settled in Ahmedabad. I was born in Ahmedabad in 1969 I am the youngest of four brothers and five sisters- that is 9th and last child of my parents. We are wholesale cloth merchants like our ancestors, and have shops in Sindhi market of Ahmedabad.

I graduated in commerce but I was interested in writing stories and poems from a young age. So far I have written lyrics for about 19 films. I write stories, lyrics and dialogue for my movies.

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The post Sindhi Film Industry needs Community and State Patronage first appeared on Sindh Courier.

Born on August 2, 1946, in Hyderabad Sindh and grown up in India after the partition that took place just after one year of his birth, Dr. Prem Prakash is a versatile artist, writer, poet, dramatist, critic and organizer. He is settled in Krishnanagar, Ahmedabad and working with Life Insurance Corporation of India.

Although he has no reminiscences of Sindh, but he loves Sindh, Sindhi language and culture and had been striving for promotion of Sindhi language and culture all his life. For that reason he did Ph.D. in Sindhi after B.Sc.

His forte is the field of drama. He has written many short and full length plays and directed them. Still a greater number of plays he has brought on the Sindhi stage.

Quite a few books of drama and short stories are to his credit. But his monumental research work is his treatise on the history of Sindhi drama, covering over a century, for which he received a doctorate from University of Bombay.

Dr. Prakash has received some awards for his literary achievements from different organizations – Central Hindi Directorate, Gujarat Sindhi Sahitya Academy, Akhil Bharat Sindhi Boli Ain Sahit Sabha.  And recently he has won the coveted annual award from the Central Sahitya Academy.

Significant Literary Achievements/ Contributions:

As Writer:

1. ‘Picnic’ Drama, 1974
2. ‘Morcha Bandi’ (Procession), Drama, 1975.
3. ‘Villain’ Stories, 1977.
4. ‘Veeha’ (Twenty), Stories, 1994.
5. ‘Bhagat’ (Blending of traditional Dance, Song & Story telling), Poems, 1998.

As Dramatist:

Dr. Prem Prakash has directed the following Sindhi Plays:

1. ‘Juloos’, (Procession) 1982
2. ‘Vari-a-Sando Kot’ (Castle of Sand), 1980

III. ‘Ashyano’ (Nest), 1990.

1. ‘Farishtan Ji Duniya’ (The World of Angels)

In addition, Dr. Prem Prakash has directed 35 One Act Plays from 1976 to 2000.  Some noteworthy are: ‘Undah Ji Golha’ (Search for darkness), ‘Machis Kithe Aa’ (Where is Match Box), ‘Zilzlo’ (Earthquake), ‘Sakht Chahre Varo Manhoon’ (The Man with the hard face), ‘Jadahin Zindha’ (When alive), ‘Hun Jo Dupp’ (His fear).

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Courtesy: Sindhi Sangat and All Sindhis Hope Association

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By Heena Agnani ‘Heer’

Heena Agnani ‘Heer’ is a writer, poetess, columnist and artist based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat India. Born in 1972, and having done the B.Sc., MLT, and Masters in Sindhi, she is Sindhi News Reader, translator, announcer and drama artist at All India Radio. She has also vast experience of TV production. Heena has the honor of interviewing over one hundred Great Sindhi Personalities and producing some documentaries.

Heena is author of five books that include Shabnam Moti (Poetry – 2017), Kari Cheekh (Short stories – 2018), Tatal Taye Jo Sach (Translation- 2018), Asmani Pari (Children’s poetry- 2019) and ‘Bhagwan Nirdosh ja Choond Ghazal’ (Compilation of poetry – 2019).

She is recipient of Gujarati Sindhi Sahitya Academy Award for her poetry book ‘Shabnam Moti’ in 2017 and Best Book Award by National Council for Promotion of Sindhi Language (NCPSL) on ‘Kari Cheekh’ (Short Stories) in 2019.  ‘The Hearth – Still cool’ is the title story of the book, translated into English from Sindhi language.   

The Hearth – Still Cool

Anjali’s youth had become unruly and unfaithful.

But … as if she cared! She did not even have time to groom her hair. She was happy to have her youth as a gift from life, Was busy working with the wages she got from her life. As soon as she woke up in the morning, the day started with the task of filling water, away from the village. In the midst of the small huts inhabited, separately, there stood Anjali’s hut! She was married as a child. The task of feeding two girls and an always drunken, gambler husband seemed to be burdensome for her now. Going to a house to scrub pans and sweeping, filling the water away from the hand pump was now breaking her waist. Even after working from morning to evening, she could earn only khichdi!

She used to cook khichdi in a big pot on the stove which was kept outside at 6:00 pm every evening, for which her daughters and her husband waited since morning. After wandering all day, her alcoholic husband would appear at home at 6 o’clock sharp and would start shouting while sitting on the cot from a distance. Anjali used to decide how much khichdi to serve to whom. Every day, only one of them could have a full stomach, but today it was different. Every house in which Anjali worked, she got an answer, don’t have change money, will pay you tomorrow. Seth Vijender Singh said,” that the key to the wardrobe is not available, come tomorrow.”

She was looking repeatedly at her daughters’ pale face and sunken stomach. She had already given them two cups of water to drink. After a while, her husband arrived there, too. She went outside the hut and stopped him there to ask, “How much have you earned today? Give today’s ration. Or you will not get the khichdi.” With the little consciousness he had, he shouted, “I do not want your khichdi, I will bring a biscuit from outside.” Anjali replied, “Who will give you the money if you are not in your senses? For how many days will this go on? Look at our daughters, take pity on their empty stomach and borrow from your employer. No one will lend me anything, because I didn’t get any work today. You will have to cook it”, he fell down mumbling. Holding him with his hand, she somehow managed to put him on the cot and soon he passed out. It was late in the evening and soon, bed time. With her two daughters, she laid down on a thin, torn mattress. She had no one to tell about her hunger or state of mind. She could not sleep that night. She kept thinking, “How long will this go on?” Suddenly she remembered about Seth Vijender Singh. He was such a good hearted and compassionate person. Even before this, times he had helped Anjali, but repeatedly asking Seth for help was embarrassing her now. Vijender Singh had asked her to divorce her alcoholic and gambler husband. Seth believed that such people could never build a home. He had said to her, “Come, stay with me. I am ready to take the responsibility of you and your daughters.” Anjali was shocked after hearing the proposal. She started thinking what people of the society would say! Such anecdote had never happened in the community till this day. She had forgotten Seth’s offer in the midst of worries such as being thrown out of the society. Today, however, she was pondering over these same thoughts again and again. Seth had a wife, but she was very ill and bedridden since the last two-three years. She could not even sit up, Seth would feed her. There was no one else in the house, no children or anyone else. Seth liked Anjali’s cooking. He used to lick his finger clean after eating and say, “You are like Annapurna.” Anjali pitied him; he had all the happiness of the world except a good wife. But what could she do? Her thoughts were broken by the sounds of her daughter’s fast breathing. She took her into her arms; her whole body was hot with fever. Quickly, she got up, filled the pot with water and started applying cold cloth strips on her head.

She fell asleep worrying about the next day’s plan; whether she would be able to go for work or not, what would happen if she left. Her eyes were opened by the sound of the crowd standing in front of the hand pump. Her daughter’s fever had now reduced. She left her older daughter in charge of the younger one and went to fill water. She decided that she would get money from Seth today, no matter what. Food hadn’t been cooked in her house since the previous night.

Seth’s eyes twinkled on seeing her. He said happily, “Good that you have come early today”. “What happened, Seth? Are you fine” she asked. “The utensils have not been cleaned today, and even yesterday’s are still dirty. Let me first clean the utensils.” Saying so, she went to the kitchen. Seth spoke from the room,” Anjali leave the vessel for the moment, I am very hungry, make some breakfast. The cook did not come yesterday. Your Sethani’s health was not well, the whole night has been spent in her service, and her fever was not going down at all, now I will die of hunger, hurry please”. “Sure, will quickly make Koki. Have it with curd”. Seth did not wait at the dining table, but sat inside waiting for breakfast in his room. Anjali quickly made two Kokis and came to his room to feed Seth. While returning back her salwar got stuck in the nail at the corner of the bed resulting in a big hole in the salwar (trouser). Seth could clearly watch her youthful legs from that hole. Seth quickly slammed his finger into that torn salwar and tore it more. Anjali fell down. She became nervous, her heart beat faster; she was very young and beautiful. She got mixed feelings. Since childhood, the world had bound her in such a cycle of labour where she didn’t have time to think of good policy or bad policy, religious doing or non – religious doings. She had only one thing to live for in the world, to earn meal and eat a meal.

On this day, she had become aware of her own womanhood and the feminine drunkenness of love.

But at the same time she remembered what her husband had said,” you will have to earn the meal.” For the first time in life, she felt good about a man’s touch, but in the next moment, the picture of a sick daughter, drunken husband, broken hut, poverty, labour and hard work stood in front of her. The intoxicated body immediately became inactive. Her heart cried out. Alas, first feeling of life burnt away in the hot of burning stove, she felt as if the bed is the earthen pot in which she is cooking herself as the khichdi. She could hear her husband shouting; his words still echoed in her ears, “Anjali, you are also like Khichadi.” She pushed Seth aside with her hands. Nobody sympathized with her crying. Her cries were choked by the light of day. She was lying on the bed crying inside. The evening was dead, the night was dark, the light sounded and then silenced.

It was a night like every day.

But Anjali was either there or not! When Anjali returned home, her husband sat waiting for the khichdi. Everyone stared at her, soon as she entered the kitchen. Anjali looked beautiful. Her soiled torn salwar was not on her body neither her soiled and torn dupatta was on her shoulders. Instead she was adorning   beautifully embroidered silk kurta, silk salwar and a scarf with matching print. Her chic style, her attitude was like a Sethani. As soon as she entered inside, she let the box of sweets fall out of the two baskets she was holding in her hands. The mice immediately leaped at them. Her husband tried to drive away the same mice from her behind. It was only this moment when he wanted to ask her something, but could not ask anything. Silence and peace looked more terrible than the sound of the clock; Anjali slowly straightened the basket of sweets and sat down on the floor. Her husband said, “Distribute them in the plate for all.” Anjali replied without any movement, “Now what is needed to be distributed to everyone? Eat as much as you want to eat, tomorrow you will get more food than that”. She looked loathingly at her husband. Had he been sober, her husband would not have been able to bear the hatred in her eyes.

She raced out and threw herself on the cot.

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Also read: CATHARSIS IN INDIAN SINDHI LITERATURE POST PARTITION

The post The Hearth – Still Cool – A Short Story from India first appeared on Sindh Courier.

No person or agency outside the academic institution should have a say on the merits of a dissertation or the award of a PhD. Indian govt. is exerting pressure on Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad to review the contents of a PhD dissertation on electoral democracy, as it contained references to the BJP and the BSP as “ethnically-constituted parties’’ and another mention of the BJP as “a pro-Hindu upper caste party.’’

By Nazarul Islam

The recent controversy over a PhD dissertation by a scholar at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Ahmedabad, India has highlighted once more, issues relating to the autonomy of institutions of higher learning and the academic freedom afforded to students and faculty. There is a law that gives autonomy to the business schools but attempts at interference and control keep coming up.

The latest that has come into the public realm is a move by the government to persuade the director of IIM-A to review the contents of a PhD dissertation on electoral democracy. The director, Errol D’Souza, resisted the pressure and stood his ground, though it is not known if the last word has yet been said in the matter.

Now, the BJP leader Subramanian Swamy had written to the education ministry last year that a thesis submitted to IIM and approved by it contained references to the BJP and the BSP as “ethnically-constituted parties’’ and another mention of the BJP as “a pro-Hindu upper caste party.’’

He wanted the dissertation to be re-examined by “independent professors.’’ The ministry demanded from the IIM a copy of the dissertation, but the director refused to send it because the ministry has no right to sit in judgement over a PhD thesis. He also said that any matter relating to the content of the thesis should be raised with IIM’s Thesis Advisory and Examination Committee.

However, the ministry has sent him a reminder on the matter. It is unfortunate that the ministry did not pay heed to basic academic norms and practices. A PhD thesis does not represent the views of the institution that awards the degree. It only shows that the scholar has studied a topic and formed some well-argued and tenable conclusions about it. Examiners approve dissertations even when they disagree with their content.

The important point is that no person or agency outside the academic institution should have a say on the merits of a dissertation or the award of a PhD. That is why the IIM director’s stand is right and worthy of praise. Recently, the Ministry of Education had made a move to give itself powers to dismiss the board of governors of an IIM if it is found acting in contravention of the IIM Act.

This was done after disagreement over the IIM’s decision to start a one-year management course. But the law ministry vetoed it. The government also withdrew another directive requiring prior permission for virtual seminars, which would have affected all institutions, not just the IIMs. The IIM Act grants the business schools a fair amount of autonomy.

But incidents and attempts keep coming up that endanger that ‘autonomy’, that was not gifted but automatically reaches us through the clauses contained in Constitution. Other institutions have become even more vulnerable, in this respect.

Will the institutions of higher learning be denied the privileges, to suit the wishes and ambitions of the political party in power?

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About the Author

The Bengal-born writer is a senior educationist based in USA. He writes for Sindh Courier and the newspapers of Bangladesh, India and America.

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