Who Are the Sindhi?
The Sindhi are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group of approximately 40-50 million, primarily in Sindh province of Pakistan (30 million) with a significant diaspora in India (especially Mumbai, Gujarat, and Rajasthan—4 million) and globally. They speak Sindhi, an Indo-Aryan language with its own script. The Sindhi homeland along the lower Indus River was the site of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization; Mohenjo-daro lies in Sindh. Partition in 1947 divided this community—Hindu Sindhis mostly fled to India while Muslim Sindhis remained. This trauma of displacement shaped diaspora Sindhi identity profoundly.
Ancient Heritage
Sindh's history extends to humanity's earliest urban civilizations—the Indus Valley Civilization (3300-1300 BCE) centered at Mohenjo-daro and Harappa. Though direct continuity with modern Sindhi is debated, the region's antiquity is undeniable. Arab conquest (711 CE) made Sindh the first part of South Asia under Muslim rule, beginning its Islamic heritage. Sufi saints spread Islam peacefully; their shrines (dargahs) remain pilgrimage centers. Successive empires ruled Sindh until British conquest. This layered history—ancient, Islamic, colonial—creates rich Sindhi cultural synthesis.
Partition and Displacement
The 1947 Partition of British India devastated Sindh's Hindu population (then about 25%). Riots and fear drove mass exodus to India; cities like Hyderabad and Karachi lost most Hindu residents overnight. Unlike Punjab's mutual exchange, Hindu Sindhis received no compensating territory in India—they became refugees without a homeland. Settling primarily in Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Delhi, Hindu Sindhis rebuilt through commerce and entrepreneurship. This displacement created a diaspora culture focused on business success, education, and maintaining identity without territory. The Sindhi experience represents partition's enduring wounds.
Sufi Mysticism
Sindh is famous for Sufi mysticism—poetry, music, and shrine culture permeate society. Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai (1689-1752), Sindh's greatest poet, wrote verses sung across the region; his shrine at Bhit Shah hosts major annual festivals. Other saints—Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, Sachal Sarmast—inspire devotion transcending religious boundaries; Hindus historically visited Sufi shrines. This syncretic tradition emphasizes love, tolerance, and mystical union with God. Contemporary Sindh's Sufi festivals draw millions. This heritage sometimes conflicts with more puritanical Islamic movements, creating tensions in modern Pakistan.
Contemporary Sindhi
Modern Sindhi in Pakistan face political marginalization—Karachi (Sindh's largest city) is dominated by Muhajirs (Urdu-speaking migrants from India), creating ethnic tensions. Rural Sindh features feudal landlords and agricultural poverty. The diaspora in India has prospered commercially but struggles to maintain language and culture across generations. Sindhi language faces pressure from Urdu in Pakistan and Hindi/English in India. Cultural revival movements promote Sindhi literature, music, and heritage. How Sindhi maintain identity—divided between nations, between rural homeland and urban diaspora—defines their contemporary challenge.
References
- Burton, R. (1851). Sindh, and the Races That Inhabit the Valley of the Indus
- Schimmel, A. (1976). Pain and Grace: A Study of Two Mystical Writers of Eighteenth-Century Muslim India
- Kothari, R. & Snell, R. (2011). Chutnefying English: The Phenomenon of Hinglish