The Culture of Sindh


The culture of Sindh, this great mother of all civilizations, is so pure, sublime, unique and rich. But, where is it? I cannot find it! It is lost! The children of Sindh have gone all over the world, leaving their language, culture, heritage, traditions and, most of all, their very own mother behind."Shame on those who have abandoned their motherland!" Not all have completely abandoned their motherland. There are some, yes, a few only, who have not forgotten their dear land, and are, day and night, engrossed in cultivating and irrigating the tiny remaining seedlings of their roots. One such noble child of mother Sindh is Maharaj Prakash Bharadwaj, who has, through love, dedication, toil and effort, come out with a great informative source, "Sindhis International Yearbook."I shall be presenting here, in these pages, the cultural aspects of my beloved motherland. Some Aspects Of Sindhi Culture Culture of a nation is an aspect of ultimate values. These values, possessed by a particular society, are expressed in that society's collective institutions. Culture, in a sense is an essence, within the boundaries of which individuals live by. They express these cultural values in their dispositions, habits, feelings, passions, attitudes and manners. Sindhi culture belongs to that unique group of people with the sense of common history and common traditions, as well as multiplication of common interests. All these gave rise to the flowering and flourishing of that great Sindhi civilization. Sindh has its specific culture. Culture is, no doubt, quite an abstract term inspite of the veritability of the physical and mental existence. Every society has to pass through the idealistic phase in its mental make-up and some shades of a cultural group's mental make-up defy any attempt at complete erasure. In their journey through time the people of Sindh had adopted ultimate standards, which through practice, has become norms and absolutes, known as culture. Basis Of Sindhi Culture Archeological discoveries sometimes help to unfold the certain latent aspects of a culture. The geological researchers enable us to stretch back the history of man on this planet by millions of years and pave the way of moulding our minds in such a way as to be more and more receptive to scientific formulations. There is a limit to what an unscientific mind can indulge in. The ultimate achievement is the prevalent and persistence of the scientific way of looking into phenomenon. The unscientific mind will, sooner or later, sink into oblivion. The excavations of Moenjodaro have unfolded before us the city life of a cicilization, of people - a proud people, with a distinct identity, values and culture. Therefore, the first definition of the Sindhi culture emanates from that over 7,000 years old Indus Valley Civilization.This is the pre-Aryan period, about 3,000 years B.C., when the urban civilization in Sindh was at its peak. Sir Mortimer Wheeler in his book, "Civilization of the Indus Valley and Beyond," says, "Civilization, in a minimum sense of the term, is the art of living in towns, with all that the condition implies in respect of social skills and disciplines." Hence, when we speak of Sindhi civilization we have to concern ourselves, mainly, with the material and concrete side of human habitation of which Sindhi culture is only the essence, the superstructure. So, the present day Sindh, alongwith the Northern part of the Indus Valley Civilization - around 3,000 to 2,500 B.C. - prides on its urban civilization. Aesthetic Utilization Of Leisure The ancient Sindhi civilization was the one where the aesthetic utilization of leisure was creaved for a freely indulged. What is so evident from the excavations of sites dating back to 3,000 B.C. all over Sindh, is also true, some 1,200 years ago when Jaina Dakshiniya Chihna (778 A.D.) described the distinguished features of Sindhis in this way: "Elegant, with a lovely, soft and slow gait, they are fond of the art of Gandharvas (that is, songs, music and dancing) and full affection towards their country." Much of the arguments still hold and the Ying (that is, the maternal) ingredient doesn't seem to have been diluted much.