What is Sindhyat ?

By Prof. Dr. Satish Rohra

Our friends often ask us “What is Sindhyat? What do you mean by it ?”
As honesty means an honest behaviour of a person, or efficiency means the efficient working of a man, similarly “Sindhyat” means the distinct features, qualities and behaviour of a community by which it is recognised as ‘Sindhi’ Community. Hence, by “Sindhyat” we mean the peculiar life style which makes Sindhis distinct from others. Our customs and beliefs, faith and tradition, way of thinking and behaviour are quite different from other communities.
Next question one may ask Who is Sindhi? Whom we can call Sindhi? The children who are born and brought up in India after partition and have never seen Sindh, can they be called Sindhis? And those who can not speak, read or write Sindhi language should they be considered as Sindhis ?
The simple answer to the above question is YES! The essential condition to call someone Sindhi is not to be born in Sindh or know the Sindhi language, but to feel oneself Sindhi, recognised by other as a Sindhi. Other people will call us Sindhis when they find the difference in our living pattern, in our customs and traditions, in our thought and action, which are quite distinct from their way of living. Thus we may conclude that “SINDHYAT” is the emotion which makes a person feel that he is Sindhi and also enables others to recognise him as Sindhi.
“SINDHYAT” is thus the identity of Sindhi Society.

Culture- For Living Not For Sale

By Prof. Dr. Satish Rohra

The word ‘culture’ is commonly believed to be associated with human behaviour and behaviour means the refinement of the senses.
The culture of any society is built upon the values, qualities, attitude or behaviour of its people. So, up to a certain extent, one can say that culture is the life style of that society or community. Generally people are under the impression that music, dance, drama and fine arts constitute culture. But in reality all these arts are not only what culture is made up of, on the contrary they are mere tools of exhibiting culture. All such arts are a measuring rod of the richness of the culture of a society, in the absence of which they would remain just a means of entertainment or as a mirror to the changing trends of society.
This is the era of utilitarianism and we are under the strong hold of vulgar exhibitionism and commercialisation. So that not only are the products and servuces commercialized, but thoughts, ideas and beliefs have also been reduced to being commodities for sale. Under such circumstances, Sindhi culture too has become a saleable item for many people, who try to attract the masses through big banners for their own vested interests.
Truly speaking, Sindhi culture is not a commodity of trade. It is the epitome of the true Sindhi community, which embodies the ideas, values, routine activities and the beliefs of the community, as a whole.
It should be our whole-hearted endeavoar to create a feeling of respect towards our mother tongue, our literature, our thoughts and our land. And this will happen only when we stop considering it a language of the rural areas or that of the uneducated. There should be an urge within our hearts, for knowing more about our past heritage and our rich culture. Let us take the initiative of injecting feeling of pride and honour towards our culture and pass it one to the new generation, so that they are not ashamed to be known as “Sindhis” in front of the world.