The Sindhi community will meet virtually to celebrate their heritage

Has winter set in there yetrdquoWe ask possibly the most Indian question to Sindhi businessman Bhagwan Das Goklani in Karachi Pakistan ldquoThe mornings are getting chillier but by noon wersquore down to our Tshirtsrdquo he laughs over the phone Clearly therersquos not much between us Except for a border that separates Goklani from fellow Sindhi Vijay Jasuja in Bandra who tells us that he longs for a sense of community far from his ancestral land ldquoWhen my forefathers migrated to India during the Partition we lost track of my grandfatherrsquos brother We never found out what happened to himrdquo Jasuja ruesMembers dance to a traditional song at a community meeting right a traditional Sindhi cap with Ajrakh workOn Sindhi Cultural Day tomorrow Jasuja will find a community when he meets others like him who trace their roots to the Sindh region in Pakistan through a virtual meeting Organised by Ulhasnagarbased social activist and artiste Rakshita Manglani the meetings held online and offline are her attempt to bind the scattered community together Manglani traces her roots to Sindhrsquos Larkana district which was once the heart of the Indus Valley Civilisation owing to its proximity to the Indus RiverldquoIn the years following the Partition cultural exchange happened majorly through India Post A package posted in India would be received in Karachi the next day I remember reading the Hindustan newspaper Naeen Duniya magazine and collections of poetryrdquo says Reverend Iqbal Daniel a retired parish priest in Karachi The senior member borrows from Sindhi folk tales of Sasuee Punhoon Umer Marwi and the more popular Laila Majnoo to keep the exchange alive at these annual celebrationsWomen from the Sindh region in Pakistan perform a group dance Pic CourtesyWikimedia CommonsThe stories might seem familiar to Chanderprakash Gurmukhani from Andora Italy who recalls hearing stories from Karachi Sukkur Khairpur Quetta and Pirgoth from his father and uncles ldquoThat stream of stories has now stopped flowingrdquo he informs us For instance the younger generation might never find out that one of the earliest Hindustani Sindhi films Abana was released in 1958 Or that one of the earliest agrarian revolt poems came from 17th century Sindhi poet Shah Inayat who coined the popular Sufi saying lsquoJo kherray so khaeyrsquo He who reaps has the right to eatManglani who holds a diploma in Sindhi language is concerned that these stories might soon fade from memory ldquoSindhis from Generation Z and Alpha donrsquot want to speak Sindhi anymore Itrsquos supposedly not ldquocoolrdquo enough As you move further away from Ulhasnagar to the Western suburbs it becomes more obvious One of our ground rules is that everyone who joins a meeting speaks in Sindhi irrespective of their level of expertise Irsquove created a WhatsApp group where we share voice notes to help each other uprdquo she sharesA young memberrsquos painting of Jhulelal a revered deity for Sindhi HindusAfter the celebrations tomorrow the group will continue meeting every month with new ideas to help the cause Sindhi open mics singing competitions and poetry readings will keep young and old members engaged throughout the yearldquoMy grandfather would tell me stories from undivided India when I was six years old I donrsquot remember much of it but it taught me the importance of not leaving people behind Indian Sindhis cannot afford to dissociate from those across the border citing they have nothing to do with us We have everything to do with them and they have everything to do with usrdquo Manglani signs offReverend Iqbal Daniel and Vijay JasujaON December 7 9 pm to 10 pmCALL 9765828057 for queriesGrab a biteHead to these communityapproved haunts in the city A1 SweetsAsk for Sev Mithai or Singhar Ji MithaiAT Shop 71819 Shivaji Chowk Ulhasnagar Dholi NastaAsk for Beeh ji Tikki lotus stem tikkis Dal PakwaanAT Santu Building Laxmi Nagar Ramayan Nagar Ulhasnagar Bhagat TarachandAsk for Sindhi Curry Chawal with Alu TookAT Multiple locations across Lower Parel Ghatkopar Andheri and Borivali Jhama SweetsAsk for Gulab JamunAT Dr Choitram Gidwani Road Chembur