Sindhis struggling to retain their culture, traditions

Sindhis struggling to retain their culture, traditions Sindhis have a great historical tradition and culture but due to Partition of India people of the community have no homeland. This is what has necessitated the need for the whole community to secure its customs and traditions, said Vijay Lakhani, secretary, Sindhi Council of India. Lakhani was speaking at the screening of 'The Awakening' held at Meghraj Theatre, Vashi on Sunday last. This movie depicts the present scenario of Sindhi community. Hari Dubey, national general secretary, SCI informed Sindhu is the mother of all civilizations. "This great legacy stands undeterred by time treasuring a heritage as old as 3000 BC on the banks of the mighty Sindhu river. For centuries now, Sindhu has made its presence felt by its dynamic and even turbulent existence, a history in which periods of gradual evolution alternate with periods of rupture. It's a journey right from the ancient Vedic times to the advent of the Aryans, from the Indus valley to the illustrious Amri, Kani kot and the Mohen-jo-daro civilizations. From being torn apart and ambushed by the marauding invaders like the Egyptian pharaohs, the Huns, the Persians, Alexander, the Arabs, the Mughals and the British, to finally giving the greatest sacrifice at the altar of India's freedom, being forced to live like refugees in their own country at the hands of the sordid Partition. This was a partition of the Sindhi culture too." Producer of the film Koshi Lalwani expressed, "In today's world Sindhis are found successfully running businesses or working as head honchos across the globe. But where is the Sindhi tradition?" Lalwani further said "Today our youngsters are hardly able to speak Sindhi and they are found far away from the richest tradition and heritage of the community. I hope the movie will fill the gap between generations and encourage the youth to learn more about the oldest culture". Surprisingly, the lead actress of the film is a Marathi girl called Smithaa Gondkar. She said, "It's really hard to understand that while Maharashtrians have Maharashtra, Gujaratis have Gujarat , but for Sindhis there is no Sindh. This is where lies the urgent necessity of securing one's traditions. I am glad that I was chosen as the lead actress for such a great cause". SCI presidents, Dhiraj Rajpal of Mumbai and Naresh Talreja of Navi Mumbai along with other eminent personalities gathered to be a part of the premier show and extend their support for the cause of Sindhi community.