Rainbow Love!

Better known as 'The Pro-Sindhi Post!'

Ever since my Sindhi’s in a Bubble piece, I’ve been crowned an Anti-Sindhi. I often hear from friends that people find/found my piece rather insulting and apparently, some even felt ‘betrayed’. I don’t feel the need to sit and justify my piece. It’s my blog and I’ll write what I want to (yes, I’m a five-year-old that way). But to sit and call me “Anti-Sindhi”, now that’s unfair. In fact, I’m a proud Sindhi. If you know me well, you know I love my heritage heaps; I’m all about Sindhi power. But I’m not going to sit here and stand by those who are participating in the ho-hum stereotyped way of Sindhi living. We’re in 2011 for goodness sake! If you’re still looking to conform and live a life of orthodoxy, then yes, please spare me from loving you.

However, today I stand prouder than ever because a fabulous story I came across regarding two amazing Sindhis who dared to be different. While I regularly hear of dreadful stories where a gay Indian man will marry an innocent Indian woman all because he’s too scared to come out, here’s a gay couple who aren’t scared to be honest about their relationship and go on to even legally commit to one another. And they just happen to be Sindhi. New Yorkers Navin Manglani and Navin Dargani were married amongst hundreds in New York City this July to receive recognition of their relationship after the same sex marriage law passed in the state (Rediff.com). The couple came out in full tashan as their dressed the part and happily indulged in holy matrimony.

Now this is when I really feel like a proud Sindhi. I dread to question how many gay Sindhi men are out there but are too scared of our rather conservative society; yes, I’m using a diplomatic word, trust me I’d much rather choose a harsher word. And this is the same in most conformist societies. Such men live a closeted life where they have a picture perfect life: wife, kids, and the works. But the reality is that they live a dual existence. In the case of Navin and Navin, they just chose to be non-conformers and honest (India Abroad).

When I talk of a new generation of Sindhis, this is exactly what I’m talking about; people who are independent in their thinking and living, who aren’t scared to be different and who are definitely not worried about what people will say. You really have to hand it to these lads. It can’t have been easy for them on any level.

I realized today, as community, if one person defies the status quo, it almost opens a floodgate for others to follow in queue. Whether its divorce (now perhaps too common) or marrying outside our community/culture, its taken time, but we’ve managed to accept these otherwise too modern ways of life. Perhaps what Navin and Navin have done is just open yet another door.

I don’t think they were looking for approval from anyone with regards to their relationship though. Either way, I cannot be happier for these gentlemen. Defying the status quo is what I’m all about and it’s great to see a lot more who are willing to say, “Screw you society!”

Here’s wishing you both a lifetime of happiness and love. More power to you gentlemen!

Radical Egypt!

As Indians, we have much to thank Egypt for. A small mundane example is Misri, crystalized sugar which we use for offering to our Gods. And for Sindhis, Misri is also the name for the engagement ceremony. Into a well decorated pot, 7 kgs of rock Misri is filled and handed over to the groom's mother. The sweet Misri signifies an abundant amount of sweetness which family and friends pray will roll over into the couples marriage. But this is all off topic.

Over the last two weeks, Egytians have set precedence for the Arab world. They have defined the real meaning of fighting for a government that just doesn't work. With the use of Social Media, the youth of the country took to the streets and protested. They simply were not going to deal with the atrocities that they had dealt with with 30 years of Mubarak reign. And while by now you know that I'm an NOT a Barkha Dutt fan but the lady put it all in perspective. "At one point in Cairo we feared that Tahrir could become Tiananmen square. Instead it gave birth to a modern day Salt March.." With Gandhi as her muse, the journalist compared the revolution of Egypt to the independence struggle of India. Perhaps, the Egyptians really understood Gandhi-giri better than we did and ever will. In complete unison, they set out to change the face of the Arab world. Albeit violence, they managed to overthrow a regime that wasn't making the cut. And all this, conducted by the youth of the country. Egypt will never be the same again. This isn't to say the journey is over for them. That is hardly the case. In fact, they have a rather steep hill to climb from here on. We've seen the military come in only to get too comfortable vis-a-vis Pakistan. And now, with no clear leader, the amount of corruption is bound to hit an all time high. A scary fact is the sheer fact that the opposition leader happens to be an Islamist. For Egyptians, that should raise warning signs. So yes, red flags are around but doesn't mean they haven't accomplished anything; their determination and courage deserves a global standing ovation. The question that hit me almost immediately was simple: why couldn't the youth of India do the same?

Look, we are hardly in need of a revolution. India in itself is a revolutionary country that has faught long and hard. In turn, this has made the country practically immune to any external and internal strife that it have have to face. However, there are major issues in the country that need resolving. The youth are the only ones who can take to the streets in matter of leadership, corruption and other important issues that have been put on the back burner. But they won't. And the answer is simple: the Indian youth is lazy, indifferent and more than anything scared of voicing themselves only because they have been ignored far too many times in the past. I personally believe that the youth is far too self involved to care about the country, far too comfortable with their indifference. I've repeatedly heard of youth leaders who have gone on to state that they are just too tired with being told by the government that they are "too young" to understand. And so, the best attitude is to shrug. But can you imagine if the youth of Egypt would have done the same? They wouldn't have accomplished what they have today, February 11th, 2011. 


It doesn't involve violence but mere determination and a fearless attitude (Dabangg anyone?). The youth of India are not incapable. Now if only they would take some inspiration from the Egyptians and get on with it. Until then complete power to Egyptians. May your revolution take you from strength to strength. Today you have proved that the Arab world is changing and you have made that change. Forget "Yes, We Can"; Yes, You Did!

I'll Never Change!

No matter where I live, there are things about me that will a) remain Sindhi and b) remind me that in reality, I was born and raised in Hong Kong. On a daily basis I find myself realizing that old habits die hard and that while I may have hopped around the whole world, it is impossible to rid myself of these traits. Good or bad, I don't know. I do know they exist and so, they are an innate part of me. Check it out!


The Sindhi in me: 
* Always looking to see what xyz person is wearing
* Constantly thinking of ways to make money
* Loves to socialize
* Wants to travel
* Looks for ways to link myself to every Sindhi I meet

The Bombayite in me:
* Loves Page 3 and Bollywood
* Religiously watches After Hours on Zee to keep up with current events in the city
* Craves rasta food
* Sees a row of lights by water and immediately thinks about the Queens Necklace
* Smells phinal and is reminded of Mumbai Airport

The American in me:
* Thinks everything is chalta hai
* Can't understand why a live-in relationship is such a big deal
* Understands why Americans have lurve milkshakes and fries
* Believes that you get the best candy at the cinema


The Hong Konger in me:
* Cannot fathom Dim Sum on any other day but Sunday
* Has no issue with smelly tofu or watching fish being skinned at the local Chinese stores
* Loves Haw Flakes (if you don't know what that is, look here)
* Adores Hong Kong food

See what I mean! Nothing will every change. I'll move all over the world, and yet I will be the Sindhi girl who was born and raised in Hong Kong, who spent too many summers in Mumbai and then moved to the US for studies. I am who I am!

10 Reasons Being Sindhi Rocks! (In my opinion anyway!)

Happy Chetti Chand Fellow Sindhis! And for those who don't know, Chetti Chand marks the Sindhi New Year and also celebrates the birthday of Jhulelal, the Patron Saint to Sindhis. I blogged last year about the pretty awesome story behind Jhulelal (look here). But today more than ever, I realized how much I love being Sindhi. This morning, I woke up to this quote, "Some people spend their entire lives trying to be intelligent; others are simply born Sindhi." Of course, that is simply one of many pro-Sindhi proverbs; my favorite being: "If you're dating a Sindhi, raise your glass. If not, raise your standards!" Sadly, there are a number of false conceptions that follow us too. It is said, and wrongly might I add, that if you are asked to choose between saving a Sindhi or a snake, you choose a snake. To which I would simply like to roll my eyes and say a big fat WHATEVER.

Back to being a proud Sindhi. It really does rock to be Sindhi for a number of reasons really and thus, on the auspicious occasion of Chetti Chand, I am counting down the top 10 reasons why being Sindhi rocks!

10. Sindhi's have no land, no state and no place to call our own. Post the partition, we were asked to "leave" Sindh which is and was located in Pakistan. So what do we do? We go ahead and take on the world. I would put my top dollar and bet that you would find a Sindhi in any country, city, state, nook and cranny of the world. Citizens of the world; that's who we are.

9. We have the most amazing food on earth. Sindhi curry is beyond delightful especially with boondi mithai. My mouth is watering as we speak. But seriously, a great Sindhi meal is always scrumptious ranging from sai-bhaji to lolis and rice taini. *tummy rumbles*

8. We own -Ani's. Yes, you can spot us simply from our last name. And the best part is we love having an -Ani at the end of our last names! In fact that mere fact has history in itself. It is said that the last three letter, ANI, are actually a variant of the tribe we are from. But the best part is all you need to do is look at our last name and badda-bing, you'd spot us!

7. How connected are we? You can always count on a Sindhi to know someone who knows someone who is related to another. And what rocks about this fact is that we can track down anyone who goes missing OR if you need to inquire about a potential brides or grooms; Sindhis rock at being detectives.

6. Big Fat Sindhi weddings are really the most fun and enjoyable. Besides the mere obvious, great food and overflowing alcohol, our fancy shin-dings also incorporate dancing and if you're lucky a great popular singer manages to grace the stage.

5. Becauase Abhishek Bachchan too realizes we rock and wished his Sindhi pals a very Happy Chetti Chand on Twitter!

4. Because despite being a so-called "dying culture" we have still managed to stay united and keep our heritage together as much as possible. This too without a state to call our own.

3. Listen, all the music in the world may be amazing but Sindhi laada's have a place of their own. And they are used for shaadi's and whenever we find an occasion to sing in Sindhi, we are there!

2. And because we were unfairly not included in the Phir Mile Sur video, hello we are Indians, so we created a bit of a ruckus on Facebook. Yeah, we're still not a part of the video but hey, at least we tried!

1. And lastly, because no matter what, we never lose our Sindhi pride. We stand tall, proud and united.

Dissecting the -ani

Dr. Kapoor, a famous and renowned Physician wrote an interesting report on Sindhi's after forty years of experience and practice. Fascinating indeed, I decided to take a jab at the article and add my two cents in the form of "agrees" and "disagrees."

Subject: A Doctor talks about Sindhi's: PROFILE OF SINDHI PATIENTS IN MY PRIVATE PRACTICE - MY EXPERIENCE OF FORTY YEARS
By: Dr O P Kapoor: Hon. Visiting Physician, Jaslok Hospital and Bombay Hospital, Mumbai, Ex. Hon. Prof. of Medicine, Grant Medical College and JJ Hospital, Mumbai 400 008.

"Sindhis are unusual Indian patients.. They have no state of their own. After the partition many of them have spread all over the world and are living as NRI's, e.g. In West Africa (Lagos and Siereleone), Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, Phillipines, Taiwan, Spain, Las Palmas, Gibraltar, Bahamas, UK, USA, etc. All over the world they continue to remain religious, God fearing and still speak in their Sindhi language. They are possibly the most hard working people in India, though they also enjoy eating, drinking, music, sex and a very good social life. Many of them have turned to various cults like Radhoswamy, Chinmayanand, Satya Sai Baba of Bangalore, Saibaba of Shirdi, Dada Vaswani of Poona, Aasaram and many more cults. To me it appears that they have no secure feeling."

Disagree: I've never actually thought of Sindhi's as being "insecure." While he makes a valid point, most Sindhi's do look for contentment in these so-called "cults," primarily because we feel like the forgotten lot. Some times, I think its because Sindhi's consider it a way to social while simultaneously being socially-religiously responsible. How on earth can we be insecure? After being thrown out of your own state, having to stay grounded and become the epitome of the successful universal Indian- that is hardly insecurity.

"They are taking the help of these cults to maintain their mental health (less commonly Osho, Brahmakumaris and ISKCON). After adopting these cults many of them stop drinking and develop sober habits but continue to eat more. They are so ambitious that it is worth noting that our Home Minister and one of the other Central Ministers were Sindhis in our Indian Govt. It is interesting to note that 2 out of 4 best private hospitals in the city of Bombay are run by Sindhis. Thus the Sindhi man works the whole day and has no time for exercise. This aggressive attitude predisposes them to certain diseases like ischaemic heart disease, hypertension, etc. Most of them will never miss their good lunch and have a hearty dinner and even on the days of fasting which many of them do once a week, the caloric content of the fruits and milk which they consume is very high. Nearly 100% Sindhis offer regular prayers every day. Unfortunately, even the "prasad"which they consume consists of greasy sweet kada (may be followed by a big papad of equally high caloric content). Thus the prasad can amount to as much as a small meal."

Agree: Sindhi's have no sense of fitness or health regimes. The younger generation are definitely more in tune with the idea and the older are realizing the importance of it. The idea of cult's helping to reduce alcohol and smoking is interesting as it the idea of eating more on the flip-side. Advani didn't make it to be Prime Minister, and I personally wasn't rooting for him either, but agree - most successful businesses are run by Sindhi's.

"The Sindhi women continue to be old traditional ideal wives and mothers and most
of the time are home bound, busy cooking and looking after the house. Many of them do not leave their house for days together and continue to eat a good breakfast, lunch and dinner and snacks (specially "tikkis", Fried Potatoes and sweets) in between, thus leading to obesity and predisposing them to diabetes and hypertension and osteoporosis (due to sedentary life). Many genetically transmitted diseases are common in Sindhis. These include ischaemic heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, thalassaemia minor, G6PD deficiency, obesity and possibly gross osteo-arthritis. The following are my other observations : On general examination most of them are overweight. The commonest musculo-skeletal symptoms of "lingan mey soor" is due to a combination of overweight and lack of exercise. Many of them have got a prominent protuberent abdomen, in males often due to alcohol and excessive calories and in females often due to multiple deliveries. This leads to reduced abdominal tone and appears to me as one of the factors of chronic constipation(pet saaf kona acheyto). Most of the Sindhi women complain of swelling and oedema of the feet and slight pitting. On majority of the occasions it is due to salt retention following marked obesity and deep venous insufficiency. Many of these women have very fat thighs, buttocks and calves hidden in their very roomy dresses. Many of them mistake fat on the legs as oedema. The gross osteo-arthritis of the knees and hip joints is possibly familial and some of the most advanced cases of such osteo-arthritis in our countries are seen in Sindhi communities. Most of the Sindhi women do not take any hormone pills after menopause which often occurs around 45 to 48. Thus after 10-15 years, around the age of 60 to 65 they start getting repeated fractures with minimal trauma and most of the doctors do not make the diagnosis of osteoporosis which is rampant in elderly Sindhi housewives. Many Sindhi women appear anaemic on general examination. Most of them will say that they have gone to a number of Doctors in their life time but their anaemia does not respond to treatment. This is because they have thalassaemia minor which they should be told to learn to live with and for which there is no permanent cure. The incidence of G6PD deficiency is very high in Sindhis. Off and on I see rich Sindhi males coming with severe anaemia from far East after having an attack of Malaria for which they are given anti-malarial drugs. This is because of deficiency of G6PD which was missed by clinicians in those countries."

Disagree: Uh.. which Sindhi woman do you know stays at home for days? I definitely don't know any. And illness' occur in all communities - bias, prejudice and too much generalization here. All communities have cults, all communities have wrong foods, all communities have health issues.

"Premature greying of hair in both sexes is universal in this community and they keep on using hair dyes for years!"

Pissed off: Okay this point pisses the crap outta me. What difference does it make? So Sindhi's want to stay and remain young - and if they use a bit of dye so what? Yes, we believe in looking youthful especially the older lot. And this is bad because?

"Most of the Sindhi patients especially women complain of symptoms of "monjh" which is equivalent to ghabrahat (chest apprehension in other Indian patients. Many of these patients have absolutely no heart disease and have nothing else but panic disorder. The incidence of this symptom is so high in Sindhi females that every alternate patient complains of the same not responding to any treatment!! However, ischemic heart disease in Sindhis specially those living abroad is extremely common (like the Asians in UK) and should be excluded before diagnosing functional complaints. Many of the females will complain of symptoms due to so-called "low blood pressure". Most of these symptoms are due to anxiety and tension and not due to low blood pressure. The symptoms of "Saheko" which really means dyspnoea is often present along with "monj" without any organic disease. Diabetes and hypertension are extremely common in this population. Often they neglect the treatment of these diseases and develop ischaemic heart disease (both sexes). Fortunately, because they can "afford", many undergo Angioplasty and coronary bypass heart surgery and then agree to take drugs life time. Even the incidence of "Strokes" due to abnormal brain circulation is more common in Sindhi population (mainly due to negligence and not taking treatment of "detected" or "undetected" hypertension). For the same reason kidney failure CRF is more common in Sindhi population. Regarding diseases of lungs, COPD is still off and on seen in so-called poor Sindhis (from Ulhasnagar) who continue smoking bidis and cigarettes. The modern Sindhis have more or less given up smoking. The standard complaints of most of the Sindhis especially women are "ograai" and "pet saaf kona acheyto" which literary means belching and incomplete evacuation. The belching is so severe that the patients often present with aerophagy syndrome. Belching is not a disease and is not only a habit (which started in this community in childhood) but is associated with over eating. In my experience Sindhis have the highest incidence of belching and aerophagy in the world. Another common complaint is the "Coated" tongue. They continue using tongue cleaners and always corelatetheir coated tongue (which is normal) with their abdominal complaints of distension and constipation. Incomplete evacuation is often due to their sluggish colon and associated poor abdominal tone and flabby abdomen and possibly lack of outdoor exercises. Blood cholesterol and triglycerides are often very high in Sindhi population and are mainly related to intake of alcohol and rich diet. As compared to many other communities, in Sindhi women the symptom of leucorrhoea is very common. In males the symptoms of sexual weakness are more or less universal often due to excess of alcohol, tension, diabetes, iatrogenic causes and more "expectations!" However, the incidence of urethral syndrome and Dhaat (male leucorrhoea) as seen in many other Indian males is more or less never seen in Sindhi males (although they often over indulge in sex). Interestingly like in Arabs, I find that the incidence of AIDS is much less in Sindhi population. Regarding the different sub-communities in Sindhis - the picture described by me above is commonly seen in Sindhwarkis. Although, Hyderabadis and Amil Sindhis have also more or less same illnesses, belching, aerophagy and other gastrointestinal symptoms are less common in them. More often Bhaibandh and Shikarpuri Sindhis join cults like Radhaswamy and after taking "Naam" stop non-vegetarian food and often alcohol, though many of them who were smokers continue smoking. Also many of these types of Sindhi like to retire from sex life around the age of 50-55. Finally, in poor Sindhi population of Ulhasnagar most of the above picture described by me would often be seen."

Conclusion: I really believe, even after my father attempted to convince me that this article was targeted at the "older generation," which upset me even more, that Dr. Kapoor has generalized far too much. My "evaluation" has allowed me to conclude that this report is beyond biased and prejudice. And I had to correct a lot of grammar and spelling within his report. I rest my case.

Chetti "Happy Sindhi New Year" Chand

Today is Chetti Chand, better known as Sindhi New Year. So whats the big pomp about? I have no idea. It saddens me to know that I have no inkling as to why Sindhi's across the globe celebrate this day as our New Year. And because I have ants in my pants, I Wikipedia-ed it and did some much needed research of my own. The simple reason Sindhi's celebrate this day with such gaitey is because...(drum roll) it is the day Jhulelal, the benefactor of Sindhis, was born.

Born as Udero Lal to a small family in Nassarpur, he is said to have taken the Lal family out of repression. He was a child of miracles and taught lessons of love, unity and righteouness. He preached lessons of the above and travelled on a "Palla fish," and in 1020 AD, mysteriously disappeared into the water never to be seen again. It is also said, he was the one who miraculously stopped the conversion of Hinduism to Islam as the local king was forcing his kingdom to do so.

Should have figured it would be something as simple. It is also a day to worship water, "the elixir of life. " If history is to be true, the followers of Jhulelal went through underwater rituals for forty days and nights. They did not shave, change clothes, shave or use soap but wash and wore their clothes quite literally. This was in observance of the water God.

Through this crash course in "Sindhism," (My religious studies teacher would be so proud), not only did I learn heaps, but actually a lot of what I do, and eat make sense. Pallo Fish, is a Sindhi delicacy, and now I know why; Buckwheat is supposed to be eaten on this day, and happens to be my moms favorite food; Bahrano is actually an evening of Sindhi song and dance. All of a sudden Laada's (Sindhi songs) make sense to me.

We may not have a state but history and culture we have. My mother always says, "Sindhi's can make any place their home." That is probably true, but I believe ultimately, we wish we did have a state to call our own. After all, the world does house millions of us in all directions up and down the globe.

All this talk about Sindhi's makes me wish I had taken more of a keen interest in my culture. Learning the dialect would have been a fabulous start considering my father speaks it fantastically as does my grandmother. While I love being Hindu, I also love having an -ANI at the end of my last name. It makes me feel so proud. Yes, we have a reputation of being snakes, but a snake is a serpant who everyone is scared of. Why? Because he knows he will succeed.

Maybe that should be added to my list of New Year resolutions: Learn Sindhi. After all, I am Hindu and we have perks galore. We are allowed to celebrate New Year's three times a year: 31st December, Chetti Chand and Diwali. My culture provides me with three new chances, three times a year.

Photo Credit: Prem Prakash