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Relevance Of Sindhiyat In Modern Times
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Sunday, Oct 21, 2007
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SINDHU RATAN RAM JETHMALANI’S KEY NOTE SPEAKER
“RELEVANCE OF SINDHIYAT IN MODERN TIMES”
Sindhi Studies University of Mumbai
March 06, 2007
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Ladies and Gentleman
I want to give you some good news. I have not written a paper.
King George V had invited Gandhji for a cup of tea. So he went to the palace, had tea with the king and came out and was accosted by a British journalist who wanted to be very nasty with Mahatama Gandhi So he asked Mr. Gandhi don't you think you were very poorly dressed for the occasion?” He was in his usual very sparse dressed. “Don't you think you were wearing too little for the occasion?” In his inimitable style Gandhiji retorted “Don't you think His Majesty was wearing enough for both of us?” I thought Srichand Hindhuja has spoken enough for all of us.
Ladies and Gentleman I wanted to have the paper of my friend Amar Jaleel, to be read and wanted to hear him but unfortunately I will not have the pleasure of hearing him, I do want to tell him that I have gone through his paper and I must say that it is a remarkable paper and I wish you would come more often which will be great for both countries. I heard Dr. Siddiqui and I went through the paper of Dr. Siddiqui and read every word of the paper that he has written. It is another great paper. What Dr Siddiqui did not tell us when he was talking about Sufism and what Sufism really means to the modern world that Sufis are not regarded as good Muslims. This is a tragedy of the modern world. We Sindhis must be proud of one thing, that we were born in the land of Sufis, and that we were born on the bank of the Sindhu. We have educated Europe through the philosophy which was taught on the banks of the Sindhu I don't wish to go farther but I hope that most of you will give yourself the intellectual pleasure of reading a book, The Return of the Aryans, by great Sindhi Bhagwan Gidwani. I don't know how many of you have read it. Those who have not read it, I don't regard them as complete Sindhis. So please read it. Bhagwan in his book has introduced us to the Song which was sung on the bank of the Indus, 7000 years ago. That song has now been translated in Hindi; it has been translated in Sindhi. It has been translated in English, it is available in CD form and I hope all of you will hear that CD and I hope my friend Dr Siddiqui and our friend Amar Jaleel will also hear that Song and you will realize that 7000 years ago on the bank of the Indus was taught the same philosophy which today enlightens both the papers of Amar Jaleel and Dr. Siddiqui .
Srichand Hinduja is right that there was no Religion at that time. I am not a man of religion and ladies and gentleman, I mean no disrespect to religion. I am of the firm belief being a good Sindhi, that religion has done more harm than good. May be it provides comfort, some solace, some hope to unhappy people who are looking for something in the world that they could not find otherwise, on the whole, religion has a really negative balance sheet and that is why after a study of all the religions I have found a only one line religion of my own and that one line is “Make as many people as happy as you can during your short span of life”. Religion and virtue both themselves be a special form of ego and ego is the cause of so much trouble and strife and conflict, violence and war. Shah Abdul Lateef is the greatest legacy of Sindhi, the greatest inheritance of Sindhi, the greatest treasure house of Sindhi.
When I was in Pakistan before partition I had the honor of being the partner in practice with Mr. Allahbux Brohi who in 1956 became the Law Minister of Pakistan and he introduced in the Pakistan Legislature the Constitution of Pakistan, which became the first Constitution of Pakistan, and came into force on the 23rd March 1956. It was a constitution which was almost a copy, except for a few changes of the Indian Constitution. And if that constitution had continued to be the Constitution of Pakistan, India and Pakistan would have never degenerated into the state of hostility and war which has characterized our relationship, which mercifully is now coming to an end and I hope the visit of my two friends is the precursor of that new change. My friend Brohi said, and I believe him that Shah Abdul Lateef is superior to Shakespeare and Tagore combined. Those who have read Shah are struck not merely by the alliteration of his poetry but the thought and the philosophy. Shah learned and flourished under Hindu Fakirs he was a student of Verdant and most of his poetry reflects Verdant. And Dr. Siddiqui’s paper brings it out in such a wonderful manner that you will wise to read that paper word by word.
Didn't Shah Abdul Lateef tells
"Gola Je golan ja ,tin jo the gulam
Subar je Shamshen san kire kine khe katlam"
"Kill the ego and that is how the soul rises".
Ladies and gentleman, angels fly because they are so light, it’s ego that makes us heavy and we can not leave this Earth and fly to higher space. I think beyond that you don't have to go.
One more anecdote and I won't take more time. Alexander met our ancestors on the bank of the Indus. Ram Buxani said that the sindhis with their knowledge taught Alexander how to build a boat in which he escaped, that is not the contribution of the Sindhis, it probably was but I don’t consider a great contribution. Ladies and Gentlemen the contribution of Sindhis to Alexander was that they asked Alexander why you have come he said I have come here in a mission of world conquest. They laughed and laughed - and laughed hysterically and so much that Alexander thought that either he was mad or they were mad. Alexander was a philosopher, he was a student of Aristotle and therefore he used to like philosophers, he respected them in a sense. I am quite sure that he went back from Sindh under the influence of the teachings of these Sindhis. But they finally told him: "How the hell do you think that you are going to conquer the world? Because in a few years you are going to die and the only space you are going to occupy is about six feet, remaining lifeless, in a highly decorated box that they bury you".
Alexander had done his best to bring the Gymnosophist's back to Greece with him. He offered them bribes, he offered them money, he offered them residence in a palace but he did not persuade a single one to accompany him back. There was only one gymnosophist who agreed to go and History recalls his name as CALNUS (KALAYANA). He went back with Alexander on his way to Macedonia and while they were passing through Iran he developed a slight temperature. He said to Alexander 'it's my body’s infirmity and my philosophy tells me if I am of no use to the world I do not deserve to live'. As it is, I was to die sooner but God gave me time to perform the service to mankind to escort you on the route back to your country so that your mind does not waver '. Alexander asked, 'what do you propose to do? Kalayana replied, 'I propose to die'. When asked,' how are you going to do that’, he said, 'you will see soon'.
There and then, Kalayana literally lit a fire and without batting an eye, he slowly walked into that fire. He sacrificed himself to the amazement of the Greek army. His strength was unrivalled and could only be attributed to the highest spiritual power of the Sindhis. But ladies and gentleman before he went to the funeral pyre he told Alexander that we are going to meet in the next town. Alexander never reached back Macedonia he died in the next city.
That is the inheritance of the Sindhis these are our ancestors and we learn from the Sindhis that we shall not be blinded by bribes of the rich.
Srichand talked about rich. I admire the rich, I don’t hate riches. Money made by honest means is the great achievement of humanity but I always wonder. Ram Buxani said that in terms of dollars we have more millionaires than Americans have, you are right. But it prompts one question. I have seen Sindhi artists and literary scholars. Let me tell you in all humility that I have examined my ancestry, my family tree up to the 7th degree of my ancestors and I have not found one artist, not one singer not one painter. So therefore I am terribly respectful of artists what I don’t have, they have and I therefore in humility touch their feet. But I have observed that all our literally figures with some exceptions, including the great Bagwan Gidwani, lives a life of honorable poverty and in spite of all the riches that our community possesses .We have learned a few lessons which will probably take us very far and it will preserve our Sindhi culture and civilization.
So Ladies and gentleman we have started American Institute of Sindhulogy seven years ago in Chicago by Dial Gidwani and his friends. Ranjit Butani some other companions are working that Institute in Mumbai but AIS started this in Chicago. The Japanese got interested. Today, the Japanese scholars have produced a big thesis on Moen Jo Daro Civilization and I would like all of you to take hold of that DVD, which the Japanese have produced and showing you the Civilization of Moen Jo Daro of which we have to be proud. Sindhis have not done it but the Japanese have done it and they have called the UNVOICED civilization. National Geographic Magazine calls it Civilization last to the history .If Sindhis have not done it, The Japanese and Americans are doing our job and we have to be grateful to them.
But Ladies and Gentlemen It is a matter of great pride that 5000 years ago our ancestors lived in the best of towns, towns in which there were swimming pools, in which there were granaries, in which there were go downs in which there were big and broad roads, in which there was an underground drainage system and art had so flourished that the excavations on 1924 among of the things that they found the most important thing that they found a small statue of a dancing girl. A dancing girl which has caused amazement to scholars on the artifact of that civilization. There is a book on the history of India written by a great British scholar Keith and that contains the description of the statue. It’s a girl who is flaunting her puberty, who is practically wearing nothing except a chunk of jewelry and the author says she obviously wants to be desired. And she will be happy to know that after 5000 years we still desire her.
So Ladies and Gentlemen that is our great civilization of which we have to be proud. I am very happy that the problems between Pakistan and India are being sorted out. I’m very happy to report that when I met President Musharraf I told him that give me Sindh and take away Kashmir. Sindhis have not been done justice either in India or in Pakistan. Therefore Sindhis have to join forces together and fight for international justice.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I have completed more that 83 years of my life very little is left but it only ambition left in my life that before I die I shall sort out the Indo-Pak problem and bring peace between these 2 nations.
Thank you.
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