Sindh’s history is a tapestry woven from diverse threads. From the glory of the Indus Valley Civilization to the syncretic harmony of Hinduism and Buddhism, and the challenges posed by religious shifts, Sindh’s story is rich and multifaceted. This history is a testament to the resilient spirit of the Sindhi people, who continue to carry their cultural heritage forward.

Former Union Urban Development Minister, Union Law Minister and the topmost legal brain of India, Mr. Ram Jethmalani, in an interview with Dr. Ram Jawhrani, shared his memories of the undivided Sindh:

Sindh was once a part of united India and in its northern part lies the beautiful town of Shikarpur. I have been to almost all parts of the world, but no place comes close to Shikarpur.

Shikarpur could boast of many luxuries, which are not available elsewhere. People literally wonder when I tell them about such things. I was admitted to school at the age of five. We had to sit on the floor and paid four annas as tuition fees. Teachers were strict and didn’t spare anybody and would even beat us if we did not perform well. But the education we received in that school is perhaps not available in schools today, even after paying éxorbitant fees.

There was a square named ‘Lakhi Dar’ at Shikarpur having shops full of various articles and available at very competitive and economical prices. One, Moti, was famous for his ‘Kulfi (Ice Candy); perhaps it is still available in the city of Ulhasnagar.

There were sixteen annas in a rupee and Kulfi costing one anna was so huge that after consuming one, it was impossible to eat anything else. Kulfi of two and half annas could satiate the needs of the entire family. There used to be a variety of delicacies like Naan, Kabab, Mutton Chop, Curries, Chicken and other delicacies, which are simply not available these days. There used to be a canal, named ‘Sindh Wah’. It flowed during the warm months of June to September. Well-to-do families of Shikarpur had their own gardens and farm houses, scattered around the city.

Frequently, people visited Sindh Wah for picnics, and the ladies were given a royal treatment. They were asked to sit back and watch their spouses prepare a feast for them on the banks of Sindh Wah. The feast comprised several delicious dishes; daal, chapati prepared on earthen tawa, keema and various non- vegetarian fares.

The banks of Sindh Wah were full of trees and we used to walk almost four-five miles upstream. Dry pumpkins were used to swim across. Not only revelers, but even snacks and liquor floored alongside, in the canal. There was ample stock of liquor, brough, alm Khairpur. While swimming, singing, eating and drinking. we sailed with the flow of the canal. At times, we would get out of the sailor and start dancing on its banks. Towards the end of the day we would return to the spot, from where we had started, and towards one of the farmhouses of some local businessman. There were water elevators, built in wells and run by bulls. These were used to fill up the personal swimming pools, to which were then added fragrant spirits and rose petals before one took a dip, just like kings and princes. We could even go down inside the well as there were stairs for that too. On reaching the water level, we would soak our feet in water. Food was brought down inside the well through containers. I have never experienced such luxury anywhere else.

Hindus and Muslims of Shikarpur lived like a family. No communal riots were ever experienced. Isn’t it a surprise, that our traditional annual shopping of new clothes was done, not on the occasion of Diwali, but on the eve of Eid. This is called secularism of Shikarpur and secularism of Sindh. In fact, Sindh has remained the cradle of Sufism. Zindah Peer and Sadhbelo are livine remands. Supid eat, Sindhwar is nothing but Sufism. Hindis used to visit the ‘Dargahs’ of Muslim pirs and Muslims visited Shrines (Samadhi) of Hindu dervishs. There was a unified civilization of boch communities. It was identical, barring a few instances.

About the unfortunate partition:

I worked as an advocate for six years in Karachi, when this unfortunate partition of India took place. No one believed that this experiment of Pakistan would succeed. Everyone hoped that ultimately it would rejoin with India. There were no large-scale riots. Sindhi Muslims loved Sindhi Hindus right up to the end.

Killings that happened in the riots were mainly from the Sikh community. Sindhi Hindus were spared but ordered to leave Sindh without their properties. They were offered every help and even bid farewell at the docks, but were advised not to take any property.

This mass migration was a sudden and unexpected tragedy that Sindhis could never accept.

Sindhis were against the Two Nation Theory and Partition of India. Jinnah could not succeed in getting the resolution passed in favor of Pakistan in the Sindh Assembly, because of Chief Minister Khan Bahadur Allah Bux, who was a nationalist Muslim. He finally paid with his life for this opposition to the partition of India, when he was martyred in a broad daylight attack, while he was traveling in a horse carriage in Shikarpur.

This sudden partition inflicted heavy blows on the Sindhi language and culture. The reason for that was the scattering of migrant Sindhis over the length and breadth of India. But, it is also a fact that Sindhi Hindus had to worry more about their bread and butter and could not devote much time to their cultural survival. Presently, Sindhi Muslims are unhappy in Sindh. They want to be free from the clutches of Pakistan. Whenever I get the opportunity to meet the Sindhi Muslims in western cities, I am told that they want freedom from Pakistan. Occasionally, they even invite us to take the reins of Sindh. Partition brought helplessness and gloom to the Sindhi Hindus. We thought everything was over.

We left Sindhi and our family moved to India. I personally went back to Karachi and continued with my advocacy. Unfortunately, the first communal riot was engineered by migrant Muslims in Karachi in the month of January 1948. Sindhi Muslims were not a part of these rioters. Indian migrants wanted properties of Sindhi Hindus and this was the primary reason for communal riots in Sindh. No killings were reported and the main objective of the rioters was money and other valuables of Sindhi Hindus.