It is a paradox that while Sindhis have started many colleges and schools which have catered to the academic needs of lakhs of Sindhis as well as other students, the Sindhi language as part of the curriculum has been disappearing fast, more so during last 3 decades. In the wake of the partition, a number of schools with Sindhi medium came up and practically every Sindhi child joined these schools. A gigantic problem for the Sindhis was to rehabilitate themselves economically. They worked very hard to make two ends meet and academicians among them strived their utmost to establish educational institutes, so that the uprooted students were not deprived of their education and the new generation did not find it difficult to pursue their studies. The parents sent their children to Sindhi medium school wherever they existed & of course in the colleges the students offered Sindhi as an optional language. In the areas where Sindhis were in sizeable number, various Sindhi medium schools came up.

The Sindhis having been scattered in various states throughout India had no access to Sindhi medium schools in certain places. They therefore sent their children to non-Sindhi medium schools, mostly English medium schools. On the other hand, where the Sindhi medium schools were available, the Sindhi parents, by and large, preferred to send their children to these schools. The continuance of the practice of taking education through the mother tongue as it existed in Sindh was a natural phenomenon and a routine affair. In addition, the need to maintain an identity was strongly felt, which could only be achieved through preservation of the language. In this direction, the Sindhi writers, artists and musicians played a very significant role by creating a vibrant atmosphere of 'Sindhiat' (Sindhihood). In the earlier period, the children spoke Sindhi at home because the language of communication between the parents and children was Sindhi. Also children became more attached to Sindhi because they were taking education through Sindhi medium. For about 2 decades this situation prevailed, but gradually there was a change in this trend. The Sindhi parents preferred the English medium schools. They seem to have realised that the Sindhi medium had virtually no practical advantage and it was only English medium, which would be useful for their children. This was a tricky situation. On one hand the necessity of maintaining one's Sindhi identity was important and on the other hand the better proficiency in English was also essential especially when the English medium started attracting the attention of even the other communities of India. In the urban areas, this tendency is gaining ground by leaps and bounds.

By this time, the Sindhis who were economically becoming safe and secure thought that the future of their children will also become safe and secure with English medium. Not so well to do Sindhis also followed this direction, because the educational ethos for the Sindhis assumed a different contour. Mere sentiment did not work with them. Actually, not only educational, but all other problems also have a different connotation for the Sindhis here in India, because we are all scattered and do not have any State of our own. Our approach to English, therefore is bound to have a different angle from that of other communities in India. While other communities have the privilege of getting the benefits of Regional language, the Sindhi language stands nowhere. The Regional languages will no doubt flourish when they are used for administrative purposes in different states. The users of Sindhi language, will, however, watch this spectacle with envious eyes. In view of this situation, the Sindhis have no other course left, but to compare the advantages, which can accrue to them through any Regional language vis-à-vis English.

Even the Regional language/Hindi enthusiasts find it very difficult to minimize the importance of English. For a Sindhi, the choice is between English and Regional language/Hindi from the point of view of practical utility. Evidently, English language will score over Regional/Hindi language. It is a well-known fact that even those politicians or activists who advocate the use of mother tongue actually send their children to English medium schools.

However, of late most of the State Governments are endeavouring to make the necessary changes in the school curriculum to promote the study of regional languages. This in turn will make the situation for the Sindhi children still more difficult. The pull now will be from two directions & in the bargain, Sindhi language may face further displacement. Sindhi, not being the state language anywhere in India, will not have any locus-standi.

A Sindhi tends to adhere to a culture of self-reliance. He does not look to Government for support but depends on his efforts. This attitude by itself may be praiseworthy, but beyond certain limits, it turns out to be counter-productive. The government has ignored the Sindhi community perhaps because they feel that they are not conscious of their strength, which comes with the political will. If the Sindhis had stressed their demand for political recognition right in the beginning, they would not have faced the apathy of the government. No community without any political status can manage their affairs on their own indefinitely. For achievement of political status, the Sindhi identity has to be kept intact and Sindhi identity can never be impressed upon the members of the community if they have no knowledge of the language. If education in the Sindhi medium is not possible in the peculiar circumstances, we have been placed in, at least Sindhi language as a subject could have been part of the curriculum in English medium schools.

As a result of the partition, the Sindhis lost their land and they had to migrate for no fault of theirs. They were taken for granted and the whole of Sindh was given away to Pakistan in toto. The tragedy is that here in India, for even a small thing we have to plead before the authorities and inspite of that, the results have been disappointing. It would have been judicious on the part of government to accord special recognition to Sindhi minority community and to grant them funds and subsidies, so that they could preserve their language, literature and culture. A Sindhi Board should have been created by the Central Government immediately after partition, which could have devised various schemes for the achievement of the literary and cultural needs of the community. While Sindhis were busy struggling to make their survival possible in India, their cultural predicament was not comprehended with sensitivity.

In fact the Sindhi management schools should have had two streams in their institutions - one Sindhi medium and the other English medium, and in English medium stream they should have provided for the teaching of Sindhi as an optional language. Where it was not possible to have two streams simultaneously, separate institutions having English medium with facility of the teaching of Sindhi as an optional language should have been started by Sindhi managements with very high standards of teaching and discipline as they are found in Catholic Convents and Public schools. I have always been advocating the above arrangement right from the beginning of my academic career. Playing only on sentiment does not work. Love for the sake of love is very difficult to find. Even patriotic feelings are the result of the reciprocation of what the rulers do for its people. No feeling can be infused in an individual. The infusion is the result of understanding the implications of the feeling. Therefore, to appeal to Sindhis on emotional plane only to preserve their language may not bring the desired results. As it is, the Sindhi community has developed the typical characteristic of being too practical minded. It should, however be borne in mind that what is practical in the short run is never practical in the long run. The intense pragmatism may be short-sighted if we take a long term view.

Actually the Sindhi community has not realised that the preservation of the Sindhi language has every practical utility. I know when I was taking my classes in the Jai Hind college (University of Mumbai), many English medium Sindhi students were too willing to offer Sindhi in place of French or any other classical or foreign language. If the English medium students could offer Sindhi language, even though they had not learnt it at the school level, one can understand that if they were given the same facility at school, they could have grabbed it, because they had heard the language at home and also spoken the same to some extent. In this way, the children are constantly in touch with the language and it also serves as a reminder that they are learning their mother tongue. Also one's mother tongue can be a scoring subject in the examination. There is no other way for a language to thrive except by learning it through school. If it is not advantageous for Sindhi students to study through Sindhi medium, it is evidently in their own interest that they offer Sindhi as a language at school and college. In this way they can be spared of the difficulty of picking up the foreign languages. On enquiry from the students, I have found that they would at any time prefer learning Sindhi to any foreign / classical language like French etc. English, however stands on a different footing, because it has also become one of the Indian languages. By adopting above method, the Sindhi language can live and consequently the literature can develop. Sindhis being a composite part of Indian life, it is also necessary to be involved in major literary projects, including translation projects impart an appropriate cultural profile of the community in this country. Without such a profile, there is likely to be little esteem for the community as time goes by. Such a cultural renaissance could liberate and add to its feeling of self assurance and confidence.

The Sindhi language has a rich literature & their cultural heritage is as exalted as that of any other Indian language. Owing to unfavourable situations for Sindhis, they have not been able to carry forward the artistic excellences. For example, in Sindh typical Sindhi folk music has evolved creativity. The classical music has also advanced there and a number of excellent artists have come up even in the younger generation. It is very unfortunate that here in India, no attention has been given to promote Sindhi music. In Sindh (Pakistan) the Sindhi folk dance could also thrive, but for the constraints which are imposed on people there more by their tradition. Here in India, we have a more liberal atmosphere and the fine art like dance has flourished in every community. The Sindhi community cannot boast of such an achievement except for a very negligent number of good dancers. In fact there should be various academies and institutes which should work for the development of Sindhi music, dance and other cultural arts. The artistic side of the Sindhis has been completely ignored. In the new generation of Sindhis very few outstanding artists have emerged. Many more could also achieve magnificent results if proper atmosphere and encouragement are provided to them. Our dramatic talent can also be groomed and made to achieve higher results if proper training institutes and other facilities are made available to them. It is not enough to live only as individuals. What we need is to develop the community feeling also.

Our multiple organisations try to arrange many functions, so that the Sindhi is reminded of his distinct literary and cultural heritage but actually very little is being done to go deep into our sorry state of affair and to find ways and means to see that the Sindhi language survives and our posterity is not termed as language-less people. One gets a feeling that the older generation has either lost the will and the vigour to work towards the constructive and practical solutions or they are unable to touch the right nerve to see that the language is revived. People express concern for Sindhi language and observe certain occasions with pomp and pageant. However, if they have to promote language and culture, they have to get beyond mere observances of festivals and flamboyant actions.

Another advantage which the preservation of Sindhi language can bring us is of a very significant nature. A Sindhi without his language ceases to be a Sindhi and he loses all the identity attached to the community. In a country, where there are so many ethnic communities, and they are proud of their language and literature, a Sindhi will have no mark of distinctiveness to show that he is a Sindhi if he does not know his language. Apart from the ethnic satisfaction which is a natural psychological feeling, he can acquire political clout if he is recognised as a Sindhi and the recognition comes only when he is shown as a Sindhi speaking citizen. For achieving political rights for Sindhis, this factor will have a very crucial significance.

Although so much time has passed and the latest generation of Sindhis is absolutely ignorant of the Sindhi language or at the most has very fragmentary knowledge of it, it looks as if there is no chance of its introduction as an optional language in English medium schools. Of course any help from the government as suggested above is out of question. On the other hand, fortunately so many Sindhi businessmen have earned colossal amounts and philantrophists among them have contributed crores of rupees for social and educational causes. They have started a number of hospitals, schools and colleges, dharmashalas, mandirs, etc. For them it will not be a difficult thing if they create a TRUST and put about three and four crores into it. The interest accruing from the amount should go towards the salaries of the teachers who should be appointed to teach Sindhi as an optional subject in the English medium schools. English medium schools of any management will never object to including Sindhi as a subject in their schools, if the expenses on account of the salaries of the teachers are borne by the TURST. A sum of rupees one lakh earned out of interest per month can look after such teachers to be employed in English medium schools for teaching Sindhi as a subject. I am sure, if the Sindhi businessmen all over the world wish to preserve their language, they can certainly salvage the situation. One needs to go beyond pious platitudes and to confront the problem squarely. We cannot be satisfied with the token gestures, but evolve a concerted and comprehensive plan of action. If not for anything else, for getting a distinctness as a community and for adding strength to the demand for political rights, they should adopt this course without any further loss of time. The time is now running out and we should catch on the urgency of the problem, lest it may be too late for us to take any action. The acquisition of political rights is a matter which should concern the Sindhi businessman also for their own interests. They should realise that even culture is 'politics' by other means. Cultural impoverishment leads to political marginalisation and reduced economic clout as well.

The rich Sindhis, who have started massive enterprises have never thought of preserving their mothertongue, although the amount required for initiating a TRUST as explained above is a very meagre amount for them. This leads one to presume that the survival of Sindhi language, literature and culture has no importance for them. As it is, there is an impression with the people around in India that Sindhi means only a moneymaker. A cultural and literary profile gives a community an eternal image. Our own indifference to the problems of language, literature and cultural prompts others to think about us in a light hearted manner and that is why the Hindi film makers have the audacity to present Sindhis only as blood suckers, although if statistics are taken, you will find that Sindhis have shone practically in every field, be it scientific technology, medical profession or any other intellectual vocation. But as those persons are scattered through out the world, not much cognisance is taken of them. Even in India, they live in various states and therefore one cannot get a correct idea of their aptitudes and academic attainments. The impression that all Sindhis are wealthy people is also wrong. It may be borne in mind that great majority of Sindhis all over India are living on subsistence level only. It is to their credit that they try to improve their living standards by sheer hard work and intelligence. A community without the patronage of government has tried to steer through many a devastating storm through their lives.

The conferences, seminars, sammelans and other forums of discussing the problems of Sindhi community are no doubt good, but they only help in keeping the issues alive to a certain extent. But more than keeping the issues alive, what is needed is a definite plan and its implementation, which can save the language from disappearing. Something very concrete and result-oriented scheme is the need of the hour, It is a very acute problem and naturally the solution cannot be a simple one. I feel that suggestion of setting up a TRUST as I have explained above is the only way out and there lies a ray of hope for the Sindhi language. Desperate situations need determined remedies. The start of a TRUST may appear to be a difficult proposition to some people, but if the problem is a ticklish one, on feeble endeavour can work.

I have been speaking about the proposal of setting up a TRUST from practically every literary and cultural platform and it has found favour with most of the persons. I am sure, if there exists the necessary seriousness and earnestness to actually save the language from extinction, the proposal will definitely prove to be effective. But there is the big 'if' and it is upto the organisational activists of the Sindhi language to inspire the affluent and rich Sindhis the world over to come forward and rescue their mother-tongue from slipping into oblivion. I believe that a big movement has to be created to touch the imagination of the wealthy Sindhis to realise the gravity of the situation. The practicability of the plan of the TRUST should be explained to them. Necessary literature should be brought out on the infrastructure required and the other specifics of the proposal. The organisation set up of the TRUST should be such that it works like a public institution and which should inspire the attention and confidence of the management of English medium schools. In due course, Government can also be persuaded to help the TRUST by giving it sufficient grants. Approaching Englsih medium schools on an individual level will not work and in fact it is a ridiculous approach. Sometimes I begin to think that our activists don't apply practical solutions and they live in a utopian world having no sensibility about the changed circumstances in which Sindhis have been thrown after partition.

I am sure, with the proper approach, the Sindhi Businessmen settled abroad will definitely respond favourably to this suggestion. Firstly because after being convinced, the financial implications of the proposal can easily be resolved by them and secondly they will have a heart warming satisfaction of having come to the rescue of the Sindhi community for saving the language, literature and culture. The older and middle age generation of Sindhis is still seized of the problem and have some feelings for the upliftment of the community. The new generation and the subsequent generation will not have any feeling if the situation is not corrected now. In fact the new generation will not be blamed for their lack of interest in the Sindhi language and culture then. History will hold the earlier generations responsible for the neglect of the basic interests of the community. Let us therefore work, so that the RAY OF HOPE turns on to the SPARK OF LIGHT which will brighten the SINDHI language and culture placed in the gloom of circumstances.

But whenever our activists think of finding ways of saving the Sindhi language/Culture they have before their eyes only the first generation and at the most second generation. But even the second generation will not like their third generation to think in terms of foregoing English for Sindhi. The Sindhis are disbursed through out India. And we cannot apply the usual solutions. After all we don't have our State. While we were in Sindh, the question of promoting the language had different connotations.

THIS ARTICLE WAS FIRST PUBLSIHED IN THE BOOK 'WHERE TWO STREAMS MEET' BY THE AUTHOR HIMSELF