DEDICATION ‘Sindhi is an independent original and indigenous language of Sindh, spoken and written from the times I have always been fascinated by languages. Perhaps, of Mohen-jo-Daro, an ancient city of the Indus Valley I inherited love for languages from my parents. In Civilization’…this was the theory propounded by Mr. order to groom and polish this heritage, my first ever Sirajul Haque Memon (pen name: ‘Siraj’) in the late teacher used an unusual and interesting method of 1950’s and early 1960’s. His vision looked eclectic in teaching me the alphabet. He made a box with a glass its appeal to the academics as he had rejected the false frame, very much like a Pandora’s box, through the notions of Pro-Aryan and Pro-Semitic authors about sidewalls of which were passed two round bars that the origin, history and development of the Sindhi language. His book “Sindhi Boli” had an impact on came out through the opposing sidewalls. The bars the collective consciousness of the Sindhi nation, and were covered with a thick roll of drawing paper. This is extensively quoted by the students and scholars paper had two columns arranged in such a way that interested in the subject. one column contained different coloured drawings The present book is the translation of ‘Sindhi Boli’ by and the other had the corresponding alphabets. Dr. Amjad Siraj ,which has been published by Sindhi Rolling the pictures in one column automatically Language Authority for making it available to a brought the corresponding alphabet into view. I wider range of readers. would spend the whole day looking at that Mr. Mohammad Ibrahim Joyo, the most revered fascinating glass box. This was my Sindhi Primer! scholar and intellectual of Sindh, was requested to go That Pandora’s box instilled in me a never-ending through the script of this edition, which he very curiosity and inquisitiveness about languages. kindly did and gave valuable suggestions for That first teacher, a very loving man, was my father improving it. I am indebted to him for that. I must Muhammad Yaqoob ‘Niaz'. But the medium of his acknowledge the hard work of our team in the teaching was a gift to me from my mother. publication section who made it possible to bring the book in time. I dedicate this book to my parents, who in addition to endless other gifts, gave me my mother tongue, the lovely and sweet Sindhi language. Dr. Fahmida Hussain Publisher’s Note 3 4 Translator’s Note permitting me to translate his book but for all the tips and solutions for difficult areas in this translation. And for the genes that I inherited from him specially When I first read ‘Sindhi Boli’ many years back as an the ones that are enriched by love for Sindh and adolescent, it brought about a change in my attitude Sindhi language. towards languages and especially Sindhi language. I thought about the treatment meted out to this All this would not have been possible without the beautiful language by certain quarters of our support of my better half, Anisa and my two girls, intelligentia and made a firm commitment to myself Preh and Heer who helped in typing the manuscript. that I would try to do something in this regard at And I hope my son Varyam will keep the tradition of some stage. And I took upon myself the task of our family going when he gets of age. introducing the concept of this book to a wider I beg forgiveness for the mistakes (if any) in the readership at home and abroad. translation, for truly it is my labour of love and that I am grateful to Dr. Fahmida Hussain who has too in a field very different from surgery, for which I worked so hard in making this translation possible. can claim to have been qualified. Gratitude is also due for the Sindhi Language Authority and its staff who have done a great job in putting drawings of the signs of Mohen-jo-Daro in proper places. The addition of IPA, (an index of Dr Amjad Siraj Memon which is found in the first few pages of the book) has FRCS definitely improved its literary potential. [email protected] I have no words to express my gratitude for the great legend Mr. Ibrahim Joyo, who always encouraged me to translate this book. He was instrumental in getting the author to write it some 45 years back and he surely did it again by repeatedly asking me about the progress of this translation. May God give him health, for people like him are pillars for our great language. I thank my father Mr. Siraj Memon for not only 5 6 PROLOGUE and a fairly good effort. The substance of the book, as is obvious from the title “Sindhi Boli”, is all about Sindhi language, its history, and the importance of the language in the socio- The book in your hand is the translation of my Sindhi political milieu of Sindh. In the late 50’s, and the book- “Sindhi Boli”, which was written way back in beginning of the early 60’s, there happened to be a 1964. Since then, quite a few editions of the book have resurgence of anti-Sindhi sentiments created by the been pulished. Before I dilate on the substance of the vested interests to oppose and suppress the book, I would like to, in passing, make a mention of nationalist anti-One Unit policy of the writers and two significant facts. One, the book created quite a stir intellectuals of Sindh. It may be recalled that when in the literary and soicio-political spheres in Sindh. the Indian sub-continent was to be partitioned into Two, the book was so appeciated in the linguistic and Bharat and Pakistan, there was a strong movement in academic fields that it was, and is, prescribed, as a Sindh for its independence as a sovereign state, for it textbook in Masters degree course for Sindhi was argued by the nationalists that the British had language in all the Universties in Sindh. I would also conquered Sindh in 1843, which had been a sovereign like to mention that the book has been translated from state for at least two millennia until then. As an Sindhi to English by my son, Dr. Amjad Siraj Memon, independent state, Sindh had diplomatic relations who is, by profession, a Professor of Surgery in Dow with Iran, Mesopotamia and Indian sovereign states. University of Health Sciences, but his interest in There is extant evidence that Sindh had trade and Sindhi literature is quite commendable. My sister, Dr. commercial relations with the land of Pharaohs, Fahmida Hussain, the Chairperson, Sindhi Language Mesopotamia and Iran. It used to export textiles and Authority, asked Amjad to translate “Sindhi Boli” precious stones like Lapis Lazuli etc to the Middle into English. She thinks it is a fairly good translation East. Evidence of Sindhi cloth in the shrouds of the and needs to be published in English for a wider mummified Pharaohs and Sindhi grains like millet audience and readership. has been found in Mesopotamia, Bactria, Easter Having gone through the translation, I found it Islands and other places in the Middle East. tolerably good, although it has the drawbacks of the The excavations at Mohen-jo-Daro also proved that translation being too literal and lacking the flourish of the language of Sindh was written in a script diction. Nevertheless, I appreciate his labour of love (presently known as the Indus Script) which is not 7 8 only comparable with the script of Mesopotamia but Lashari and others claimed that Sindhi was derived the latter contains some elements of the Indus Script from the Semitic group of languages and was related which have been segregated by the scholars. That to the Arabic language. Both groups claimed that it Sindh had a language and its own script was one of was only in around 11 th century that the Sindhi the supporting phenomena for Sindhi nationalism. language was born or created. The most essential element of nationalism is the It was in these circumstance that I tookup the cudgels prestige and love of a nation’s struggle for in favour of Sindhi language. I was of the opinion that independence and sovereignity. Consequently, after Sindhi is an original language which has continued the creation of Paksitan when the very existence of from the period of Indus Civilization and that Sindhi Sindh was threatened by merging it into One Unit, had been spoken and written during the same period. the Sindhi nation, and most importantly its youth, I also hinted that the un-deciphered script of the took-up the cause of Sindh and Sindhi language as a Mohen-jo-Daro Civilization contains archaic from of part of struggle against One Unit. Sindhi language. With this purpose in my mind, I wrote articles in ‘Mehran’ and other prestigious Another reason for writing the book was the magazines. My articles initiated an interesting sentiment that there was very little textual linguistic controversy. The Hindu scholars wrote against me as knowledge among the scholars and academics in according to them I had belittled Sanskrit and the Sindh and I wished to initiate such knowledge among Indian origin of Sindhi language. Similar attacks were not only the academics but also among the Sindhi- made by pro-Semitic (Arabic) scholars who thought reading public. This sentiment was a reaction against that I was an atheist out to destroy the Islamic system a conscious disparaging campaign against Sindhi by denying Sindhi to have been derived from Arabic.