Sindh is one of Pakistan’s four provinces, located in the south. Also known as “Mehran” as well as “Indus Valley”, Sindh has a rich culture, history, and language. Sindhis, the people of Sindh, date back to the original inhabitants of ancient Sindh, who are believed to have lived through the Indus Civilisation around the 5000 BC. Sindhis, are kind-hearted, cordial, and welcoming people. The Sindhi “Topi” and “Ajrak” are symbols of Sindhi nationalism for hundreds of years.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The ‘Sindhi Culture Day’ has been celebrated in the Sindh province for many years. However, in recent years, this has only been officially recognised by the state’s individual party and since then the “Sindhi Culture Day” has become an annual event in Sindh and abroad.
This year “Sindhi Culture Day” was celebrated for the second time in Auckland on 12th December 2020 at Aotea Square in Auckland. The initiative to celebrate “Sindhi Culture Day” event was proposed by Sindhi community of Auckland.
The event started with the recitation of the Holy Quran followed by New Zealand and Pakistan’s national anthems. Over 60 Sindhi Kiwis including men, women and children, living in the Auckland region, participated in the event. The women showed their love and commitments towards their culture through handmade traditional crafts such as the mentioned “Ajrak”, the emblem of the Sindhi culture, as shawls, bedspreads also known as “Rilhi” along with wall hangings generally displayed at home.
During the event, Sindhi men and boys were seen in their traditional “Shalwar Kameez” along with the Sindhi “Topi” and “Ajrak”. Sindhi women and girls wore traditional Sindhi embroidery and dresses with the “Ajrak” print. Sindhi music has its own uniqueness, with many folk songs such as “Ho Jamalo”, one of the most popular Sindhi folk song known to most Sindhis. Sindhis walked on Auckland’s Queen Street with banners, performing dances to above song. It was very refreshing to notice the locals being fascinated by the folk-dance performances to “Ho Jamalo”.
This event showed promising success and will be the first of many more to come. The organising committee members Mahzar Memon, Manoj Rathi, Waseem Samooro & others are determined to ensure next year’s event is organised on a larger scale to attract more Kiwis and Sindhis. -TIN Bureau
