Sindh at a Glance

Area

140,914 sq. Km (size of England)

 

population

• (1981) 18.97 million. (Rural 56.63%, Urban 43.37% (Zia regime)
• (1991) 53 million. (Rural 77.96%, Urban 22.04% (Nawaz Sharif)
• (1995) Hopefully accurate and free of illegal immigrants

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National Symbols

• Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai (18 Century poet and poet) and his "Risalo" (Collection)
• Moen-jo-Daro (remains of the 5,000 year old Indus civilization)
• Ajrak (hand-painted cloth sheet/wrap around)
• Sindhi Topi (embroidered skull cap with mirror work)

 

Sufis

• Shah Abdul Latif
• Qalandar Shahbaz
• Sachal Sarmast
• Saami
• Shah Inayat
• Khuwaja Farid

 

Folk Legends

• Marui
• Sassui
• Suhni
• Moomal
• Leela
• Noori
• Rai Diach
• Jogi

 

Legends of the Land

• Dodo Soomro (fought 14th century Delhi ruler Allauddin Khilji)
• Shah Inayat Soofi (executed in 1718)
• Hoshoo Sheedi (led resistance against the British in 1843)
• Heemum Kaliani (hanged by the British as a "terrorist")
• Mai Bakhtavar (slain in peasant struggle in 1946)
• Haider Bux Jatoi (peasant leader)
• Makhdoom Bilawal (killed by Arghuns in 1521)
• Doolah Darya Khan (Samma warrior)
• Sain G. M. Syed (Father of Modern Sindhi Nation)
• Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

 

Family

• Indo-Aryan with strong Dravidian influence.
• Indigenious samats are descendants of Lakha, Lohana, Rajput, Jat and Sammas
• Where as, immigrants are, Semmite Arab origin like Sayed Ansari, Siddiqui, etc and Aryan (Turk, Greeks, Mughals, Iranians and Baluch).

 

Sindhi Language

Prakit plus Sanskrit basis has vocabulary from Arabic, Persian and some Dravidian words

Script: Arabic Naskh, alphabet of 52, with 7 phonetics not present in Urdu.

 

Historical works

• Chach Nama
• Tarikh-i-Masumi
• Tarikhi-Tahiri
• Tuhfatul Kiram
• Scinde
• Tarkhan Nama
• Beglar Nama
• Mazhar-i-Shahjehan
• Maklinama History of Sindh by H.T. Lambrick
• History of Sindh (Mirza Kalich Beg)
• Chronological History of Sindh (M.H. Panhwar)

 

Famous Poets

• Classical
  • Shah Latif
  • Shah Abdul Karim of Bulri
  • Sachal Sarmast
  • and Bedil
• Contemporary
  • Shaikh Ayaz
  • Tanveer Abbasi
  • Sarvech Sujawali
  • Ibrahim Munshi
  • Niaz Humayuni
  • Ustad Bukhari
  • Fatah Malak
  • Tajal Bevus
  • Shamshir Hydri
• Literary Personalities
  • Anna Marie Schimele
  • G.M.Mehkri
  • Mirza Kalich Beg (Zeenat)
  • Usman Diplai (Sanghar)
  • Hussamuddin Rashdi
  • Sayed Ghulam Mustafa Shah
  • M. Ibrahim
  • Joyo
  • I.I. Kazi (Brown Girl)
  • G. Allana
  • Agha Mohammad Yaqub
  • Elsa Kazi
  • Alama Daud Poto
  • Dr. Gurbuxani (Shah-jo-Risalo)
  • Dr. Nabi Bux Baluch
  • Hakim Fateh Mohd Sehwani

     

Fiction writers

• Classical
  • H. M. Gurbuxani ("Noorjehan")
  • S. C. Shahani ("Bilu Khokar")
  • M. Ismail Ursani ("Badnasib")
  • M. Ismail Ursani ("Badnasib Tari")
• Contemporary
  • Amar Jaleel
  • Jamal Abro
  • Naseem Kharal (late)
  • Najam Abbasi
  • Ibrahim Joyo
  • Siraj Memon
  • Rasheed Bhatti
  • Ghullam Rabbani Agro
  • Tariq Ashraf (late)
  • Noorul-Huda Shah (Jangal)
  • Abdul Qadir Junejo (Diwarian)

   

Major Institutions

• Sindhi Adabi Board
• Institute of Sindhology
• Shah Abdul Latif Cultural Center
• Sindhi Adabi Sangat
• Sindh Graduate Association
• Sindh University
• Authority for prevention & Restoration of Mohen-Jo-Daro
• Mahran and Shah Latif Universities
• Liaquat Medical College Jamshoro
• Agriculture University Tando-Jam
• Chandka Medical College
• Sindh Medical College
• Peoples Medical College

 

Institutions Builders

• Sindh Madersah (Hasanally Effendi)
• Sindh Unversity (I.I. Kazi)
• L.M.C. Jamshoro (Col. Najeeb Khan)
• Chandka, Peoples, Sindh Medical Collges, Sindhiology Institute, Mehran Engineering Campus Nawab Shah (Zulfikar Ali Bhutto)
• Larkana Madersah (Shahnawaz Bhutto)
• Tando Bago School (Mir Ghulam Ali)