Since this is coming from a Sindhi, I have to accept that there must be some truth to it, but it’s very counter to my experience with Hindu Sindhis…the ones I’ve met (and I’ve met a lot, of both my gen and the older gen) have invariably been proud of being Sindhi and fond of the language (despite being unsuccessful at transmitting it to their kids). Sindhi Hindus from my experience love to party and are very outgoing people…the distinctly Sindhi aspects of their culture are receding, but as a community they seem to share a lot of personality traits that set them apart from other Indian groups. One thing I noticed…even more than other groups, they seem to be embracing Bollywood culture to fill the vacuum of the loss of Sindhi culture. Another thing is, that they live in far-flung places like Indonesia, Hong Kong, Dubai, Kuwait, Spain, the USA, the Caribbean…but they are so tightly-knit as a community…they have global links with other Sindhis throughout the world. I’m convinced that between any two Sindhi anywhere on the globe, there are at most three degrees of separation. And most of them feel strongly about marrying only other Sindhis…something they’ve been fairly successful with so far.

although hindu refugees from pakistan were never stigmatized

One of such Hindu refugee from Pakistan is L K Advani. He came preety close to being the prime minister. I am always amazed at the Sindhi community’s struggle and what they have achieved since taking refuge in India. Only after living in the US have I come to realize this.

but the commmunity is nowhere near dying.

I never said that community is dying. Community is thriving in their diasporic existence. It is the langugage that is in the endangered langugage list.

hey there are lots of sindhi-speaking communities. infact, hindu sindhi, i dont know much but i have seen them worship a young looking holy man. and i haven’t seen the young resent the language or culture, infact they are quite proud of it,maybe its coz they are the richest people in my place, but the commmunity is nowhere near dying.

this is really unfortunate. i am one of the very few of my generation who can speak it, which is basically thanks to my grandfather and mother who spoke to us only in sindhi and expected us to make the effort to converse in the language as well (until I was about 10 or so my grandfather had a strict rule that none of his grandkids could speak in any other language at his house). at that time i thought that this was pretty fascist of him, but ultimately i am glad that i learned to speak and love the language. most of my cohort does not speak sindhi (and i cannot neither write it nor claim a familiarity with sindhi fiction and poetry). many of the people in my parents’ generation were ashamed of being sindhi – to the extent that i know of many families changing their last name en masse (since sindhi last names are generally very recognizable). although hindu refugees from pakistan were never stigmatized to the extent that the muhajirs in pakistan are, a lot of people feel distinctly uneasy about being sindhi; perhaps because the fragmented nature of the community and its traditional professional paths make them want to appear assimilated and also due to the fear of being confused with sindhi muslims.

I guess I gave away my SES.

But you are right, I occasionally run into people who have managed with english alone, so they still exist. I just wanted to make the distinction that getting an english education does not automatically mean you lose your mother tongue. It is a common and dangerous misconception because: a) ultimately its the responsibility of the parents to pass their language and culture on, if they want to, and it absolves them of the responsibility, b) people expect the state to take charge and make sure the culture is not lost, usually with kooky ideas like converting all govt. school education to the regional language. The kids from poor families are then saddled with the task of preserving the greatness of the culture, while the rich kids get an english education, with all the privileges it brings in India.

Well said,

If you speak only english, you can’t possibly be talking to a lot of people in India.

Yes, there are a few. Amitabh asked all the DBDs out there, and that is why I made the clarification that most DBDs don’t lose fluency in their mother-tongue simply by getting an english education. It happens only when their family is determined to anglicize them, or they move in v restricted circles. If you speak only english, you can’t possibly be talking to a lot of people in India.

I’m not convinced at all, though, about his speculation about Hindi movies and their preciousness to English speaking Indians. He may be talking about his own experience, or about the more recent trope in India about Bollywood being a linchpin in defining how modern, upper-class, English-speaking India is still very authentically Indian.

I agree with that.

There are few Sindhis in that group.

but have yet to come across a Pakistani Sindhi to first proclaim that he/she is Sindhi and then also attempt to speak the langugage. May be my sample size is smaller.

There are few Pakistani Sindhis in the West. I have only met one in my life…and he was very proud to be Sindhi and speak Sindhi.

Anyways, I hope that Sindhi language is retained somehow.

Agreed. It’s a charming language, with an earthy and warm sound. A very good friend of mine is Sindhi, I hear it at his house all the time, and I really like it. I actually do think Sindhi will survive in Pakistan for a while yet…because they have something in place to protect it (Sindhi-medium education, as well as the political dimension of Sindhi vs. Muhajir).

In general Pakistani educated elite associate non-Urdu languages with being un-sophisticated. I have heard Pakistanis begrudginly speaking in Punjabi(with 80% Urdu and English in it), if they are at a setting where they want to appear sophisticated, but have yet to come across a Pakistani Sindhi to first proclaim that he/she is Sindhi and then also attempt to speak the langugage. May be my sample size is smaller.

My freind and roommate spoke Marathi almost as good as he spoke Sindhi (as he was Sindhi from Pune). Anyways, I hope that Sindhi language is retained somehow. I have memories of counting in Sindhi while playing Gulli-Danda back home.