In the world where countless people have been killed in the name of religion, where the biggest challenge to the global peace is inter-faith hatred, intolerance,bigotry and fanaticism, where person is judged just on the basis of his religion and not conduct; Sindh is a pleasant exception.
In sindh, religious minorities especially Hindus have been living for centuries and they are completely imbibed into the society. They have earned a respectable position for themselves and their religion has never been an impediment. Religion is not even a factor in Sindh.
I remember in larkana there used to be my favourite sweet shop-it might still be there- and it was run by a Hindu owner. I used to love his sweets and infact they were very famous all over the city. His business thrived.
Some of the best doctors in Sindh are Hindus and patients throng their clinics without any religious considerations.
While recalling her childhood memories, my mom tells me that in her native town shahdadkot, most of her neighbourhood homes were that of Hindus. She remembers how they used to celebrate eachothers' religious days-which include diwali, holi, eid, dussehra on the eve of winter, to name a few.The exchange of goods,gifts,meals was the norm. Marriage ceremonies used to be very colorful, my mother tells me, as singing and dancing are at the very core of Hindu traditions.The unity was exemplary and it still is.
But this sense of religious harmony and tolerance is not something that is learnt or imparted.It is ancient. It emanates from within the soil of sindh. It flows in the Indus which is sacred to Hindus as they believe some part of the Veda was written on its banks.It comes from the sufi character of Sindh which is characterized by Love, Peace and Harmony. It has been reinforced by great men like Bhittai, Sachal Sarmast, Qalandar Lal Shahbaz, Udero Lal, Baghat kanwar ram and the list continues....The scenes at Udero Lal's shrine in themselves are a living manifestation of Hindu-Muslim harmony.
There is no place for prejudice in Sindh and the world should take a leaf out of its book.
P.S. According to the national census of 1998-the latest census held in Pakistan-there are 2.3 million Hindus living in Pakistan. And among them, 85% live in Sindh.
In sindh, religious minorities especially Hindus have been living for centuries and they are completely imbibed into the society. They have earned a respectable position for themselves and their religion has never been an impediment. Religion is not even a factor in Sindh.
I remember in larkana there used to be my favourite sweet shop-it might still be there- and it was run by a Hindu owner. I used to love his sweets and infact they were very famous all over the city. His business thrived.
Some of the best doctors in Sindh are Hindus and patients throng their clinics without any religious considerations.
While recalling her childhood memories, my mom tells me that in her native town shahdadkot, most of her neighbourhood homes were that of Hindus. She remembers how they used to celebrate eachothers' religious days-which include diwali, holi, eid, dussehra on the eve of winter, to name a few.The exchange of goods,gifts,meals was the norm. Marriage ceremonies used to be very colorful, my mother tells me, as singing and dancing are at the very core of Hindu traditions.The unity was exemplary and it still is.
But this sense of religious harmony and tolerance is not something that is learnt or imparted.It is ancient. It emanates from within the soil of sindh. It flows in the Indus which is sacred to Hindus as they believe some part of the Veda was written on its banks.It comes from the sufi character of Sindh which is characterized by Love, Peace and Harmony. It has been reinforced by great men like Bhittai, Sachal Sarmast, Qalandar Lal Shahbaz, Udero Lal, Baghat kanwar ram and the list continues....The scenes at Udero Lal's shrine in themselves are a living manifestation of Hindu-Muslim harmony.
There is no place for prejudice in Sindh and the world should take a leaf out of its book.
P.S. According to the national census of 1998-the latest census held in Pakistan-there are 2.3 million Hindus living in Pakistan. And among them, 85% live in Sindh.
No comments:
Post a Comment