Sindhi people came to India as refugees when the country parted, and have settled all across the country. We don’t speak much of what we have had left behind (in Sindh), and are focused on establishing ourselves here.

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Even though Sindhi has been recognized as one of the official languages of India, too little has been disclosed about our culture and tradition. Thanks to Bollywood movies, Sindhis have been stereotyped as Business Minded and Loud- with a taste for Bling and Animal prints when it comes to dress sense.

But hey, we’re here to state some Facts about Sindhi’s!

#1. Our Roots:

It is believed that our ancestors belong to the Indus Valley Civilization (whose most popular symbol is the Mohenjo Daro)

mohenjo daro

After the partition of our country, Hindu Sindhi’s that hailed from Sindh Province in present Pakistan fled the country and settled in various parts of India, especially- Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. India’s largest Sindhi dominant region is Ulhasnagar in Mumbai.

You will also find a lot of Sindhi’s in the UAE (Dubai), Hong Kong, Spain, Canada, the U.K., Malaysia, Indonesia, and the U.S etc.

#2. Our Religious Beliefs:

Initially, Sindh was predominated by Hindus and Buddhists. Under the influence of fundamentalist Islamic rulers, a majority of Sindhis converted to Islam. You’d be surprised to know that a majority of Sindhis in the world follow Islam.

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The Sindhis that chose not to convert to Islam moved to India at the time of Independence. Most of the Sindhi’s in India are either Hindu or follow the tenets of Sikhism- making them Sahajdari.

#3. Sindhi New Year:

Cheti Chand is an important festival celebrated as New Year’s Day by Sindhi people of India and Pakistan. According to the Hindu calendar, it is the second day of the month chaitra, known as Chet in the Sindhi language. Hence it is known as Chet-e-Chand.

The Sindhi community celebrates the festival of Cheti Chand in honour of the birth of Jhulelal, the patron saint of the Sindhis. This day is considered to be very auspicious. On this day, people worship water – the elixir of life.

cheti chand

Many Sindhis take Baharana Sahib to a nearby river or lake which consists of Jyoti (Oil lamp), Misiri (sugar), Fota (cardamom), Fal (fruits), Akha (rice), Kalash (Water jar) and a Nariyal (Coconut) in it, covered with cloth, flowers, and leaves. There is also a statue of Pujya Jhulelal.

#4. Sindhi Surnames:4

Yes, we do have a lot of surnames with an “-ani” suffix, but come on! If we go by the “-ani” rule, then Dhirubhai Ambani would be Sindhi too!

A lot of us have surnames like Bhatia, Makhija, Ahuja, Kukreja, Chawla, Nagpal, and Khatri etc.

  • Sindhi tend to have surnames that end in ‘-ani‘ (a variant of ‘anshi‘, which means ‘descended from’). The suffix of a Sindhi Hindu surname is usually derived from the name or location of an ancestor.
  • In northern Sindh, surnames ending in ‘ja‘ (meaning ‘of’) are also common. A person’s surname would consist of the name of his or her native village, followed by ‘ja’.

#5. BUSINESS is not the Only Sindhi Profession!

Yes, most of us are into business but a lot of us have other Professions too!

For instance, our very own Ranveer Singh Bhavnani is a top-notch Bollywood Actor, Ram Jethmalani- cream of the crop Lawyer, and Vishal Dadlani- our A-listed Music Composer/ Producer/ Singer. Not every Sindhi is meant to be a businessman- we have other talents too!

ranveer singh

One More Clarification: Yes, we may not all wake up at 7 in the morning, but even if we start working around 10-11, we work late hours- sometimes until 12pm-1am too!

sindhi stereotypes

#6. Sindhi Food!

Aren’t you tired of asking all your Sindhi friends about the kadhi? Try our Saai Bhaji, Doda, Taairi, Aloo Tuk, Mitho Lolo and I promise you’ll crave for some more! It’s that good!

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Also, most of us love our Papad but that sure does not mean that we’re not a “True Sindhi” if we don’t eat it every day! Basing our roots to “Sindhi Sai Papad Khaayin” would be totally unfair!

#7. Have you heard about the Sindhi Laadas?

We bet you haven’t heard our “Laada”- they happen to be our folk songs that we love dancing to! Attend Sindhi weddings and you’ll know what we’re talking about!

Dama Dum Mast Kalandar” is one of our favorite songs to groove to, but so is “Lal Jhule Lal”!

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And when it comes to music, our tastes are quite versatile- from soft romance to hip-hop: high-spirited Sindhi’s can dance to any tune! With a bottle of coke (mixed with some whiskey in it) in our hands, goes without saying!

#8. EXTRA: Sindhi Fashion!

Traditionally, Sindhi Dress typically consisted of Kurta with the modern Palazzo pants, or lehenga choli for females, with a ravo (muslin cloth to cover their head). Men usually wore dhoti pants, jamo (top) and acchi paghri (white turban).

With the advancement in fashion, women are usually seen adorning salwar kameez and churidar kurta, while men wear pant and shirt.

sindhi jewelry

Yes, we agree, Sindhi ladies do enjoy being jazzed up- decked in the shiniest outfits with the most elaborate gold and diamond jewelry. BUT not all of us have descended from Bappi Da!

We have versatile tastes when it comes to clothing and accessories, most being sober, yet colorful!

Guest Post By Author Sneha Chandiramani