Women in Sindhyat
Sindhi Women Pass the “Sindhi” Flag to the Next Generation by Aarti Karamchandani
As the Olympics have wound down, many of us witnessed the passing of the Olympic Flag from London to Rio de Janeiro. It is a symbolic act where the upcoming host nation accepts the responsibility to carry on the values and traditions manifested by the Olympic community. In a similar way, our elders call upon us to carry the flag of our “Sindhiyat” everyday by sharing with us the traditions of their childhood. However, they do not have a grand “closing” ceremony when they are no longer able to carry the flag themselves. They leave to luck, chance and prayer, that the younger generation has accepted the responsibility to carry on the Sindhi values and traditions.
I have witnessed, 5 amazing Sindhi women, who taught me, my family, their family and our community the very essence of what it means to be Sindhi. They have moved on to a more heavenly abode over the last two years and we hosted their closing ceremonies. We celebrated the facts that Janki Rupani, Indira Rupani, Lachmi Balaney, Savitri Ramchandani and Kamla Menghani won gold medals in teaching us our core Sindhi values such as:
Malpuras are not just sweet because we soak them in sugar and honey, but because there are buckets full of love that go into our Sindhi cooking;
Live the virtues of Guru Nanak by showing love and acceptance to all around you. We see that everyday when we read or say our prayers from the Sukhmani or the Gita, we accept all as the word of one Supreme Being who commands us to love all;
Like every good Sindhi business man knows, hard work and dedication will enable success. Our parents, our children and we have benefitted from the hard work of our ancestors. The fact that the Sindhi Sammelan includes Sindhi’s from all over the world is a manifestation of that value;
Even when you are an outsider, through love, compassion, community and selflessness, ANYONE can become an INSIDER and
As the Olympics have wound down, many of us witnessed the passing of the Olympic Flag from London to Rio de Janeiro. It is a symbolic act where the upcoming host nation accepts the responsibility to carry on the values and traditions manifested by the Olympic community. In a similar way, our elders call upon us to carry the flag of our “Sindhiyat” everyday by sharing with us the traditions of their childhood. However, they do not have a grand “closing” ceremony when they are no longer able to carry the flag themselves. They leave to luck, chance and prayer, that the younger generation has accepted the responsibility to carry on the Sindhi values and traditions.
I have witnessed, 5 amazing Sindhi women, who taught me, my family, their family and our community the very essence of what it means to be Sindhi. They have moved on to a more heavenly abode over the last two years and we hosted their closing ceremonies. We celebrated the facts that Janki Rupani, Indira Rupani, Lachmi Balaney, Savitri Ramchandani and Kamla Menghani won gold medals in teaching us our core Sindhi values such as:
Malpuras are not just sweet because we soak them in sugar and honey, but because there are buckets full of love that go into our Sindhi cooking;
Live the virtues of Guru Nanak by showing love and acceptance to all around you. We see that everyday when we read or say our prayers from the Sukhmani or the Gita, we accept all as the word of one Supreme Being who commands us to love all;
Like every good Sindhi business man knows, hard work and dedication will enable success. Our parents, our children and we have benefitted from the hard work of our ancestors. The fact that the Sindhi Sammelan includes Sindhi’s from all over the world is a manifestation of that value;
Even when you are an outsider, through love, compassion, community and selflessness, ANYONE can become an INSIDER and