International Mother language day

Language happens to be oldest tradition of humanity. It is not possible to think without words. At instinctive level feelings may be expressed by a cry or body language but for cohesive communication it is necessary to have words and coherent sequence of words. In ancient period of civilizations we find the languages of Egypt on papyrus and from Babylonian civilization on tablets and Indus Valley Civilization on seals. The script of Indus valley civilization had not yet been deciphered and remains a mystery till day. I belong to that language SINDHI whose roots are still shrouded in the mystery of ancient civilization of mankind.       

Eminent linguist Ferdinand de Saussure describes the word as “made up of material component, such as sound or mark on page, which he terms as the signifier and the mental component, the concept and idea represented the sign or the signified. Thus along with sign sound the sign does become intricately connected with idea or a concept.”

The language is akin to a flowing river. As a mighty river in its long journey through varied historical  landscape takes in its fold many tributaries the language also in its historical journey is enriched by many other languages and some time and at some places it overflows and inundates the surrounding areas and flows in various directions.

Till recently it was thought that like many other Indian languages Sindhi has roots in Indo Aryan Sanskrit language but recent research has traced it to a parallel branch of Indo Iranian Sanskrit.  All the same it could be said that like other Indian language it acquired its distinct present form in seventh century from “Varchud  Apbransh” prevalent in the subcontinent.

Sindhi language was well developed by the time of Arab invasion of Sind in 712 AD and the first ever translation of Holy Quran was done in Sindhi language which goes to prove that Sindhi language at time was developed. At that time Sindhi scholars introduced to Arabs many books on medicine, mathematics, astronomy and that knowledge was introduced to the western world.

At this point it becomes necessary to emphasize one fact that the linguistic regions are made and defined by nature and Geography of the land. Peoples residing in that region by collective historical experience are bound by and share the common culture and traditions. They constitute a body of ONE people. At the same time it is also a fact that political boundaries of that region have frequently changed with passage of time. They have become permanent only with constitution of Nation Sates in the aftermath of Industrial revolution. In this manner r the people living in region linguistically defined by nature as SINDHI constitute one distinct Nation. Thus language in a capsule form encompasses total historical experience of that region. In this way Sindhi Language has been influenced by Sanskrit, Greeks, Scythians, Arabs, Persian languages. Sindhi Language has 46 consonants and 6 Vowels. The present Sindhi script has 52 letters. About 175 years ago when British decided to standardize Sindhi script at a glance it had 12000 words of Sanskrit origin, 3500 indigenous, 2500 Arabic and 2000 of Persian origin.  It has a very rich Vocabulary that can be gauged from the fact that the Dictionary Prepared by Dr. Nabi Bux Khan Baloch runs into 4 copious volumes and that is also said to be inconclusive.  

As stated above the Literature in Sindhi Language existed before advent of Arabs and due to frequent conquests not much has been persevered but it remains as a robust memory of the people as Folk Literature. Poetry of many poets Like Kazi Qadan, Shah Abdul Karim Bulri waro, Shah Inayat the martyr of Sind adorns the pages of History of Sindhi Literature. It is in the time of Shah Abdul Latif Sindhi poetry attained its zenith which remains unmatched till this day.     

Sufi thought permeates the poetry of Shah Latif and all other poets who preceded him or succeeded him. Sufism stresses divine unity in entire creation. It rejects bipolarity and binary. The core values of this philosophy are Unity, Universal love, Equality, Peace and Brotherhood among mankind. It rejects religious priesthood and establishment and seeks to establish direct relation between an individual and God. These values have become ethos of Sindhi Society. Unfortunately the creation of state of Pakistan is based on religious division along religious lines that is in direct conflict with historical ethos of Sindhi People. The struggle of Sindhi people to free them from this divisive straitjacket of state of Pakistan and   hegemony of Urdu Language   is to be viewed as a fundamentally ideological. The demographic imbalance inbuilt in the state of Pakistan only accentuates the situation.

Another aspect that needs to be mentioned is that Sindhi Language is facing changes at multiple Levels. Globalization in economic and communication field have given edge to English language and all other languages particularly in the sub-continent are being eroded as the creamy layer of the society is abandoning its own mother tongue in favour of English Language.

In Indian Context the situation is very grim as the tiny population of about 0.5% is scattered throughout the country. It does not have any economic Utility. It is bereft of political patronage as it has no right of even to an inch of the land. It has no hinterland or villages where the language may survive. Added to all this is the fact that the bulk of the community is engaged in commerce and trade and a large part may be said to comprise ‘creamy layer’.  

In such a grim situation a silver lining is also discernable on the horizon. The space age promises some signs of hope. Internet has rendered distance redundant. Many E platforms of distance learning of Sindhi language and digital libraries of Sindhi language are available on line. Many Apps to teach Sindhi language and soft ware of translation and transliteration are available that in time to come hold promise of bringing back the lost generations to Language, Literature and culture of the land and connected them with their roots and land  at mental level.

I conclude on this note of HOPE.