Sindhi culture has been shaped over thousands of years, originating from the ancient Indus Valley Civilization. The Sindhi language evolved from contact with Aryan and later Arabic/Persian influences. Key aspects of Sindhi culture include festivals, a historical focus on agriculture and fishing, influence of Islam, and rich literary and musical traditions. Sindhi music is characterized by vocal styles like baits and instrumental styles like waee, featuring instruments like the ektara, tanpura, and dhol. The poetry of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai is particularly influential in Sindhi culture.

1. ASSIGNMENT ON
Sindhi Culture
SUBMITTED BY: Muhammad Rafique
Roll No: 35
BS Social Work 3rd Semester (Morning)
Session Fall 2012-2013
SUBMITTED TO:
INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL WORK, SOCIOLOGY & GENDER STUDIES
UNIVERSITY OF PESHAWAR

2. Contents
Sindhi Culture ............................................................................................ 3
Language ................................................................................................... 3
Festivals ..................................................................................................... 4
Lifestyle ..................................................................................................... 4
Islam in Sindh ............................................................................................ 4
Aryan Influence on culture ....................................................................... 4
ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES ................................................... 5
SINDHI LITERATURE ............................................................................ 5
Sindhi Poetry ............................................................................................. 6
Arts and Music .......................................................................................... 6
Sindhi Music .............................................................................................. 6
SINHI SUFI MUSIC ................................................................................. 6
Shah Jo Raag ............................................................................................. 6
The traditional 30 Surs included in Shah Jo Risalo are ............................ 7
Common Instruments Used In Sindhi Regional Music ............................ 8
Cultural character ...................................................................................... 9

3. Sindhi Culture
Sindh is one of the four provinces in Pakistan located at the Southern border. The
province of Sindh has been named after the famous River Indus. In Sanskrit, the
province was dubbed Sindhu meaning an ocean. Around 3000 B.C, Dravidian
cultures urbanized and gave rise to the Indus valley Civilization. According to the
Historians, Indus Valley Civilization declined due to the natural disasters such as
floods but the invasions of Indo- Arians caused the sudden collapse of it. In the
recent history, Sindh was conquered by the British in 1843. Sindh province
remained the part of British India until 1947 when it was made one of the
provinces of Pakistan.
Language
Sindhi language evolved over a period of 2400 years. The language of the people
of Sindh, after coming in contact with the Aryan, became Indo-Aryan (Prakrit).
Sindhi language, therefore, has a solid base of Prakrit as well as Sanskrit, the
language of India, with vocabulary from Arabic, Persian, and some Dravidian –
descendants from Mediterranean sub-continent. Initially, Sindhi had close contacts
with Arabic- speaking Muslims. Therefore the language adopted many of the
Arabic words.
Sindhi language is an ancient Language spoken in Pakistan and many other parts
of the world. It is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by approximately 41 million
people in Pakistan, and 12 million people in India; it is the second Most language
Spoken of Pakistan, mostly spoken in the Sindh province. It is a recognized official
language in Pakistan, and also an official language in India. Government of
Pakistan issues National Identity Cards to its citizens only in two languages; Sindhi
and Urdu.
Sindhi language is also greatly influenced by Sanskrit and about 70% of the words
in Sindhi are of Sanskrit origin. Sindhi is a very rich language with a vast
vocabulary; this has made it a favorite of many writers and so a lot of literature and
poetry has been written in Sindhi. It has been the inspiration for Sindhi art, music,
literature, culture and the way of life. The language can be written using the
Devanagri or Arabic script

4. Festivals
The people of Sind love their religion and the two festivals of Eid-ul-Adha and
Eid-ul-Fitr are celebrated with zeal and enthusiasm. Different domestic festivals
are arranged by the local people to provide people with new things they buy on
Eid’s occasion. On different occasions, the Folk dance of Bhagat is also performed
by professionals to entertain the visiting people. Hence, a Sindhi Cultural Festival
is a compound of folk dances, music and cheap entertainment for local people.
Lifestyle
People of Sindh are more inclined towards an agricultural based lifestyle. The
fertile Indus Plains provide a valuable source of income for the local people who
practice farming on these lands. Inland fishing is also practiced along the Indus
River in Upper Sind providing further opportunities for local people. Itinerant way
of lifestyle is commonly seen in the desertic regions of Thar where people move
from place to place in search for Drinking water sources along with their animals.
Islam in Sindh
From the beginning of Muslim rule of the Sindh in 713 CE, the Muslim
technocrats, bureaucrats, soldiers, traders, scientists, architects, teachers,
theologians and Sufis travelled from the rest of the Muslim world to the Islamic
Sultanate in Sindh, and settled there permanently. The majority of Sindhis
converted to Islam by the Sufi mystics from Middle East and Central Asia. The
Sindh became distinct in its identity and culture, and many contemporary writers in
medieval age referred to Sindh and Hind as two different countries. The Sindhi
culture flourished with a new stimulus from Islamic sources
fromPersia and Afghanistan. Many Baloch and Afghan tribes also settled in Sindh,
adopting Sindhi culture.
Aryan Influence on culture

5. The second impact on the norms and practices of Sindhis was the subjugation of
Sindh at the hans of Aryans around 2,500 B.C. The Aryan impact on Sindhi culture
was great and the subsequent changes imprinted on the psyche of the Sindhi people
should be judged in the light of the changes which they had undergone at the hands
of the Aryans. The Aryans were nomadic, but, the peace-loving Moenjodaro
civilization people had been enjoying for a long time the fruits of settled urban life
with municipal community-based living. The Aryans were, thus, overawed. They
adopted the Sindhi cultured way of life. They had little to offer Sindh, except their
fondness for the supernatural and abstraction. Though hunting the prey absorbed
quite a lot of their time, their Rishis managed to solicit favours from there gods.
The Aryans, in exchange for their supernatural tendencies, borrowed from the
Dravidians their god of Shakti, later on canonised as Siva, in place of Aryan
god Rudhra, and thus the Hindu trinity was completed. With the sway of the
Aryans, the Sindhi culture underwent a big change. The adversity of subjugation
made Sindhis a bit fatalistic. Much of their martial fervor was gone while the
Aryans perfected, rather embellished their religion, after their contact with the
indigenous population of Sindh
ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES
Archaeological discoveries sometimes help to unfold the certain latent aspects of a
specific culture. The excavations of Mohenjo-daro have unfolded the city life of
acivilization of people with values, a distinct identity and culture. Therefore, the
first definition of the Sindhi culture emanates from that over the 7000 year
old Indus Valley Civilization. This is the pre-Aryan period, about 3,000 years B.C.,
when the urban civilization in Sindh was at its peak.
SINDHI LITERATURE
History Sindhi was the first Eastern language into the Quran
Sindhi language is ancient and rich in literature. Its writers have contributed
extensively in various forms of literature in both poetry and prose. Sindhi
literature is very rich, and is one of the world's oldest literatures. The earliest
reference to Sindhi literature is contained in the writings of Arab historians. It is
established that (Sindhi was the first Eastern language into the Quran ) when it was
translated in the eighth or ninth century A.D. There is evidence of Sindhi poets
reciting their verses before the Muslim Caliphs in Baghdad. It is also recorded that

6. treatises were written in Sindhi on astronomy, medicine and history during the
eighth and ninth centuries.
Sindhi Poetry
Sindhi poetry is also prominent in Sindhi culture. Poetry ofShah Abdul Latif
Bhittai &. Sachal Sarmast is very famous amongst all of Pakistanis. Regional
poets are Shaikh Ayaz, Ustaad Bhukhari, Ahmed Khan MAdhoosh, Adal Soomro,
Ayaz Gull, Abdul Ghaffar Tabasum, Rukhsana Preet, and Waseem Soomro. Many
Sindhi poets are doing their poetry work continuously.
Arts and Music
Sindhi society is dominated by great Sufis, the mystics and the martyrs. It has
always been the land of peace, love, romance, and great cultural and artistic values.
There were the great theologians of the Naqsh bandi order in Thatta who translated
the fundamentals of the religion of Islam into their mother tongue. There were the
great Sufi (mystic) poets like Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai who was the cherisher of
truth and spent all his life in its propagation, pursuit and quest. Bhitai was also an
excellent musician. He invented a new type of musical instrument, Tambura (drone
instrument), which till today, is a primary source of music in rural Sindh. The
beauty of Shah’s verses is enhanced by his blending of traditional Indian rag with
the Sindhi folk songs and music.
Sindhi Music
Music from Sindh province is sung in Sindhi, and is generally performed in either
the "Baits" or "Waee" styles. The Baits style is vocal music in Sanhoon (low voice)
or Graham (high voice). Waee instrumental music is performed in a variety of
ways using a string instrument. Waee, also known as Kafi, is found in the
surrounding areas of Balochistan, Punjab, andKutch.
SINHI SUFI MUSIC
Shah Jo Raag

7. The traditional compilations of Shah Jo Risalo by Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai include
30 Surs (chapters) which are sung as raags. The oldest publications of Shah Jo
Risalo contained some 36 Surs, but later most of the linguists discarded 6 Surs, as
their language and content did not match with the Shah's style. Recently, Dr. Nabi
Bakhsh Baloch, the most renowned linguist of Sindhi language has compiled and
printed a new edition after 32 years of research in folk culture, language and
history of Sindhi language.
The traditional 30 Surs included in Shah Jo Risalo are
§
Bilawal
§
Kalyaan
§
Yaman Kalyaan
§
Khanbhaat
§
Suri Raag
§
Samundi
§
Sohni
§
Sasui Aburi
§
Maazuri
§
Desi
§
Kohyari
§
Husaini
§
Laila Chanesar
§
Mumal Ranu
§
Marvi
§
Kaamod
§
Ghatu

8. §
Sorath
§
Kedaro
§
Sarang
§
Asaa
§
Ripp
§
Khahori
§
Barwo Sindhi
§
Ramkali
§
Kapaiti
§
Purab
§
Karayal
§
Pirbhati
§
Dahar
Common Instruments Used In Sindhi Regional Music
§
Ektara known as Yaktaro in Sindhi
§
Tanpura known as Danburo in Sindhi
§
Alghoza Flute
§
Bansuri
§
Pungi known as Been in Sindhi
§
Narr
§
Naghara
§
Dhol

9. Cultural character
The ancient Sindhi civilization was the place, where the aesthetic utilization of
leisure was freely indulged. There has been evidence, that the excavations of sites
dating back to 3000 B.C. (all over Sindh) is also true, around 1200 years ago when
Jaina Dakshiniya Chihna (778 A.D.) described the distinguished features of
Sindhi’s in this way: “Elegant, with a lovely, soft and slow gait, they are fond of
the art of harvas (that is, songs, music and dancing) and full affection towards their
country.” Sindhi’s celebrate Sindh Cultural day worldwide on 6th December by
wearing Ajrak & Sindhi Topi on that time.