Sindhi Culture

Sindh has very glorious past. The richness of its history and culture has always attracted scholars of the country and abroad for the study of all aspects of Sindhi life and its ethos.Historically the roots of Sindhi culture and civilization go back to a hoary past. Archaeological researches during 19th and 20th centuries A.D., showed the roots of social life, religion and culture of the people of the Sindh- their agricultural practices, traditional arts and crafts, customs and tradition etc. going back to a ripe and mature Indus valley civilization of the third millennium B.C. Recent researches have traced the richness of the Indus valley civilization, to even earlier ancestry.Sindhi culture can truly lay claim to being one of the oldest known to man, surpassing certain shades and colors even those of Egypt, Mesopotamia and china.To see the richness of the Sindhi culture, one only has to visit Sindh to be aware of the diversity and beauty of her human world, their language, literature, arts and crafts, music and social customs & traditions etc.Tangibly, in brick and stone, it is , therefore, for all the visitors to see the Indus Valley civilization represented by the ancient sites of Mahrgharh, Amri, Kotdijji, Mohen-jo-Daro and Harappa, dating back from seventh to the fourth millennium B.C.People of Sindh have possessed and retained most of the peculiarities and characteristics of their ancestors, in spite of the fact that Sindhi culture has been influenced by the cultures of invaders such as Aryans, Iranians, Greeks, Scythians, Parthians Arabs and the western people.Thus the study of Sindh, its people and their culture, is a very interesting subject, and it invites the attention of scholars, particularly that of the historians, anthropologists & linguists.This is a region of diverse cultural influences. Throughout the centuries, indeed, through out the millennium, as these influences arrived in Sindh, they were incorporated into the rich traditions, which are defined as "Sindhi Culture". Thus the people and culture of Sindh can be thought of as a distinct entity in which almost every aspect eludes simple definition.The Sindhi is by nature, quiet and inoffensive. He is religious minded, humanitarian, hospitable, accommodating, and prefers human values. His attitude to life is determined by geographical, economic and moral set-up, making him unassertive. In the opinion of professor pithawalla, "A Sindhi is a philosophic, strong, forbearing, tolerant, patriotic and peace-loving individual. "like the great river-Sindhu-which is Sindh's life-sprit, the Sindhi farmer has learnt to receive and to give gifts."