Troubled Pilgrimage by Balwant Bhaneja

Author:Balwant Bhaneja
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: TSAR Publication
Published: 2013-10-08T00:00:00+00:00

8. Sukkur: Its Hindu Traders

The flickering light through the projection room widens into the larger-than-life images of hero and heroine of yesteryear, Karan Dewan and Suraiya, on the white screen. The round-faced heroine sings Ankhinyan milaake chale nahin jana (Having met my eyes, don’t go away). How something that’s romantic in one language translates into something so banal.

As we approached the outskirts of Sukkur, Nur Bux explained, “Sai, your people are quite well off. We, Mussalmans, when it comes to doing business are not good. The government here knows that, and they have given Hindu dewans free rein to run the wholesale trade. I am taking you to their mandi (market) now.” He turned right, driving into a market with thirty to forty godaams (warehouses) around a huge square. In front of the shops lay heaps of grains, lentils, and dates, being filled by labourers into large brown jute sacks. The filled sacks would be transported at the end of the day by trucks to markets across Pakistan.

Nur Bux asked me to look at the people sitting outside on the chairs. He said, “These are your people, Amil and Vaniya traders. They own this.” I asked him how he knew that. He said that the names in Sindhi outside the shops, written in Arabic Sindhi script on the signboards, showed their Hindu origins. They were all ages—young and old men neatly dressed in their local shalwars and long kameez shirts. As we slowly drove around the square, they looked up inquisitively at me taking their photos. I told Nur Bux to stop, and stepped out of the car to talk to them.

Approaching them, I introduced myself. They were amused at my background and invited me to sit and have tea with them. Earlier, on entering Sukkur, Nur Bux had informed me that some of the big houses we saw on the way belonged to these dewans.

Sindhi Hindus are known for their business acumen; they can be found doing commerce as far away as Africa and South America. Seeing that such a large contingent of Hindu traders had stayed on in Pakistan, I thought that there were at least some Sindhis who had paid heed to Gandhi’s words on the eve of Partition: “If even a single Sindhi leaves Sindh, it will be a matter of shame to Mr Jinnah as Governor General.” Then he added: “The Sindhi Hindus are first-class businessmen. Why are they running away to Bombay, Madras, and other places? It will not be they who will be the losers, but Sindh. For they will make money for themselves, wherever they go.” (Malkani, p 110)

I asked these Hindu traders if they were happy in Pakistan. One of the young men from the group jovially replied: “Yes, yes, we like it here. It’s where we are from. We were born here.” All of them had been to India for weddings and other social occasions to meet relatives. Because of my interest in ancestral connections, I told them about my two aunts who were married to families in Old Sukkur.

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