Sindhi-Dham

Fifty years ago in 1947, Sindhis became stateless and homeless, after their home-province Sindh was sacrificed at the altar of Indian Independence.
When approached by Sindhi leaders like Acharya J.B. Kriplani and Bhai Pratap for alternate home-land for Sindhis, Father of Nation, realizing the plight of Sindhis, uprooted from their ancestral lands, for no fault of theirs, suggested that Sindhis should settle down in the princely state of Kutchh, adjoining Sindh.
On the advice of Mahatama Gandhi, Maha Rao of Kutchh allotted 15000 acres of land spread over 20 sq. miles around Kandla on seacoast, to provide alternate home for migrating Sindhis. The land was transferred, after legal formalities, to Bhai Pratap, who established a Public limited Company named Sindhi Resettlement Coorporation, to man the land for raising a township and settling the migrated Sindhis there. The township which ought to have been named Sindhi-DHAM sacred home of Sindhis-home of Sindhis-was graciously named as Gandhidham by the grateful Sindhis, after the immersion of Gandhiji’s ashes in sea and establishing second Gandhi Samadhi, in the town on 12th February 1948.

Gandhi-Dham thus became the only legally constituted Sindhi speaking territory in the whole of partitioned India.
The selection of the soil of Kutchh by Mahatama Gandhi and Sardar Patel, the then Home Minister, for the alternate home for migrating Sindhis was based upon the following considerations:-

1. The Geographical, Topographical and climatic conditions were similar to that of proper Sindh, especially of the lower region around Hyderabad Sindh
2. But for, Runn-of-Kutchh separating the Sindh province and Princely State of Kutchh, the entire territory belonged to same Geographical setup. Holy river Sindhu used to flow through Kutchh before submerging with sea near Lakhpat town in Kutchh, as late as 1850 A.D. till she changed her course, leaving behind Holy Pilgrimage center of ‘NARAYANSAR’ as testimony.
3. Had it not been a princely State, Kutchh like Sindh would have been politically part of Bombay presidency;
4. Sindhis and Kutchhis belong to same ethnic stock of people. In fact majority of the inhabitants of Kutchh, have migrated from proper Sindh at one or other time of History. Even today, people living on both sides of man-made border have close blood relations;
5. Both Sindhi Hindus and Kuchhi Hindus worship Jhulelal, the incarnation of VARUN DEVTA, and have almost similar religious believes as well as ritualistic practices. Sindhis therefore feel completely AT-Home in Kutchh territory.
6. Sindhis and Kutchhis have age-old affinities in the cultural field. Both have similar customs, folklores and folk songs;
7. According to linguistic experts, just as Haryanvi, Bhojpuri, Rajasthani, Bihari and Chhatisgarhi of Madhya Pradesh are the dialect of Hindi language in the same way, Kutchhi is the dialect of Sindhi language. Thus, this is the only territory in Indian Union, where, the language of Sindhi people can survive and florish.
8. Both Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel acknowledged that Sindhis being primarily traders, having ancient commercial links with almost all overseas littoral countries through mighty Karachi Port, can do away with fertile agricultural lands, but cannot survive in a land locked province. Both leaders were sure that enterprising Sindhis would transform the economic face of entire Kutchh State and would develop the hitherto ignored Kandla on the sea shore, into major all-weather sea port comparable to Karachi port of pre-partitioned India, which eventually would reduce the pressure on Bombay Port.
Thus after careful consideration of all aspects. Father of Nation, Mahatma Gandhi and Integrator of princely states Sardar Patel assigned the challenging task of developing the arid territory of princely State of Kutchh to enterprising Sindhis in 1948, through the medium of a public limited company named Sindh Resettlement Corporation (S.R.C.).
Imagine the miseries of people who were required to develop total forest area into flourishing modern township, without the active assistance of Government machinery. Poor Sindhi refugees, who left all the worldly possessions in their ancestral homes, had to work day and night with almost empty bellies, as there were very scant means of livelihood in the forest area. How can one expect to earn full livelihood in an area, where there was hardly any railway line, hardly any road, hardly any fertile agricultural land, hardly any factory, hardly any big government office. They were paid Rs 2/- only for killing a snake and Re 1/- only for killing one scorpion (Bichhu) by the Sindh Resettlement Corporation (S.R.C.) as an incentive to expedite clearance of the place, infested in those times by poisonous snakes and scorpions. But how long can one survive on this meagre and dangerous avocation? Hence the initial enthusiasm soon died down and most of the immigrants left in search of livelihood in other big cities like Ahmedabad, Bombay, Baroda, Calcutta, Madras and Delhi.
Fortunately, with the laying down of the foundation stone of Kandla port in 1952; inauguration of Kandla Airport in 1959; inauguration of Kandla Free Trade Zone in 1964; laying down of broadgauge railway line connecting Bombay with Gandhidham in 1969 and opening of IFFCO fertilizer factory and spinning mill, the trend of DESERTION of home, allotted to Sindhis has temporarily has been halted, But the people who left, were settled elsewhere in India never to return to the promised province, because of the memories of the past hardships.
The S.R.C. was able to develop excellently planned modern township of Gandhidham in face of heavy odds, but the task of converting it into a big city like Karachi and Bombay is still incomplete. S.R.C. is still alive and doing its utmost to achieve the goal.
Presently Gandhidham complex comprises of mainly three settlements- Proper Gandhidham town, flanked by Adipur, about eight kilometers away on its one side. And Kandla port about 15 kilometers on its other side. As soon as the gaps between three towns are filled up by resettling about 5 lakh Sindhis, the original objective of the establishment of Sindhidham could stand fulfilled.
It is not impossible. It is not even difficult. It is only the question of effective publicity for attracting the rich Sindhis of Hongkong, who are bound to return after the merger with mainland in 1992 and for persuading Sindhi traders of gulf countries to repatriate and invest in Sindhidham-sacred home established by Mahatma. Sindhis living in other provinces and Union Territories can also invest their surplus funds and send atleast retired persons to live peaceful life there to achieve the target of resettling five lakh Sindhis in their allotted home.
Is it difficult for fifty lakh Sindhi Hindus to spare only five lakhs for the far reaching objective? Farsightedness demands planned hard work by all who have burning desire to preserve “Sindhiyat” till eternity.
Common objective can only be achieved by common sacrifice- the sacrifice of routine type- sacrifice of surplus resources – sacrifice of luxurious and lethargic life style- sacrifice of extravagance in social ceremonies. This is not at all difficult, if we look into the sacrifice of others for similar objectives.