Partition and the people of  Sindh...
 
    In 1947 before the creation of Pakistan, Sindhi Hindus were a minority community in their own province of Sindh, having no rights or privileges, unlike their Muslim neighbours who were a majority community. Sindhi Hindus and Muslims had lived side by side for hundreds of years with hardly any animosity between them,with the honouring of each other's religions. Most mosques were decorated during Diwali (a Hindu festival) in Sindh . This harmony between Muslims and Hindus came to an end a few months before the Partition, during which the "Muhajirs", who were a politically extreme Muslim organization, migrated from India and forcibly took over the properties of Sindhi Hindus. So began a long and bitter process in history.

    It was declared by the Government of Sindh, that any land owned by Muslims before 1907 would be given back to them, regardless of Hindu ownership.Sindhis were aware of the potential voilence after 1947. Places of Hindu worship would be destroyed, and so they wanted to flee before the violence began.
 

      Mass Migration of Sindhis to India
 
    On December 21st, 1947, a raid took place in the houses of Hindus starting with Hyderabad. People were thrown into camps awaiting deportation to India. Similar action was organized by Muslims on January 6th 1948 in Karachi and all the Hindus were gathered at the exit camps, for the forced migration to India by road, rail and sea. Hindu Sindhis did not show resistence for their extration. The eruption of riots and violence in Sind was started by the Muhajirs and encouraged by Punjabi Muslims. Hindu Sindhis were forced to flee with just the clothes that they were wearing and a few personal belongings, often tied up in a bed sheet. Some were fortunate to have the opportunity to sell their belongings on the street. The Sindh government ordered them not to lock their properties before leaving, there was little point in doing so, as the Muslims forced their way in and took possession as ordered by their government. Sindhis fled for their lives to the borders of India to escape get away from the mass killings by the Muslims who were now entering Sind. Some reports even mentioned that women who were at that time in hospital delivering their babies were murdered in cold blood along with their innocent new-borns.
 
 
 
Refugee in an Indian camp,
having arrived from Sindh.

    India was now their only hope: A land of freedom and opportunity. On arrival, they found themselves hungry, homeless and unemployed. Employment and food were hard to find and so voluntary support was a necessary part of survival. 11 lakhs (1.1 million) Sindhis migrated to India, aiming to settle down.The government of India set up refugee camps to provide shelter, schooling, medical care, markets, hospitals and other amenities. Some were relieved to be reunited with their families who had been separated in the struggle to leave Sind. It was only despair and bewilderment for those who never found their loved ones. They were unaware of what happened to them and did not know if they were alive or had been killed in Sind. Many refugee families shared the same military camps. In the evening they put up sheets to partition the room into family sections, but for the majority of the day they would cook, eat and wash communally. The conditions were appalling and were unhygienic, many died of tuberculosis, cholera, and of snake and scorpion poisoning.
 

 
Headline from The Hindustan Times newspaper (Sunday, March 28th, 1948).
 
    Those who survived managed to find their own way of feeding their families. They attempted to be employed in any area possible. Soon they started their own businesses and became highly successful business people. Sewing and cooking were the main occupations of Sindhi women in order to earn a living. Food stalls were set up and run by Sindhis. Nevertheless, begging was not considered by Sindhis as a method of making ends meet and they relied on making and selling food and other articles of use. The survival skills they learned made them into one of India's shrewdest business communities. This tradition still continues. In India the accommodation was too expensive for the common refugee of Sind to buy or rent, so they remained in their military camps for many years. Some time later Bombay housing commissions were set up and run by Sindhis in order to provide affordable accommodation for them to settle down in. Today this community has made the world their home, they have managed to survive the partition and have settled all over the world.

 
    Sind, once the home to Hindu Sindhis, no longer exists, except in the memories, hearts and history books of those who left Sind under desperate circumstances. Sindhis were forced to give up their homeland, where their forefathers lived, for the betterment of the whole nation of India. The people of Sind who survived the trauma of partition, have been scattered all over the world. Many lives were lost and many families were split in two. The devastation of the partition was so great that up until now, some of those who had lost touch are still without their loved ones in today. It should be remembered that the older members of the Sindhi community, who have witnessed Partition, and who safely and lovingly brought their children through this difficult and dangerous period in history, have learned much from it. There is much to learn from them about how to survive and stay strong.