Book Review

Sindhi Dinh-Vaar Ae Ritiyun Rasmu (Sindhi Festivals and Customs)

By Deepa Mahadev Wadhwani

A Sindhi proud of her roots, Shrimati Deepa Wadhwani, realized the importance of passing on the knowledge about Sindhi customs and traditions onto the younger generation.

She believes that our Sindhi festivals are rooted in the principles of science. In her book, Sindhi Dinh-vaar Ae Ritiyun Rasmu, she has explained the importance of fasting and the significance of various important days of the lunar calendar.

The book is written in Sindhi-Arabic as well as Sindhi- Devnagri scripts making it suitable for those familiar with either of them. It has a brief introduction to the author and a list of various Sindhi organisations she works with to preserve the Sindhi heritage.

Shrimati Deepa starts off the book by naming the Sindhi months of the lunar calendar and how they are aligned with the months of the universally used Gregorian calendar – a very important piece of information for those who are not familiar with the lunar months.

The aartis and bhajans to be sung to venerate Jhulelal – a form of Varun Dev, the rituals followed to worship Him with pallav (a prayer beseeching Jhulelal to shower His blessings on all) and the panjadas which are sung in His praise, are all explained in detail.

The katha (a religious discourse) to be read while observing the Sindhi festivals such as Teejdi, Vadi Satte, Mahalaxmi ja Sagra, Mahadev ja Sagra, Ganesh Chauth, Vispat ji Katha, etc. with the relevant rituals, prayers and aartis are included in the book.

Sindhi follow certain customs during the wedding, the pregnancy and the childbirth, all of which form a part of the book. Each of this event is celebrated with great joy with dancing and singing. The book has many of the Sindhi songs called ladaas that are sung on these occasions. Shrimati Deepa has also added her own take on the ladas. She has written loris (lullabies) for the babies too.

All in all, the book is an asset for any Sindhi keen to follow the rituals and customs of the community, and for a non-Sindhi who is curious to learn about Sindhi culture.

Featured Pic: Shrimati Deepa Mahadev Wadhwani

Book Review by Jyoti Mulchandani, Ahmedabad