Sindh Literature and Culture Festival: ‘Only those nations thrive that revisit their history’

Sindh's culture, civilisation and literature relived on concluding day

KARACHI: Only those nations thrive that revisit their history and later on revive it accordingly, said the president of the Friends of Sindhu Civilisation, Khadim Hussain Soomro, during a talk organised on the second day of the Sindh Literature and Culture Festival on Sunday.

The festival was organised by the Friends of Sindhu Civilization at Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi, where Professor Sahar Ansari and Professor KS Nagpal read their papers while Nasir Soomro recited the work of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, Shaikh Ayaz, Hassan Dars and Ibrahim Munshi.





Soomro said it's very important to host such festivals and conferences to promote culture, civilisation and literature. He said only those nations thrive that revisit their history and later on revive them accordingly. He told the audience that on page 16 and 17 of the book, "Jesus lived in Asia", by Holger Kersten, it is written that 'Sindh is a land loved by God'. He also said we should appreciate philanthropists like Mitharam who donated Rs100,000 for the construction of DJ Science College in Karachi.

Professor Nagpal said culture is a broad term in which civilisation, national identity, historical realities, heroes, literature and society are the key aspects. He said the people living in Sindh are the caretakers of the entire culture. He said an artefact such as the sooti kapro (cotton cloth) from Sindh was used 600 BC in Greece. He said that gilam (carpets) were used in the palaces of Egyptian Pharaohs. He further told the audience that the word Hindu has been derived from Sindhu as Arabs used to pronounce it that way.

According to him, Raja Dahir was defeated because the Buddhists of Sindh were pacifist and they did not fight to even defend their land. He said the people of Sindh have remained non-violent and non-martial throughout history. According to him, no boundary wall and weapons were found from the remains of Moen Jo Daro, which clearly shows that Sindh has always remained a peaceful land. He said that Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai has become a poet of the people — whether they are educated or not, they appreciate and sing the recitations of Bhittai. He added that to become a successful nation we have to give education to the women of Sindh.





Professor Sahar Ansari said the land of Sindh is no doubt the best in the entire subcontinent.

At the end, a review was presented from former government officer Hamid Akhund, who said we should ask ourselves what we have given to this land. The two-day conference came to an end with a classical and Sufi musical performance by Zulfiqar Ali and Mazhar Hussain.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 4^th, 2016.