The funeral of the writer was in Mumbai, India. PHOTO: FILE
Renowned Sindhi fiction writer Sundri Uttamchandani,89, passed away in Mumbai, India on Monday. She was suffering from respiratory illness.
Large number of Sindhi speakers in India attended her funeral, while writers, poets and intellectuals from various cities and towns of Sindh paid rich tributes to her by forwarding their condolence messages to the grieving family.
Sundri Uttamchandani, better known by her first name, was born in Hyderabad Sindh. Her family migrated to India after the partition where she continued her struggle for promoting Sindhi language and culture till her death.
“Sundri shattered male dominance in literature by her writings and brought in a new flavour in Sindhi literature,” said Chander Keswani, a Sindhi poet and writer.
Sundri also gained acclaim in India where she earned many literary awards. Most of her writings revolved around the plight of people that went through the perils of mass migration after the partition. She wrote more than 250 stories, four novels, a dozen plays and translated many novels. Her books continue to be reprinted given the demand of readers.
Progressive Sindhi writer Sham Kumar said Sundri started writing in 1946, got married to progressive Sindhi writer, Assandas Jethanand Uttamchandani popularly known as Shri A J Uttam and both vowed to promote Sindhi literature in India and started movement for it which resulted in government of India giving Sindhi language an official status.
Uttam was born December 16, 1923 in Hyderabad in Uttamchandani Lane named after the family which is still called by the same name. He says, “I attribute my love for Sindhi language to my mother’s influence since young days she used to speak to me in sweet Sindhi using proverbs.”
Her husband passed away in 2003. Sundri leaves behind two daughters Asha Chand and Geeta Khiyani.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 9th, 2013.
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I love her novel "Vicohhoro" (separation) and "Crumbling walls". She was really exceptional writer of sub-continent
@Sindhi Pakistani
Two states emerged due to religious considerations, when the British Empire after the second World War was on the decline, Pakistan and Israel. In Pakistan Sindhi Hindus had to migrate from their home and hearth, against their will, similarly in Israel the Palestinians who belonged to the land were forced to become a minority. In both cases the original population didn't ask for it and didn't want it, but they had no say and were forced to accept the decision.
@Sindhi Pakistani Very nice comment. Right from heart. It's a right for everybody to promote his mother tongue.