Indian, Pakistani expats together celebrate Sindhi Cultural Day with fanfare in Dubai
Community members don traditional Sindhi ‘Ajrak’ and ‘Topi’ to mark ancient tradition
Dubai: Sindhi expats from India and Pakistan got together to celebrate Sindhi Cultural Day at a mega event in Dubai recently.
Sindhi community members celebrate the day as part of the centuries-old tradition to highlight Sindhi culture, language and attire. The day is traditionally celebrated every year on the first Sunday of December.
Sindhi Friends Forum in the UAE organised the event on December 2 at the Sheikh Rashid Auditorium in Dubai to coincide with the UAE National Day Golden Jubilee Celebrations. Hundreds of Sindhi community families from India and Pakistan participated in the celebrations, which turned out to be a mega cultural event with traditional songs, dances and music.
Highlights of the cultural show were performances by famous Sindhi singers including Reshma Parveen, Najaf Ali and Zamin Ali. Stand-up Sindhi comedians Asgher Khoso, Asif Pahore and Hyder Qadri also entertained the audience with their performances.
Prominent Emirati businessman Suhail Mohd Zarooni, who was the chief guest, cut a cake along with the community members to mark the UAE National Day Golden Jubilee.
Well-known Sindhi businessmen and social activists including Dr Ram Buxani, Vasu Shiroff, Dr Barkat Noonari and Nisar Khokhar were special guests at the event. They were presented with the traditional ‘Ajrak’ (Sindhi cultural shawl). Sindhi Friends Forum also honoured them with ‘Pride of Performance’ shields as a token of appreciation for their services to the Sindhi community.
SFF convener and event coordinator Bashir Arisar welcomed the guests, artists and participants. “The main aim of organising the event is to celebrate Sindhi Cultural Day, keeping alive the centuries old Sindhi culture and tradition. We also want to educate the younger generations and other communities about our unique culture and traditions,” said Arisar.
Sindhi Cultural Day
Sindhi Cultural Day is a popular Sindhi cultural festival, also known as ‘Aekta Jo Dihaarro (the day of unity)’, that is widely celebrated with traditional enthusiasm to spotlight the centuries-old culture of Sindh. The day is celebrated all over Sindh, and amongst the Sindhi diaspora around the world. Sindhis celebrate this day to demonstrate the peaceful identity of Sindhi culture and acquire the attention of the world towards their heritage.
Ajrak and Topi
On the occasion, with people wearing Ajrak and Sindhi Topi, traditional block printed shawl, musical programmes and rallies are held in many cities to mark the day. People across Sindh exchange gifts of Ajrak and Topi at various ceremonies. Even the children and women dress up in Ajrak, assembling at the grand gathering, where famous Sindhi singers sing Sindhi songs, which depict peace and love.