Dubai: The love for their mother tongue Sindhi brought together hundreds of Indian and Pakistani expats in Dubai recently.
The Sindhi speaking expats celebrated the International Mother Language Day, which falls on February 21 every year, with various cultural programmes.
Organised by Sambara Events, a non-profit organisation that aims to promote and preserve the Sindhi language and culture in the UAE, the event was titled “Sindhi Abani Boli” (Sindhi is our Ancestral Language)
A large number of people from the Sindhi diaspora around the world also came together to celebrate their mother tongue and cultural heritage, the organisers said.
Vibrant Sindhi community
Mehtab Akber Rashdi, a well-known Sindhi intellectual and writer highlighted the importance of the Sindhi language and the challenges it faces in modern times. She expressed happiness at seeing the vibrant Sindhi community of UAE celebrating their language.
Book launching
The event included the book launching ceremony of prominent Sindhi fiction writer Abbas Korejo’s novel “Wann: The Tree”. Well-known Sindhi writers and intellectuals Dr. Ram Buxani, Mehtab Akber Rashdi, Asha Chand, Bhavan Sindhi, Nisar Khokhar, and Bakhshan Mahranvi praised the writer’s significant contributions to Sindhi Language and literature.
Lifetime achievement awards were presented to Koshi Lalwani, a renowned Sindhi poet, and writer from India, and Bibi Bagri, an educationist, and social worker from Pakistan.
Musical peformances
Captivating performances by famous singers from Pakistan and India, including Rajab Faqir, Mohit Lalwani, Faiza Ali, and Sheeraz Ali enthralled the audience. Their soulful renditions of Sindhi folk and classical music were greeted with thunderous applause.
The event also featured performances by popular Sindhi comedians, Ali Gul Mallah, Asghar Khoso, and Hyder Qadri. Their hilarious acts and witty one-liners had the audience in splits and added to the overall festive mood of the event.
Javed Korejo and Imaran Tunio of Sambara Events thanked everyone who attended the event and made it a memorable one. The stage performers and musicians were honoured for their contribution to the areas of Sindhi music and art.
The event concluded with the cultural Sindhi festive song of “Ho Jamalo” performed by all the artists and musicians together.
