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Sindhology (Sindhi : سنڌيات) is a field of South Asian studies and academic research that covers the history, society, culture, literature and people of Sindh, Pakistan. The subject was first brought into the academic circles with the establishment of the Institute of Sindhology at Sindh University in 1964. Since then, it has developed into a discipline that covers the aspects of history and archaeology from the Indus Valley civilization to the modern Sindhi society. The subject has also received wider attention at international levels. [1] An academic or expert who specialises in Sindhology is called a Sindhologist.
The term Sindhology to denote a subject of knowledge about Sindh was first coined in 1964 with the establishment of the Institute of Sindhology. [2] The objective at the time was to promote the study and broader research on Sindh, and develop a repository of archives, books, manuscripts, and research papers. Another wider objective was to promote the knowledge about Sindh in various other national and regional languages of Pakistan, [3] as well as international languages such as Arabic, English, Persian and Urdu. [4]
The subject was actually developed on the patterns of Egyptology and Indology. [5] The study area encompassed the multidisciplinary research about the land that has been shaped by the 5000 years old Indus Valley Civilization as well as the Indus River (locally known as Sindhu Darya). This enables the scope of the study to cover the antiquities, relics, culture, traditions, and literature with unique forms of music, art, and poetry that has prevailed in both the ancient and modern Sindh. [6]
The first major attempt to bring together the leading Sindhologists was an international seminar 'Sindh Through the Centuries' held in Karachi in Spring 1975 under the auspices of the Government of Sindh. [7] Some of the prominent names in Sindhology include:
Sindh is a province of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province by population after Punjab. It is bordered by the Pakistani provinces of Balochistan to the west and north-west and Punjab to the north. It shares an International border with the Indian states of Gujarat and Rajasthan to the east; it is also bounded by the Arabian Sea to the south. Sindh's landscape consists mostly of alluvial plains flanking the Indus River, the Thar Desert of Sindh in the eastern portion of the province along the international border with India, and the Kirthar Mountains in the western portion of the province.
Sindhis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group, originating from and native to Sindh region of Pakistan, who share a common Sindhi culture, history and language. The historical homeland of Sindhis is bordered by the southeastern part of Balochistan, the Bahawalpur region of Punjab and the Kutch region of Gujarat.
Kotri is a city and the headquarters of the Kotri Taluka of Jamshoro District of Sindh province in Pakistan. Located on the right bank of the Indus River, it is the 118th largest city in Pakistan by population.
Jamshoro is a city and the capital of Jamshoro District, located in Sindh, Pakistan. It is on the right bank of the Indus River, approximately 18 km (11 mi) northwest of Hyderabad and 150 km (93 mi) northeast from the provincial capital of Sindh, Karachi.
The University of Sindh is a public research university in Pakistan located in the city of Jamshoro. It is one of the oldest universities in Pakistan and was certified by ISO in 2015.
Ranikot Fort, also known as the Great Wall of Sindh, is a 19th-century Talpur-era fort near Sann in Jamshoro District, Sindh, Pakistan. The fort's ramparts have been compared to the Great Wall of China.
The history of Sindh refers to the history of the modern-day Pakistani province of Sindh, as well as neighboring regions that periodically came under its sway.
Nabi Bakhsh Khan Baloch was a Sindhi research scholar, historian, sindhologist, educationist, linguist and writer. He predominantly wrote in Sindhi, but also in Urdu, English, Persian and Arabic. He has been described as the "moving library" of the Pakistani province of Sindh.
Dr Fahmida Hussain is a Sindhi author, scholar, linguist and intellectual.
Institute of Sindhology is a resource for knowledge of the Sindh region in present-day Pakistan.
The Culture of Sindh has its roots in the Indus Valley civilization. Sindh has been shaped by the largely desert region, the natural resources it has available, and continuous foreign influence. The Indus or Sindhu River, which passes through the land, and the Arabian Sea also supported the seafaring traditions among the local people. The local climate also reflects why the Sindhis have a language, folklore, traditions, customs, and lifestyle that are so different from the neighbouring regions. The Sindhi culture is also practised by the Sindhi diaspora.
The Sindhi Language Authority is an autonomous institution under the Government of the Pakistani province of Sindh that fosters the Sindhi language and literature, works to develop and promote the language in Sindh, and to do original research in the Sindhi language. It comes under the administrative control of the Culture, Tourism and Antiquities Department.
Ghulam Rabbani Agro is a prominent name of Sindhi literature. He is the pioneer of revised-era of Sindhi short story in post-partition era. His literary career though started with Sindhi short story took many turns whereby he contributed a number of literary and scholarly articles on varied topics including history of Sindhi language, culture, religion, biographies of prominent personalities, and many more.
Michel Boivin is a French historian and anthropologist who specializes in South Asia. Trained in contemporary history, Islamic studies and ethnology, he is currently Emeritus Director of Research at the Centre national de la recherche scientifique and a member of the CESAH, former CEIAS at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS). He had taught at the Université de Savoie Mont Blanc, at Sciences Po Lyon, as well as at The Catholic University of Lyon. He has co-directed three seminars at the EHESS: "History and Anthropology of the Muslim Societies of South Asia", "Authority and Politics in the Sufism of South and Central Asia", and "Material Culture and devotion among the Shia societies". In addition, he contributed to the organization of two CEIAS research groups: "Vernacular Cultures and New Muslim Elites", with Julien Levesque, and "Gujarati and Sindhi Studies: Societies, Languages and Cultures", with Pierre Lachaier.
Shaukat Hussain Shoro ; in Sindh, a southern province of Pakistan) was a famous short story writer, playwright and columnist of the Sindhi language.
Hotchand Molchand Gurbakhshani was an educationist and scholar, renowned for his annotated translation of the Sufi poetic compendium Shah Jo Risalo. He held the position of Principal at D.J. Sindh College Karachi and served as the first president of the Sindh Historical Society.
Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah [(Sindhi: سيد غلام مصطفيٰ شاھ), 18 October 1918 – 9 October 1999] was a scholar, educationist and academic leader from Sindh, Pakistan. He served as Vice Chancellor of Sindh University Jamshoro and Federal Education Minister of Pakistan. He was founder of "Shah Abdul Latif Cultural Society" and launched the scholarly Journal "Sindh Quarterly".
Syed Wadal Shah, 7 January 1939 - 16 December 1975] was a Pakistani scientist specialising in organic chemistry and a professor at Sindh University Engineering College, Jamshoro, Sindh.
Lalchand Amardinomal Jagtiani was a story writer, novelist and essayist healing from Hyderabad, Sindh, British India. Throughout his prolific career, he penned a remarkable total of 62 books, encompassing diverse genres such as one-act plays, short stories, literary criticism, and scholarly articles.
Abro, Abra, or Abda is a Sindhi Sammat tribe found in Pakistan. The present chief of the tribe is Sardar Himat Kumharo.