Celebrating Sindh, the land of heart’s desire | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Celebrating Sindh, the land of heart’s desire

Pakistan Press Foundation

Karachi: It was an extravaganza of bright, vibrant colours, intricately woven vivid patterns, enthralling songs on traditional rhythmic beats and indefatigable dancing outside the Karachi Press Club on Sunday hundreds turned up to participate in the Sindh cultural day festivities.

The day is celebrated every year on the first Sunday of December, an important aspect of which is wearing the traditional Sindhi cap and ajrak as a way of expressing the affection and pride with which with the people of the province hold on to their cultural heritage and value its richness.

Among the highlights of the event outside the press club was a zestful performance by folk singer Shazia Khushk, as sent the audience into an ecstatic dancing frenzy with the dhamaal song “Lal meri pat”.

Then of course, the popular song “Jeay Sindh jeay, Sindh wara jeaan”, considered the theme song for the day, kept reverberating throughout the day.

Dressed in traditional attire, children and youngsters presented traditional dance performances.

Many activists of different political parties, mostly nationalist ones, participated in the event, arriving there in caravans.

“It’s almost like celebrating Eid,” said a young woman present there wearing a glittering glass embroidery dress and carrying a clay pot painted with traditional Sindhi patterns

“We love our culture and want to express how much we value it,” she added.

The Sindhi cultural day was celebrated across the province with events like the one in Karachi organised in very other city and town.

The cultural day was celebrated for the first time on December 6, 2009, back then as the “Sindhi Topi Day” as a backlash to the comments of a TV anchorperson who had criticised then president Asif Ali Zardari for wearing a Sindhi cap on his foreign tours.

The anchorperson’s comments were condemned throughout the province via text messages and Sindhi media groups issued calls for celebrating the Sindhi Topi Day as a way of expressing unity.

Since then, the day is celebrated as the Sindhi cultural day and media outlets separately arrange musical events to mark the event.

The News