Riches To Rags To Riches

Sind is the cradle of our proud commercial traditions that extend back 6000 years to the Harappan civilisation. But what happens when the proud inhabitants of this land are exiled from their homeland and forced to live in large numbers in barely habitable refugee camps in Ulhasnagar, a few kilometres away from Kalyan, one of the distant suburbs of Mumbai? There, they contend with malaria, mosquitoes and many other problems relating to sheer survival. Many flee to other parts of the country, and some others run away to distant lands. They have lost everything - all their fortunes, inheritances and savings. All they can depend upon is sheer grit and an innate business talent! 

'Tryst with Koki' by Subhadra Anand (The Write Place, Mumbai, 2023) is a racy, moving account of how these people struggled through those difficult years. Surprisingly, there are few books on Sindhis. Ms Anand's book substantially improves our understanding of this talented community.

“Hello, I’m Sheila Advani. I am from Karachi. My brothers and mother are with me,” an 18-year-old , dusky, attractive and well-spoken woman introduces herself on S.S.Jaldurga, while fleeing to Bombay, just after Partition. Much of her self confidence comes from her education at the elite Karachi Grammar School.

“And I am Mohan Nagpal from Shikarpur and my father  is with me----He is still in a state of shock,”  replies the friendly stranger.

Thus, even before the steamer docks at Bombay, Sheila has established rapport with many passengers.  

Challenges galore at the refugee camp in Ulhasnagar. It is barely habitable as the inmates struggle with an acute water shortage. For Sheila’s two brothers life starts at 3.30 in the morning as they have to catch the 4:30 train to VT to be in time to attend school. 

Soon, Sheila organises the women at the camp for manufacturing biscuits. The venture grows with time. She imports machinery from the US and then diversifies into making kokis, positioning the flat Sindhi flat bread as a healthy snack that could sustain a person for hours. Not surprisingly, this offering from Madhuri Biscuits is a thumping success and she wins many international awards for her efforts. Sheila, thus, keeps moving on despite the many tragedies in her personal life.

Her two brothers sell biscuits to fellow passengers in the local train to supplement the family income. One of them, Suresh, learns his first lessons in marketing and sales here and realises he has business talent. He grasps the first opportunity to go to Liberia. He does not even know where this country is situated when he says, ‘yes,’ but has since, never looked back. He ends up as a highly successful international trader.

His brother, Ramesh, goes on to become a successful lawyer. Sheila’s best friend, Kamala Gidwani starts a small school for the children of the camp. Every few years, she adds one additional class to the school because there is demand for it. With time, the Purshottam Gidwani school grows into a fine institution with a separate block for Sindhi studies. 

And the saga goes on. One does not not know how much the author has camouflaged the true identity of the main actors with pseudonyms, but in the larger context, that is an unimportant question. What is important that they are realistic and entirely in keeping with our understanding of the Sindhi community. Their essential genius lies in trading and never shying away from taking risks, when called upon to take tough decisions.

At a time when various sections of our society are agitating for all kinds of quotas, reservations and subsidies, here is one community which stands out: Sindhis have high self-esteem. Through all the traumatic years following partition until now, not once have you heard the Sindhis asking the government for special privileges. Nor will you come across a Sindhi beggar on the roads of Mumbai. Bravely they carry on finding opportunity in every adversity!

(The writer was Chief Commissioner of Income-tax and is the author of the Moral Compass- Finding Balance and Purpose in an Imperfect World, Harper Collins India, 2022)