Curator's Note
The Sindhi Culture Foundation's permanent gallery at the Partition Museum, Delhi, on the Lost Homeland of Sindh offers a poignant journey into the tangible and intangible history and heritage of a displaced community. This is especially significant because, unlike Punjab and Bengal, Sindh was never partitioned, and hence Sindhis in India remain bereft of their home, homeland and their cultural heritage. Moreover, the Sindhi experience of Partition has recieved less public attention than that of other affected regions of the subcontinent.
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Through the lens of havelis, symbolic of communal life and Sindh's rich and vibrant culture, the exhibition is part of an ongoing process of discovering Sindh and Sindhiyat. The exhibition provides a window into the culture that flourished along the Indus and the profound loss experienced due to Partition. ​ The exhibition serves as a bridge between generations, enlightening younger Sindhis about their ancestors' spirit of enterprise and resilience, and the rich cultural legacy left behind in Sindh.
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The exhibition aims to evoke a sense of belonging among Sindhis scattered across the globe, offering a glimpse of their roots and heritage. Through experiential multimedia, films, talks, poetry readings and festivals. It aims to create a space for cultural reconnection and understanding. ​
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I am deeply grateful to my grandmother Lilavati Asrani and my father Dr. Shyam Bulchandani who, through the happy memories and stories of Sindh that they shared with me, kindled within me an abiding love for the land of my ancestors. ​I also thank Imtiaz Khan and her family Iftikhar Soomro, Nabeela Soomro, Adeela and Sohail Tareen, Madiya and Amma and the rest of her family who ensured that I could journey to Sindh and see my homeland. ​
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Aruna Madnani, Curator, Lost Homeland of Sindh
Founder and Managing Trustee, Sindhi Culture Foundation
Audio Walk Through
Below is an audio walk through of the permanent gallery, the Lost Homeland of Sindh, voiced by Dr. Rita Kothari. She is a scholar, translator and professor at Ashoka University in the Department of English.
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Map of Sindh
This Ajrak map is on display at the Lost Homeland of Sindh, Partition Museum, Delhi. It was designed by Jayshree Poddar and Nupur Saxena and handmade by Adam Abdul Jabbar Khatri of Dhamadka, Kachchh in 2023.
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This map of a once-loved homeland depicts the regions and important sites of Sindh. The different regions are depicted by different patterns of Ajrak, a traditional block-printing technique possibly dating back to Mohenjodaro. The Sindhu, or the Indus River, deeply revered by the people of sindh who rely on it as the main source of their water, is depicted with mirror embroidery using shiny mica from the desert sand.