“Sindhi literature in post-partition India: marginalization, challenges, and digital interventions”

Abstract

ABSTRACT Sindhi, both as language and literature, has had a precarious position in the Indian literary canon. In the aftermath of Partition, various social, educational, and political realities resulted in Sindhi being on the periphery of literary scholarship. Given the historical background of Partition and resettlement in a new social and geographical space, this article aims to explore the current status of Sindhi literature produced and distributed in India. Specifically, it seeks to assess the readability and dissemination of Sindhi literature, particularly among the post-Partition generations within the Sindhi community. To uncover the present ground realities in the canon of Indian Sindhi literature, the research incorporates deep-focused interviews with Sindhi intelligentsia, mainly comprised of Sindhi writers, scholars, and publishers. The selected interviewees represent the last Sindhi generation of writers and scholars that is entirely conversant with the practices of Sindhi culture and literature due to their educational and historical background; they articulate their first-hand experiences and perceptions concerning the challenges in the overall expansion and development of Sindhi literature in post-Partition India. The research employs an autoethnographic approach as it is useful to draw from the personal academic experiences of the researcher, who comes from the third generation of post-partition Sindhis. The autoethnographic approach aids in performing a comprehensive analysis of the interviews, which contributes to locating the challenges restricting the maintenance, accessibility, and utility of Sindhi literature among the young Sindhi generations in India. The interviews underscore irrevocable literary and cultural damage that is being caused due to the marginalization of the Sindhi language and education in India; they also discuss the existing challenges and opportunities in developing Sindhi literature. The study concludes with the possibility of employing digital methods to facilitate access to and comprehension of Sindhi literature and cultural history among the young Sindhi generations.