Sindh 'base' of India, say activists in Geneva

Hours after Congress MP from Assam Rupin Bora demanded the removal of "Sindh" from the National Anthem, prominent activists from Sindh region on Friday condemned the move, saying Sindh is the base of India.

"The word 'Hind' came from nowhere, it was Sindh and is the basis for Hind and Hindustan. The entire subcontinent of Bharat (India) is on the basis of Indus civilisation", said Lakhu Luhana, the Secretary-General of World Sindhi Congress.

"The Indus civilisation is the base civilisation of entire India. You cannot remove the word under your feet. It will remain there," he underscored.

"Can any sane nation remove the basis of its civilisation? The answer is no. Though Sindh is a part of Pakistan now, most Sindhis do not associate themselves with the ideology of Pakistan," Luhana further said.

Luhana further said famous poet Rabindranath Tagore, who had great in-depth knowledge of history of the entire sub-continent had mentioned Sindh in the anthem.

Echoing similar sentiments, Dr. Hidayat Bhutto, a Sindhi political activist also said, "We are taking it very seriously. Sindh is the basis of India and it should remain there. It cannot be removed at all."

He asserted that the Sindhis never considered themselves to be a part of Pakistan and they were fighting for their right to self-determination, adding that Sindh would be soon free from Pakistan.

"It (Sindh) should be there in the anthem of India, as India has the basis foundation," Bhutto stated.

Citing the example of Sindhis living in Kutch of Rann in Gujarat, Bhutto said that over 20,000 Sindhi Muslims were living there and speak Kutchi, which is almost similar to Sindhi.

The Sindhi activist claimed that the proposal to remove the word Sindh from the National Anthem was seen as a ploy by Pakistan and the Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI), which is in favour of its removal.

Bora on Friday moved a private resolution in Rajya Sabha, seeking an amendment of the National Anthem and replacing the word 'Sindh' with 'Northeast' region.

The resolution mentioned that the Northeast region finds no mention in the National Anthem.

"Then President of India Dr. Rajendra Prasad had in a statement on January 24, 1950 said the composition consisting of the words and music known as 'Jana Gana Mana' is the National Anthem of India subject to such alterations in the words as the Government of India may authorise as occasion arises," the resolution said.

Bora sought an amendment of the National Anthem and replacement of the words, saying that Sindh was no longer in India, but was in Pakistan, which is a hostile country.