KARACHI: Clad in Sindhi traditional costumes, humming Sindhi folk songs and dancing to drum beats, the old, the young, the youth and the elderly men and women poured onto streets across the province to immerse themselves in the festivities that marked the beginning of Sindh culture day on Sunday.

Almost all political and nationalist parties, social and civil society organisations enthusiastically took part in the celebrations.

In Karachi, several events to mark the annual Sindh culture day, popularly known as Ajrak-Topi day, were organised like the rest of the province. The major event was held outside the Karachi Press Club where amid raucous proceedings the organisers and participants observed brief silence twice to highlight the issue of political activists who ‘disappeared’ and later their mutilated bodies were found recently.

A sizeable number of men, women and children wearing brightly coloured and embroidered dresses, Sindhi topi and ajrak gathered outside the KPC where a heavy sound system had been put in place on a makeshift stage to play Sindhi songs.

The dancing individuals had to keep quiet twice when they had been asked by the organisers to mark the ‘killing and dumping’ of bodies of a number of activists belonging to nationalist groups.

“This programme is not just to celebrate the rich culture of Sindh,” said Niaz Kalani, vice president of the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz, “but we dedicate it to the young men who had been kidnapped and killed for their sin to love Sindh”.

An organiser said they decided not to postpone the culture day because of the recent killings, “instead we went ahead with it to show that we can celebrate their martyrdom by keeping our culture alive”.

Another event was organised by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement at its headquarters in Azizabad which was attended by a large number of people wearing ajrak and Sindhi topi.

A large stage was set up in the Lal Ground adorned with the collage of Moenjodaro, Sindhi topi and ajrak. People living in various villages on the outskirts of Karachi had placed their banners signifying the day’s importance.

Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, deputy convener of the MQM, said Sindh had a unique history encompassing 5,000 years, which showed tolerance people living there through the centuries despite continuous arrival of communities and their mixing with native people.

“We celebrate the day in a bid to get all ethnicities united in Sindh,” said Mr Siddiqui.

A musical evening was organised at the open auditorium of the Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi where famous singers and artistes performed.

Hyderabad: The culture day was celebrated in the city with thousands of people staging rallies while men, women and children danced to Sindhi songs in different areas in programmes organised by two media houses.

Overjoyed youths made heavy aerial firing in different areas although no untoward incident is so far reported. Many youths had decorated their cars with ajrak and carried replica of Sindhi caps on the roof of their vehicles. They danced outside local press club, Sindh Museum, Hyder and Pakistan chowks.

Badin: Several rallies were taken out in the city and its adjoining towns to mark the cultural day as men, women, and children who had mostly arrived form villages on bullock carts, tractor-trolleys, horses, and camels danced on the streets.

Leaders of various nationalist parties and other organisations addressed participants of rallies and vowed to promote Sindhi cultural values.

Shikarpur: Activists of many political and nationalist parties, including PPP and Muttahida Qaumi Movement, took out rallies to celebrate the day.

Leaders said that Sindhi culture was very rich and very old and “we are proud of it”. Schoolchildren performed different tableaux to portray the culture.

Sukkur: People of almost all ages as well as activists of different nationalist parties gathered in Mohammad Bin Qasim Park where they celebrated the day by dancing to folk songs and distributed sweets.

In Jacobabad, a large number of people including activists of nationalists and other parties Sindh Taraqqi-pasand Party, Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz, Sindh United Party, Pakistan Sunni Tehrik, Young Mirani Ittehad, Al-Shahbaz Handcart Union, MQM and others participated in rallies wearing Sindhi caps and Ajrak.

Similar functions were held in Pano Akil, Dadloi, Rohri, Salehpat, Kandhra, Khanpur Mahar, Ghotki, Daharki, Mirpur Mathelo, Ubauro, Tangwani, Thull, Ghouspur, Karampur, Bakhshapur, Kandhkot and Kashmore.

Mirpurkhas: Rallies were taken out by different organisations including nationalist parties, MQM and PTI to mark the day.

The participants of the rallies danced their way through main roads to the press club where their leaders made speeches and highlighted the importance of the day.

Published in Dawn, December 8th, 2014