Prosperous in charity
SINDHIS ARE synonymous to business in the city. According to vice president of Hari Om Mandir and Sindhi Welfare Organisation Kishen Chand Bhambwani, there are nearly 30,000 Sindhi?s in Lucknow and Most of them are into business.
SINDHIS ARE synonymous to business in the city. According to vice president of Hari Om Mandir and Sindhi Welfare Organisation Kishen Chand Bhambwani, there are nearly 30,000 Sindhi’s in Lucknow and Most of them are into business.
He says, “Contribution of Sindhis could be gauged from the fact that Milkmade bread that Lucknowites eat and which is the No. 1 selling bread in northern India is manufactured by Sindhis. Coca Cola’s bottling plant, Vrindavan Bottlers, is owned by Sindhi and the restaurant business in the city is dominated by the community members, led by the MM Group that owns Marksman Moti Mahal and Mini Mahal.”
Bambhwani adds, “In the literary field too, no one can forget the contribution of Ram Advani. His shop in Hazratganj is still considered the best. He has written so much about the history of the city. His insight into the city’s problems and other matters has been published by leading magazines and newspapers.”
In confectionary items, Sindhi-owned Good Bakery is number one. Sindhis were God fearing and spent a lot of money on charity, said KC Bhambwani.
“That explains the fine temples of the city like Hari Om Mandir and Shiv Shanti Ashram. Besides, the community has made 101 houses for the poor at Narpat Khera,” claimed Bhambwani.
“Sindhis are a hard working community. One may recall that Sindhis arrived in the city in a bad condition after Partition. They had lost everything in Pakistan and had to start from the scratch. Today, they have grown to be the kings of retail business in the city, cases in point being Sugnamal, Khiamal, Raymond Shop, Keshav Mart, Kashmir Fruit and Satguru,” said Susheel Gurnani president of Aminabad Traders Association.
Says Gurnani, “Sindhis know how to grow in life, they are laborious and always keep working hard even when the chips are down. Remember, no Sindhi owned a house in Lucknow before 1947 but now most of them are living in their own houses. Moreover, 60 years back, Sindhis who were seen as a liability on the society, are now the highest contributors to the exchequer. We also conduct maximum number of religious and charity activities in the city. We conduct marriage of 101 poor couples at Shiv Shanti Ashram every year.” Besides, Sindhis have adopted the city as much as the city has adopted them. President of Hari Om Mandir Ram Balani says, “We provide halls for members of others communities too and when it is to mourn a death or for any somber event, we give it free. We only charge a nominal amount in case of marriage of a girl.
Besides that we provide ration to 25 families and give scholarship to the students.”
Sindhis celebrate Jhule Lal Jayanti on the banks of Gomti with great zeal and enthusiasm. Besides that Sindhis Celebrate Shiv Ratri, Ram Navmi and Guru Parva on Ganga Snan.
Sindhis perform rituals the traditional way but also accept the city’s culture, celebrating Dusshehra, Deepwali, Holi, and Krishna Janmashtami the Lucknow way. But they also want Lucknowites to celebrate Chetti Chand Jayanti and most Sindhis regret there is no holiday on Chetti Chand Jayanti.
