Sindhi with 2,535,485 speakers (as per Census of India -2001) is the 19" largest language which 1s listed under the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India. While 1,694,061 of them return ‘Sindhi’ as the mother tongue, 8,23,058 return ‘Kacchi’ which is also classified as mother tongue in Sindhi. Sindhi mother tongue speakers are spread over Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan in large numbers, whereas the Kacchi are confined to the Kachch district of Gujarat and there are significant number in Maharashtra as well.
Sindhi is Stateless language, for its ‘home’ is in the erstwhile Sindh Province of Pakistan and most of the speakers are those whose ancestors were displaced as a result of partition. They are a linguistic minority in all the states where they reside. The issue of language loss has ripped the community and many among the younger generation have been unable to maintain their language as is illustrated by case studies undertaken by Linguists like Professor Daswani and others. Their study provides insights into the sociolinguistic factors that have been worked towards language maintenance and language shift in India. It is for this reason that conscious effort is needed to promote the Sindhi language and Government of India is committed to safeguard their linguistic heritage. For any such endeavor to become sustainable support to the community 1s a must. The community can be motivated only if they are made to understand that this is not only desirable but also feasible. CIIL has been engaged in work on the Sindhi language primarily through its work at the WRLC in Pune. Sri K.P. Lekhwani has been associated with that work for over three decades. He has worked tirelessly to produce materials in language teaching and other related matters. This book is a part of his effort which brings out the history and culture of the people. We do hope it will interest all those who want to understand the enterprising Sindhi community and value their presence in the make-up of a diverse India which is experiencing rapid social change that can alter the linguistic scene beyond recognition. I also hope researchers and scholars will find this work useful in their attempt to help keep this precious language alive.
**Contents and Sample Pages**
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