"Friends! kingship I compare not with the needle,
Town of Hala is a centre of Sindhi pottery and ceramics with beautiful glazed work, known as "jandri."
Sindhis everywhere are searching for their roots, their heritage, their culture and their customs. This quest is a testimony to the hopes and aspirations of the
children of Sindh, to see the blossoming and flowering of their heritage, customs and culture. Yes, we must keep our hopes, desires, dreams and love for our mother Sindh alive and
twinkling - like the stars in the dark sky. The day is not far when our mother Sindh will be resurrected and free. The children of Sindh then, will definitely and surely cry out, loud and clear, "Free atlast! Oh Lord! We are free atlast!" And, once again, the Sindhis everywhere will go back to the fold - the warm bosom, the inviting lap - of their beloved mother Sindh.
The ceremony of Akiko or shaving the hair (of male children only), takes
place when the boy is between three months and one year. The principle
part of the festivity is the sacrifice of a sheep without blemish (halal). They then remove the flesh from the bones, carefully observing
that none of the bones are broken and prepare a feast for relations.
When the child's hair has been shaved by a barber, it is placed together with
the sheeps bones, in the animals skin, and buried either at a burial
ground or at the threshold of the door. The popular idea is that on the
day of resurrection the contents of the skin will arise in the shape of a
horse, and triumphantly carry the child into paradise. The present form of the ceremony is practiced by Indian Biband Sindhis.
The ceremony of Akiko has been renamed as MunnarR-u (which means 'cutting'), by the Indian Sindhis. In keeping
with their habit of doing things at the last minute, they perform this ceremony
when the boy is 13 months old. Naturally in recent times importance of
the sacrificing of a sheep has lost its vitality. I am not sure about
what they do with the childs hair, my suspicion is that it is put in the
daria (river).
Apparently, the hair is put in the river or sea, wrapped in the clothing the child is
was wearing at the ceremony. There is some form of puja also, and the maternal grandparents
bring a gift of a yellow item of clothing for the child.
In the families I know, Ddiyaari is celebrated with Laxmi Puja. Coins of
silver and gold are immersed in some mixture of Dahi and after puja are
reverentially touched by each with lips while saying in Sindhi : "Banish
poverty; give me affluence". This is followed by a family dinner (with a
few close friends, but definitely not a big party) with at least one dish
made of seven different vegetables. There are of course lots of sweets.
For children and adult kids, there are firecrackers. Also, you visit
elders in your family and seek their blessings. There is no meat or
drinking.
The above Puja is done on the actual Ddiyaari day, which this year 1996 is on
Sunday, 10th November. As most community parties will take place on Saturday,
9th November here is an opportunity to partake on both the days.
Akiko or MunnarR-u Ceremony
Ddiyaari
Chetichand-u : The Sindhiyat Day
Sindh - My Motherland My Fatherland
Makhdoom's Quest For The Truth
Makhdoom's Home Page