Sindhi Americans (Sindhi: آمريڪي سنڌي) are Americans or residents of the United States who are of Sindhi descent. They are a subgroup of Indian Americans and Pakistani Americans.[1]
Demographics
editOriginating from the Sindh region of British India now in modern-day Pakistan, Sindhi Americans belong to either Hindu or Muslim faith. Some belong to the Hindu faith, particularly those who migrated from the Indian Republic.[1] In the 2010 US Census, nearly 7,000 individuals reported Sindhi as their first language.[2] The total population of the Sindhi diaspora in the United States is estimated at over 50,000.[3] The community is spread out over various U.S. cities, with sizable populations on the eastern coast.[4]
Culture
editSindhi festivals such as Cheti Chand are celebrated each year with much fanfare.[5] The American Institute of Sindhulogy (AIS) is a non-profit institute of Sindhology in the U.S., dedicated to researching the history and cultural heritage of Sindh as well as its ancient Indus Valley civilisation.[6]
Organizations and politics
editSindhi Americans are socially and politically active, having formed numerous community and political-oriented organizations. They maintain interest in domestic American politics, as well as Sindhi politics and the wider politics of Pakistan.[7] The Pakistan Peoples Party has a local chapter in the U.S., in which many Sindhis are involved.[8][9] The World Sindhi Institute is a human rights organization founded in 1997 and is based in Washington, D.C.[7] The World Sindhi Congress (WSC) has a U.S chapter which participates in human rights advocacy and the promotion of Sindhi political interests among the diaspora.[10] G. M. Syed Memorial Committee is a group based in Houston, which promotes the ideology of Sindhi nationalist leader G.M. Syed.[11][4] There are also Congress-focused lobbying groups such as the Sindhi American Political Action Committee (SAPAC),[12] and the Sindh Monitor.[1]
In addition, there are multiple community organizations and associations. The Sindhi Association of North America (SANA) is one of the largest societies of Sindhis residing in North America.[13][14] Other Sindhi associations include the American British Sindhi Medical Network (ABSMN),[15] and the Alliance of Sindhi Associations of Americas which consists of various state-based associations.[16]
Notable people
editIndian-origin Sindhi American
edit- Sabeer Bhatia, entrepreneur and founder of Hotmail[17]
- Dheeraj Sangtiani, Construction Manager[18]
- Neeraj Khemlani, journalist
- Raj Kiran Mehtani, Bollywood actor
- Rajesh Mirchandani, television journalist
- Rajeev Motwani, computer scientist
- Ramesh Balwani, former president and COO of Theranos
- Reshma Kewalramani, Chief Executive Officer of Vertex Pharmaceuticals
- Sachal Vasandani, jazz singer
- Sanjay Gupta, neurosurgeon and medical journalist
- Reetika Vazirani, poet and educator
- Umesh Vazirani, computer scientist
- Vijay Vazirani, computer scientist
- Sunita S. Mukhi, performance artist and cultural producer
- Lavina Jadhwani, theatre director and playwright
- Richa Moorjani, actress
Pakistan-origin Sindhi American
edit- Ali S. Asani, academic
- Abdul-Majid Bhurgri, computer scientist
- Iqbal Theba, actor
- Kumail Nanjiani, actor and stand-up comedian
- Safdar Sarki, political activist
- Gul Agha, computer scientist
- Somy Ali, actress and activist
See also
edit
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c Chatterji, Joya; Washbrook, David (2014). Routledge Handbook of the South Asian Diaspora. Routledge. ISBN 9781136018244.
- ^ "US Census 2010 (see row# 69)". U.S. Census Bureau.
Table 1. Detailed Languages Spoken at Home and Ability to Speak English for the Population 5 Years and Over for the United States: 2006-2008
- ^ Alfonso, Carolin; Kokot, Waltraud; Tölölyan, Khachig (2004). Diaspora, Identity and Religion: New Directions in Theory and Research. Routledge. ISBN 9781134390359.
- ^ a b "Hundreds of Sindhi-Americans Gathered in Houston to Pay Tribute to Their National Leader". World Sindhi Congress. January 17, 2011. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
- ^ "Cheti Chand Celebrations April 2nd, 2016". Sindhi Association of Metropolitan Chicago. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
- ^ "Homepage". American Institute of Sindhulogy. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
- ^ a b Syed, Wajid Ali (July 3, 2012). "Sindhi organisations issue 10-point declaration in US". The News International. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
- ^ "Welcome to Pakistan Peoples Party USA Official Web Site". Pakistan Peoples Party (USA). Retrieved May 12, 2014.
- ^ "The Official Website of Pakistan Peoples Party - USA". Pakistan Peoples Party (USA). Retrieved May 12, 2014.
- ^ Ghosh, Papiya (2014). Partition and the South Asian Diaspora: Extending the Subcontinent. Routledge. p. 111. ISBN 9781317809661.
- ^ "Work & Life of G. M. Syed". GMSyed.org. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
- ^ "Homepage (archived from Wayback)". SAPAC. Archived from the original on January 3, 2014. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Welcome to Sindhi Association of North America". SANALIST. Archived from the original on July 11, 2010. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
- ^ "Home". SANA. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
- ^ "Home". American British Sindhi Medical Network. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
- ^ "Homepage". Global Sindhi Association. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
- ^ Sakhrani, Tarun (January 4, 2016). "The Sindhis of Sindh And Beyond". Huffington Post. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
- ^ "Register". LinkedIn. Retrieved June 27, 2023.