Institute of Sindhology Jamshoro - panoramio

Institute of Sindhology ( sd, سنڌولوجي) is one of the major resources on the history of

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

. It was the first research institution of its kind, and brought

Sindhology Sindhology ( sd, سنڌولوجي) is a field of South Asian studies and academic research that covers the history, society, culture, and literature of Sindh, a province of Pakistan. The subject was first brought into the academic circles with th ...

to the forefront of international research. Sindhology refers to knowledge ''about'' Sindh. The history and culture of Sindh has been shaped by the ''

Indus River The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kashmir, ...

''. This lifeline of Sindh brings minerals and soil from the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

to the region, then flows into the

Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel ...

at the

Indus River Delta The Indus River Delta ( ur, سندھ ڈیلٹا, sd, سنڌو ٽِڪور), forms where the Indus River flows into the Arabian Sea, mostly in the southern Sindh province of Pakistan with a small portion in the Kutch Region of India. The delta co ...

located in Sindh. These factors define the scope of Sindhology: the study of

antiquities Antiquities are objects from antiquity, especially the civilizations of the Mediterranean: the Classical antiquity of Greece and Rome, Ancient Egypt and the other Ancient Near Eastern cultures. Artifacts from earlier periods such as the Meso ...

, the

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...

s, the

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

, and the

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...

both of ancient and modern Sindh, with particular reference to Sindhi

society A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Socie ...

and

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

. The institute provides a repository of this knowledge in the form of a research-oriented center of learning.

History

The history of the institute goes back to the establishment of the

Sindhi Academy Institute of Sindhology ( sd, سنڌولوجي) is one of the major resources on the history of Sindh. It was the first research institution of its kind, and brought Sindhology to the forefront of international research. Sindhology refers to knowl ...

in 1962 by the

University of Sindh The University of Sindh ( ur, ; sd, سنڌ يونيورسٽي; informally known as Sindh University) is a public research university in Pakistan located in the city of Jamshoro. It is one of the oldest universities in Pakistan and was certifi ...

. The objective was to develop a facility to archive books, manuscripts, and research papers from past and present. Another objective was to promote and publish research about Sindh in the

Sindhi language Sindhi ( ; , ) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by about 30 million people in the Pakistani province of Sindh, where it has official status. It is also spoken by a further 1.7 million people in India, where it is a Scheduled languages of India ...

in addition to other languages such as

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

and

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Pakistani universities. This was also the first time when Sindhology and its scholars were given well-deserved international attention. In 1964, the nomenclature and the status of the Sindhi Academy were changed to the Institute of Sindhology to work on the similar patterns of

Indology Indology, also known as South Asian studies, is the academic study of the History of India, history and Culture of India, cultures, Languages of South Asia, languages, and Indian literature, literature of the Indian subcontinent, and as such is a ...

and

Egyptology Egyptology (from ''Egypt'' and Greek , '' -logia''; ar, علم المصريات) is the study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, architecture and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religious ...

. The institute was to encourage further historical research on the

Indus Valley civilization The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation was a Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form 2600 BCE to 1900&n ...

as well as contemporary living in Sindh. The institute was provided with a small room at the old campus of

Sindh University The University of Sindh ( ur, ; sd, سنڌ يونيورسٽي; informally known as Sindh University) is a public research university in Pakistan located in the city of Jamshoro. It is one of the oldest universities in Pakistan and was certifi ...

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

. On 10 December 1972 the

foundation stone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over time ...

of the new building was laid just off the

Super Highway The M-9 motorway or the Karachi–Hyderabad motorway (Urdu: کراچی–حیدرآباد موٹروے) is a north–south motorway in the Sindh province of Pakistan, connecting Karachi to Hyderabad. The six-lane road is 136 kilometers long, and ...

Jamshoro Jamshoro ( sd, ڄام شورو, ur, ) is a city and the capital of Jamshoro District, located in Sindh, Pakistan. It is located on the right bank of the Indus River, approximately northwest of Hyderabad and northeast from the provincial capi ...

, adjacent to Indus river. The three-storey building, located 12 kilometers from

and 150 km from

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

was inaugurated in 1978. The construction is an amalgamation of the

Islamic Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the mai ...

and

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

architectures. Internally, the building is decorated with local Hala tile-work, with two arms accommodating the Research Library and Administration Block. The central dome houses the Anthropological Research Centre (Museum),

Art Gallery An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The lon ...

, Film and Photographic Sections and Audio-visual Section. In 2015 International children’s films festival was held in Sindhology. In 1987, an extension was built in celebration of the institute's Silver Jubilee to house the Bookshop facilities. Over the years, institute has transformed itself into one of the leading

research institutes A research institute, research centre, research center or research organization, is an establishment founded for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research. Although the term often i ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

Research

Being affiliated with an academic institution (

), the institute contributes to the

scientific research The scientific method is an empirical method for acquiring knowledge that has characterized the development of science since at least the 17th century (with notable practitioners in previous centuries; see the article history of scientific m ...

and academic studies in the subject of

. The first major initiative to bring he subject to international attention was a series of surveys to identify the sites of major anthropological and archaeological research across the province, carried out in cooperation with the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

between 1967-71. There were also cooperations with

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

to explore the Sindhology aspects of the major Indus valley Civilization sites across Sindh. Research and academic scope of the institute have broadened since then. These and many other subsequent research contributions of the institute brought it to the list of internationally recognised research centres of the world.

Museum

Within the institute, the Anthropological Research Center and Sindh Arts Gallery is responsible for the maintenance of the museum. The centre provides attractions both for research scholars and general public. Artifacts on display in the museum represent the history and demography of the region. The collections contain

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

material, wood-work, thread-work,

metal-work Metalworking is the process of shaping and reshaping metals to create useful objects, parts, assemblies, and large scale structures. As a term it covers a wide and diverse range of processes, skills, and tools for producing objects on every scale ...

, leather-work,

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and por ...

jewellery Jewellery ( UK) or jewelry (U.S.) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes. From a wester ...

coins A coin is a small, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order to ...

armaments A weapon, arm or armament is any implement or device that can be used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime, law enforcement, s ...

photograph A photograph (also known as a photo, image, or picture) is an image created by light falling on a photosensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic image sensor, such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are now create ...

s, and

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

s that have been collected since the 1970s. The museum space has been divided into various sections named as general, coins, archaeological, ethnological, ethno-musical, photographic, and Indus-painting galleries respectively. There is a special gallery devoted to prominent personalities that contains portraits of more than 175 eminent writers, scholars, educationists, social workers, Philanthropists, politicians, lawyers, freedom fighters, spiritual leaders and public figures. Special corners are devoted for people such as

Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (, ; born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 1876 – 11 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the ...

, Allama I.I. Kazi, Hassan Ali Affendi, Pir Hussamuddin Rashdi, Syed Gulam Mustafa Shah,

Muhammad Usman Diplai Muhammad Usman Diplai ( ur, محمد عثمان ڈیپلائی), popularly known as Diplai (13 June 1908 – 8 February 1981), was a figure of Sindhi literature and journalism. He was awarded the Pride of Performance for literature by the Pr ...

, and

Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Zulfikar (or Zulfiqar) Ali Bhutto ( ur, , sd, ذوالفقار علي ڀٽو; 5 January 1928 – 4 April 1979), also known as Quaid-e-Awam ("the People's Leader"), was a Pakistani barrister, politician and Politician, statesman who served as ...

. There are also and specific galleries for

Benazir Bhutto Benazir Bhutto ( ur, بینظیر بُھٹو; sd, بينظير ڀُٽو; Urdu ; 21 June 1953 – 27 December 2007) was a Pakistani politician who served as the 11th and 13th prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990 and again from 1993 t ...

and N.A Baloch, as well as Mir Talpur's Court. Prominent artefacts include the

harmonium The pump organ is a type of free-reed organ that generates sound as air flows past a vibrating piece of thin metal in a frame. The piece of metal is called a reed. Specific types of pump organ include the reed organ, harmonium, and melodeon. T ...

on which

Ahmed Ghulamali Chagla Ahmed Ghulam Ali Chagla ( ur, احمد غلام علی چھاگلہ; 31 May 1902 – 5 February 1953) was a Pakistani musical composer who famously wrote the music for the national anthem of Pakistan in 1949. A scholar and writer, he was also an ...

composed the

National Anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European n ...

of Pakistan; the first Sindhi Typewriter, manufactured in 1926; and the statue of Rai Bahadur Odhoudas Chhabria, founder of Odhoudas Hospital of Shikarpur. The work is ongoing for the collection, preservation and conservation of anthropological, historical and cultural objects and specimen. Field surveys are also conducted in villages and remote areas of Sindh to access the rare articles.

Music gallery

The ethno-musical gallery comprises sections on performing arts, sounds, and films. Sindhi music with its original form and rhythm has withstood the test of time. Especially, the Sindhi folk tunes continue to enrich the traditions and customs of the people of rural areas and attracts the attention of urban dwellers. This aspects makes the Sindhi music research and preservation an integral part of the regional cultural heritage. Hence, the Institute of Sindhology has devised innovative ways to preserve this. The special unit of the institute visits remote villages, recording the various items of

Sindhi music Music from Sindh (), is sung and is generally performed in either the "Baits" or "Waee" styles. The Baits style is vocal music in Sanhoon (low voice) or Graham (high voice). Waee instrumental music is performed in a variety of ways using a s ...

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

, folk tales and tunes played on local musical instruments. The collection has been gradually growing, and is made available on tapes and cassettes in its original form and shape.

Library

The institute boasts a

research library A research library is a library which contains an in-depth collection of material on one or several subjects.(Young, 1983; p. 188) A research library will generally include an in-depth selection of materials on a particular topic or set of to ...

with many corners named after prominent Sindhi scholars. The Research section of the library continues to archive and document the regional heritage. The work started with compilation and publication of catalogues, bibliographies, directories and periodical literature. This resulted in the

development Development or developing may refer to: Arts *Development hell, when a project is stuck in development *Filmmaking, development phase, including finance and budgeting *Development (music), the process thematic material is reshaped *Photographi ...

of a directory of Sindhi writers; a source book on prominent personalities of Sindh; and, a bibliography of Sindhi books. The library archives have served as primary sources for many of the prominent publications on

Sindhi culture The Culture of Sindhi ( sd, سنڌ جي ثقافت) has its roots in the Indus Valley civilization. Sindh has been shaped by the largely desert region, the natural resources it had available, and continuous foreign influence. The Indus River, Ind ...

.Abbas and Fernea (2002)

Publications

As the institute is mainly concerned with the culture and civilization of Sindh through the ages, a special Bureau of Production, Publication and Translation has been set up to highlight significant achievements through publications. More than 185 books have been published in Sindhi,

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

and

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...

languages. The publication of research work keeps special focus on various aspects of

. There are also two Bi-annual journals in published in English and Sindhi languages under the titles of ''Sindhological Studies'' and ''Sindhi Adab'' (

Sindhi literature Sindhi literature ( sd, سنڌي ادب), is the composition of oral and written scripts and texts in the Sindhi language in the form of prose: (romantic tales, and epic stores) and poetry: (Ghazal, Wai and Nazm). The Sindhi language of the provin ...

) respectively. Some of the major publications are: * ''Sindhi lekhkan–ji Directory'' - 1974, (A directory of the writers of Sindhi Language). * ''Chapial Sindhi Kitaban–ji Bibliography'' - 1947-1973'' - 1976. (A bibliography of Sindhi Books published during 1947-1973). * ''Qalmi Nuskhan-jo-Tashree Catalogue'' - 1980, (Catalogue of Manuscripts available in research library of the Institute). * ''Chapial Sindhi Kitaban–ji-Bibliography 1973-1979'', 1980 (A Bibliography of Sindhi Books published during 1973-1979). * Newsletter of the Institute of Sindhology (Activities of the Institute).

Notes

References

* Abbas, S.N. and Fernea, E.W. (2002). ''The Female Voice in Sufi Ritual: Devotional Practices of Pakistan and India''.

University of Texas Press The University of Texas Press (or UT Press) is a university press that is part of the University of Texas at Austin. Established in 1950, the Press publishes scholarly books and journals in several areas, including Latin American studies, Texan ...

. . * Allana, G.A. (1978). A Detailed Report of the Activities and Achievements Made by the Institute of Sindhology. University of Sind. * Allana, G.A. (ed.) (1982), Folk Music of Sind. Institute of Sindhology, University of Sind. * Gill, K. and Smith, D.L. (1982). International Research Centers Directory. Gale Research Co. * Myers, H. (1993). ''Ethnomusicology''.

Macmillan Publishers Macmillan Publishers (occasionally known as the Macmillan Group; formally Macmillan Publishers Ltd and Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC) is a British publishing company traditionally considered to be one of the 'Big Five' English language publi ...

. . * University of Sind (1977). Sindhological Studies. vol. 1-9. Institute of Sindhology. Jamshoro * Yusuf, M. (1975). ''Sind Quarterly''.

Shah Abdul Latif Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai ( sd, شاھ عبداللطيف ڀٽائي, ur, ; 1689/1690 – 21 December 1752), commonly known by the honorifics ''Lakhino Latif'', ''Latif Ghot'', ''Bhittai'', and ''Bhit Jo Shah'', was a Sindhi Sufi mystic, a ...

Cultural Society.

External links

Institute of Sindhology

University of Sindh
{{authority control Science and technology in Pakistan Sindhology Education in Pakistan Research institutes in Pakistan Universities and colleges in Sindh History of Sindh University of Sindh 1962 establishments in Pakistan Research institutes established in 1962