Part 7 - Cheti Chand (Sindhi new year)

‘Cheti Chand’ is the day on which Lord Jhulelal was born. It is the second day of the Shuddha or Shukla Paksha of Chaitra month in Indian calendar. On this very day, Sindhis also celebrate their new year. It marks the beginning of an auspicious year ahead and this day coincides with ‘Chaitri Padva’ or ‘Gudi Padva’ celebrated as a new year day in Maharashtra and ‘Ugadi’ which is the beginning of a new year in Southern part of India.

Today Lord Jhulelal is a guiding star for the Sindhi community which had to undergo severe hardship due to the partition of India in the year 1947. They were forced to leave their motherland i.e. Sindh which became a part of Pakistan after the partition and had to migrate to many parts of India. They had to rely on Government to provide them with basic needs like food and shelter even though they were owners of huge immovable properties and were a wealthy community back in their hometowns in Sindh.

This political upheaval had uprooted their faith in humanity. They were going through a severe identity crisis. Their sufferings were endless in spite of leaving their home and wealth behind in Sindh. At such time they had no idea where they could look for a respite.

Lord Jhulelal emerged as a knight in shining armour during this difficult time. He can be rightfully called a guiding star and a binding force for Sindhis. For the Sindhis scattered all over the world who were circumstantial victims at the hand of fate, who felt utterly helpless after migrating from Sindh, many of whom were caught unaware, found a uniting force in Lord Jhulelal.

The Sindhis were a close-knit community in their homeland Sindh. They were great believers of Lord Jhulelal at home. The celebrations of Cheti Chand and worship of Lord Jhulelal, visiting his is a temple and offering prayers to him, chanting his name through Bhajan and Kirtan were an integral part of their culture and day to day life in Sindh. After migration when Sindhis were given shelter in temporary colonies which were specially established by Government of India, they once again reposed and re-established their faith in their Ishtadeva Lord Jhulelal. This gave them strength and power to overcome the misery that they were facing in a new environment that they were placed into. Their trust in Lord Jhulelal provided them with much needed mental fortitude and tenacity to face difficult times and situation.

Keeping faith in him and chanting his holy name, somehow, they were able to complete the journey which brought them to India, they were only thankful to the Lord. Upon arriving at the place where they were directed to by the Government authorities it might have occurred to their mind that they must have a place to pray and offer their thanks to Lord Jhulelal who had brought them from Sindh to independent India, as not all were successful to migrate and many had to sacrifice their lives on way to India. Many could not survive the migration.

They wanted to have a place of worship at the first available opportunity where they could go and pray to their deity. This is for the simple reason that people in India and people of many other faiths all over the world believe that the prayers by devotees with a pure and sacred heart are not only heard but are answered by the Supreme Lord.

With this belief, the elderly and experienced folks of the community might have thought to create a place of worship, however small or even a makeshift or temporary structure, by placing the idols and pictures of Lord Jhulelal which some had brought with them even in the crisis, and started visiting and offering their prayers to their beloved deity. Some of the earliest places of worship constructed after migration can still be seen in some Sindhi colonies.

When one enquires with a Sindhi citizen about the greatness and divinity of Lord Jhulelal, the quick answer would be that it is their ardent love, devotion and faith for their deity and that it serves as a guiding force for them.

A popular greeting says it all in just two lines.

Jeko Chavando Jhulelal,
Tahinja Theenda Beda Paar^[1]!

The simple meaning is ‘Whosoever utters the name of Jhulelal, will attain salvation. (Vaswani 2008:136)

Talking about the Sindhi community today in a modern society in India and abroad one can associate almost the entire community with vibrancy and dynamism and a sense of sound business acumen, one has to take cognizance of the great influence of Lord Jhulelal on Sindhi community.

Just like a phoenix obtains life by rising from ashes, the Sindhi community has risen from a somewhat similar situation, made huge progress and proved themselves as a strong and successful community in many walks of life. This is after going through various hardships during their difficult journey from Sindh to newly established colonies. They have emerged as a charismatic and a potent force in the face of adversity. Their driving force has been Lord Jhulelal.

That is why it becomes imperative to have a closer look and a deeper and analytical study of Lord Jhulelal, his life and teachings and influence and belief in Jhulelal and how this historical impact has created a pathway for the future generations.

During the research, going back in the history, the information about the Sindhi community could reveal some aspects not covered before. How and where this community lived and flourished, their heroes, the acts of bravery, their fight with the invaders at the borders and frontiers of Sindh would also be dealt with in this research in coming chapters. The origin of word Jhulelal, Uderolal and many other names by which he is called, their meaning, origin, where these names are found in Gazetteers of India, books related to history, academic publications, religious books and literature would be of interest in this research. The references to Lord Jhulelal are found in literature in Gujarati, Hindi and English as well.

Similarly, the information and research on the Lohana community would also be covered in this research. The word Dariyalal by which Lohanas call him, its origin and the significance will form the part of this research.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

A Sindhi greeting