ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the religious identity of these Hindus who, when Sindh became a part of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, fled en masse to India and subsequently to various other countries. It explores the process of the growing self-awareness of the Hindu identity among Sindhis and the potential role of the Sangh Parivar in this process. The chapter discusses this process by a general review of Sindhi Hindus' religious identity and through a case study of a particular local Sindhi charitable organisation located near Bhopal. References to Sufism are used as a way of highlighting Sindhi religious eclecticism and broad-mindness shared by Hindus as well as Muslims. The concept of sindhiyat is articulated around strong identity elements such as the Sindhi language and, most of all, around Jhulelal. It describes the ideology and practices of the Jeev Sewa Sansthan, a Sindhi benevolent association located in Bairagarh.
