Bhai Pratap
TSW Citation
Bhai Pratap was not just a successful businessman, Sindhi politician or a freedom fighter from the Sindh but he was the person who can be remembered as the savior of Sindhi community, Sindhi language, Sindhi culture and century’s old Sindhi heritage. We Hindu /Sindhu celebrates Makar Sankranti every year to mark the transition of the Sun into the Makara Rashi and this is the only Hindu Festival celebrated almost every year on same date 14th January. As for as the Sindhi migrants who were forced to leave the motherland Sindh bare handed the transition of resettlement and rehabilitation was brought by a person born on the 14 April 1908 at Hyderabad Sindh, yes, I am talking about the Sindhi Freedom Fighter, Gem of Sindhi community, to whom we lovingly pronounce as “Bhai Pratap”.
Bhai Pratap: Bhai Pratap Dialdas Nanvani
The family of the Bhai Pratap Dialdas was one among the families of Hyderabad having fame of being rich and known for the expertise judgmental taste of fine art. In his own time Bhai Pratap was among the top most well cultured businessman who holds very strong ethics. He was also known for his passionate love for reading, his residence Pratap Mahal was equipped with a huge library with books from around the world. This has helped Bhai Pratap an attitude that proved savior for Sindhi culture, Sindhi language and rich Sindh heritage brought by the migrant Sindhi.
Those were the days of 1947; the unwanted partition of the country has forced the Sindhi community to migrate to India and Indian government was allotting them shelter as and where the space was available. At the most of the cities abandoned military camps were being utilized to settle Sindhi people. It was the Dreamy vision of Bhai Pratap who thought only about the resettlement but also about the rehabilitation of the Sindhi community. He came forward with an idea of a piece of land of for these uprooted Sindhi, a place where these migrant Sindhi can feel being close to their motherland Sindh.
This vision resulted into development of Gandhi Dham-Adipur-Kandla the only place where a real huge number of Sindhi cannot just have the shelter but also found a suitable land for preservation of cultural heritage. The climate and geography of the area was quite similar to that of Hyderabad and Karachi, natural harbour of Kandla was with potential of being developed into a port equal to that of Karachi. The chosen area was in close proximity of the Sindh (language wise).
Bhai Pratap started to work on the idea and with the help of his political alliances Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Acharya J.B. Kripalani was able to force Mahatma Gandhi for requesting the Maharaja of Kutch to donate land for Sindhi people where the community not only get resettled but also find a place to establish and maintain their identity in the free India.
This was the visionary thought of Bhai Pratap that even today administrative control of the area is at the hand of The Sindhu Resettlement Corporation Ltd. On 30 August 1967 death proved stronger than life and Bhai Pratap Passed away in London. His mortal body was brought to Adipur and after the last funerals at Nat Mandir Compound his Samadhi was constructed at a place close to Gandhi Samadhi.
Famous and popular Sindhi folk singer Bhagwanti Navani is eventually immortal as she even after losing the physical existence still alive at hearts of thousands and thousands of Sindhi music lovers. Often called as Sindhi Koyel Bhagwanti was born on 01 Feb 1940 at Nasarpur. Undisputed queen of Singing Sindhi Lada (marriage ritual songs) Bhagwanti will always be remembered for singing Sukhamani Sahib (Guru Bani) in Sindhi. She also acted in Sindhi film Sindhua Je Kinare. On 22 Oct 1986 she left for heavenly abode.