My Sindhi (hindu) community celebrates their new year today. Unlike the solar calendar where January 1 is officially the New Year, the Hindus (Hindu Sindhis included) follow the lunisolar calendar that is based on the new moon cycles.

Cheti Chand is celebrated on the first day of the Chaitra month known as Chet in Sindhi. Hence it is known as CHET-I-CHAND. The Sindhi community celebrates the festival of Cheti Chand in honour of the birth of Ishtadeva Uderolal, popularly known as Jhulelal, the Patron Saint of the Sindhis. This day is considered to be very auspicious and is celebrated with pompous and gaiety. On this day, people worship water – the elixir of life.

A procession is taken out to the river front or sea shore. Lakhs of people participate in the long processions taken out in different cities, with colourful floats, depicting the life of the Saint and other aspects of Sindhi culture. The Sindhi folk dance called “Chhej” is performed with the procession. People go to a river or a lake and Bahrano Saheb is immersed in the water along with rice and sugar prasad called “Akho”. It is customary to sing Lal Sain’s Panjras and Palav to seek his grace.

As a child I remember participating in this procession and as I watched the rituals of the immersions, I always wondered if being part of this procession qualified me as a Sindhi. Nothing of that day made sense to me then. Why were we damaging our pristine waters for the sake tradition? What purpose does it serve to have to burn all the gasoline that carried the idol? Is this what it is to be a Sindhi?

I am still finding answers to my questions.