Aakhreen Train

The Last Train

By Chandru Chawla 

One from the Heart – ‘Aakhreen Train-The Last Train,’ a Sindhi film that tugs at your heart strings.

‘’Cinema is a mirror by which we often see ourselves. Cinema can fill in the empty spaces of your life and your loneliness. Cinema is an art form that is designed to go across borders. And as a filmmaker, the only way I can direct a movie is when I feel close to my culture.

When I read the legendary Sindhi Writer Shri Thakur Chawla's story, Aakhreen Train, for a Webinar on the great man's birth anniversary, I felt the impact of the powerful emotions it exuded.

I called Barkha Khushalani, his daughter and told her that a film should be made on Thakur Chawla's fascinating story.

She talked to her sister Shobha Lalchandani, the editor of the Sindhi Weekly Hindvasi.

Now, three years later, the film, ‘AakhreenTrain -The Last Train’, is being loved by the audiences across India and is being acclaimed by the critics’’

 -Director Susheel Gajwani 

My earliest memory of a movie is perhaps when I was 5 years old. It would have been in the early 70s. My parents were habitual film goers, and I am told, never lost an opportunity to grab a film, leaving me, a baby, with my aunts and uncles. This memory is of a film called Abana, a Sindhi film. I distinctly remember developing a crush on Sadhana, who made her debut. Much later, with the proliferation of internet, I learnt that the film had been released in the late 1950s and had made big stars out of Sadhana and Sheila Ramani, who would be warmly embraced by the Hindi film industry.

Fifty years later, I saw my next Sindhi film, Aakhreen Train-The Last Train! The Sindhi film industry, despite a potential audience of over 30 million Sindhis in Pakistan and over 3 million in India and around the world, could not survive the juggernaut of the Hindi film industry. And so it was with great expectation that I went for its special screening.

The film is based around the Partition of Colonial India and tracks the heart breaking love story between a Muslim girl and a Hindu boy in Sindh amidst the raging fires of communal hatred and bigotry. I could sense a profound sense of nostalgia among the 350-plus close knit audience watching it. Clearly the elders were missing the sights and sounds of their beloved Sindh and the period film was igniting a sense of belonging to a lost era.

Director Susheel Gajwani

The film is directed by Susheel Gajwani, the well-known film maker. I had the opportunity to interview him recently. Born and brought up in Kolhapur in Maharashtra, Susheel Gajwani completed his Masters in English Literature and very early on was drawn to the world of performing arts. He honed his film making skills in Film and TV Institute of India (Mandi House, now a part of the FTII) and also in the US. He had a long career in Doordarshan, then the only television medium and one with a mass reach. He was associated with many marquee programs, Chhaya Geet, one among them. He then ventured into Marathi and Hindi cinema, directing over a dozen films and TV shows, working with doyens like Dr Shreeram Lagoo, Nilu Phule, Usha Naik, Suhas Joshi, Ravindra Mahajani and others.

Susheel Gajwani says with a smile, “Serendipity.”

He elaborates that it is serendipity how this film came his way. Barkha Khushalani, a well-known writer and patron of Sindhi culture was looking for someone to read a collection of short Sindhi stories written by her late father, Thakur Chawla, to celebrate his birth anniversary. Susheel Gajwani, with his deep baritone voice, agreed and they chose the story, Aakhreen Train, for the occasion. It was while reading it that he fell in love with its simplicity and innocence. He suggested to Barkha Khushalani and her sister, Shobha Lalchandani, another well-known writer and editor of Sindhi Socio-Cultural, Literary Weekly Hindvasi that this story had great potential to be made into a film. As their creative juices started flowing, the idea took shape and over two years later, the story gave birth to a film, ‘Aakhreen Train-The Last Train.’

A Hindu-Muslim love story, in the best of times, would be a controversial subject. But, in the prevailing times, colored by the “Love Jihad” type of narratives, it would require some special courage and conviction to create a film that promotes interfaith harmony. Susheel Gajwani agrees. He believes that films should be made from the heart. He found the story simple, pure, with spiritual overtones, and heartfelt. He believes such stories stand out and find their own audiences, as opposed to “formula films” that walk down a beaten path. He realized that the story also broke the Pakistani/Muslim stereotype of an evil person. He was convinced that if the film, in its execution, remained true to the story, and its human characters, it will appeal to filmgoers. He is also quick to point out that Sindh history is replete with stories of peaceful and harmonious Hindu-Muslim co-existence. The film does well to reinforce this.

Susheel Gajwani gives examples of films like Mera Naam Joker, Kagaz ke Phool and Guide that were not made with box office considerations but came straight from the heart. They were ahead of their time and are today considered as cult classics.

  Producers Shobha Lalchandani,

Anil Chawla, Barkha Khushalani

& Director Susheel Gajwani

Susheel Gajwani acknowledges the perils of making an indie, regional language film without stars and corporate sponsors. Cinema halls do not give prime screening slots, and access to wider audiences becomes challenging. The promos of the film did create a buzz through social media reach and the filmmakers made considerable efforts to arrange for special screenings at cultural venues, educational institutions etc. One of the highlights of the film is its attention to detail. Being a period film required a lot of focus from Barkha Khushalani and Shobha Lalchandani on the landscape, costumes, the music and the “tehzeeb” of that era. Susheel Gajwani also cites a song in the film, Asseen Sindhi, that celebrates the Sindhi never-say-die, never-ever-complain spirit while showcasing the many Sindhi luminaries that have made positive impact in India and around the world.

Through films, we witness stories that resonate with our own experiences, making us feel connected and understood. It portrays diverse cultures, lifestyles, and issues, promoting audience empathy and understanding.

‘AakhreenTrain -The Last Train’, portrays Hindus and Muslims as human beings. Barkha Khushalani, Shobha Lalchandani and  Susheel Gajwani were clear on one thing, the film has to be a human portrayal of the characters in Thakur Chawla's story, so thoughtfully written by Shashi Gajwani and Barkha Khushalani. That's how beautiful the relations between Sindhi Hindus and Sindhi Muslims in Sindh were. Exemplary.

Susheel Gajwani believes that cinema has an outsized impact on people and hence is the easiest way to keep culture alive. For Sindhi culture, this film is an important step in that direction. He hopes that efforts with the Governments of India and Pakistan will open the doors to a possible release in Sindh and Punjab in Pakistan and then possibly onto a major OTT platform. It is high time that people-to-people contact between Indian and Pakistan re-opened opportunities in exploring our shared heritage. Hopefully Thakur Chawla’s story may rekindle what once was and what could be. That humanity is the greatest human value and that it is love that conquers all and makes us rise up above our differences.

‘Aakhreen Train-The Last Train’ has given us a powerful creative force of Susheel Gajwani, Barkha Khushalani and Shobha Lalchandani.

 Patrons of Sindhi culture can look forward to more.

Chandru Chawla, after a distinguished corporate career, spends time writing and teaching underprivileged school children. His work has been published in The Wire, The Citizen, Economic Times, Business Standard, The Telegraph, Midday, and Sabrang India. 

Linking The Fireflies

By Saaz Aggarwal

Linking the fireflies – a phrase coined on a whim, describes a possible initiative that has taken many years to start conceptualising.

I first began collecting memories from Sindhi survivors of Partition in 2011, and it soon grew into an urgent desire to put out large quantities of good-quality information about the community! This, I hoped, would perhaps diffuse the prejudice and stereotypes that abound.

Over the years, however, my interviews brought me face-to-face with the origin of the prejudice and stereotypes. It became harder and harder to deny that they are indeed based in reality. One of the things I realised is that, for many Sindhis, money is the only benchmark of success. The more money a person has, the more respect they get.

I’m not disparaging money. In fact, I’m quite money-minded myself, placing a high value on my skills and also quite committed to living in comfort. Yes, money is important – but there are many other things that are equally important, and with which the pleasure of money can only be enhanced. These include health, professional output, friends and family, personal growth, physical environment, leisure activities, a life partner – and perhaps others too. Most Sindhis, however, see no real value in the creative process, often usurping others’ output, and even exploiting others’ knowledge and skills for their own glory.

Linking the Fireflies is an initiative that arose when Savitha Hira, co-founder with her husband Lalit, of Gallery Pradarshak in Mumbai (acclaimed as the smallest gallery of fine art in India) invited me to curate a discussion for their Women’s Day exhibition. A quick discussion led, quite spontaneously, to this concept:

With Partition in 1947, Sindhis lost their land, they lost their language, and this cost them their centuries-old tradition of art, poetry, philosophy, music, theatre, dance …

Linking the Fireflies celebrates Sindhi artists, beacons of hope that will shine through the beleaguered community and inspire an awakening. Starting with a few women and even fewer men, this movement is setting out to transform a largely materialistic mindset into one imbued with brilliant hues of visual and performing arts of every kind!

We invited a group of 12 people in creative fields to participate in the discussion, including well-known writers, researchers, filmmakers, and artists. Sadly, many of them dropped out at the last moment as a much-loved member of the community passed away and a prayer meeting was held on the evening of the same day. I felt sad that I was unable to attend the prayer meeting – but happy that the discussion, though depleted in numbers, turned out to be of very high quality, with excellent insights, and you can view parts of it here on Instagram.

Though it can’t be denied that the poetry and philosophy of Sindh are lost to new generations in the diaspora because of the loss of the language, many aspects of Sindhi culture have been retained at a visceral level. This is clearly evident when you sit in an audience of young people responding to a concert of Sindhi music! I’m also often struck by how the multi-faith worship native to Sindh has bypassed the right-wing tendencies claimed by some members of the Partition generation, and manifested with vigour in their children.

Linking the Fireflies is latent at present, waiting for the right moment to evolve into something useful and transformative!

Partly this will be a movement to create awareness about Sindhi artists, and bring them together to form a community suffused with synergy, cooperation, and a ground for learning and growing. And this community will be instrumental in creating modules of appreciation and awareness of different forms of art, for those who have everything but lack this sophistication. They will help to bring the awareness that culture goes way beyond rituals and satsangs, and help introduce art and culture into the homes and minds of people who have very little exposure, do not value the creative process, and would benefit greatly by doing so.

If you would like to participate, or stay in touch about this project, please email me on saaz@seacomindia.com

Saaz Aggarwal's art work displayed at Pradarshak during the show. Initially created for Art2Day, a gallery in Pune, for their Women's Day show in 2017.

Saaz Aggarwal has a Master’s degree in Mathematics, but over the years established herself as a writer and artist. Her body of work includes biographies, translations, critical reviews and humour columns, as well as themed painting collections and mixed-media installations. Her books on Sindh are in libraries of the best universities around the world.

www.saazaggarwal.com

Sadhu Vaswani Center

By Sadhu Vaswani Center US

The Time Has Come!

Registration Is Now Open:

26th Sadhana Camp, Sadhu Vaswani Center for World Peace, New York / New Jersey, USA

Amazing Spiritual Experiences In the Holy Presence of Didi Krishna, Sadhu Vaswani Mission

A MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND Get Together with Sindhi Family & Friends from all around the world. Special supervised activities for children of all ages.

Friday May 24 to Monday May 27

This will be a FULL Camp. Block your Calendar and Rooms Now to avoid disappointment. Limited Occupancy at the Hotel. 

**********

International Sindhi Retreat

By Sister Henna - NY

**********

Indian Caucus of Secaucus

New Jersey, USA

By Rajesh Nagpal

‘Keean Visaariya Tokhe” 

Sindhi koyal Bhagwanti Navani je laaye pesh aaye Sindhi kavita

By Radha Narwani

Keean visaariya tokhe 

Sindhi koyal Sindhi koyal 

Jahinji aahe murk-a moheendarr  

Keean visaariya tokhe 

Jahinje sur ain saaz mein 

Jahinje mithe aawaaz mein 

Aahe madhur vaanee 

Sindhi disco ji ranee Bhagwanti Navani 

Keean visaariya tokhe nivrrat ain kurb-a vaaree 

Jahinje sangeet ji deewanee duniya saaree 

Keean visaariya tokhe shehzaadee husn jee 

Jehn laada gaaye kaie vidaaie laadiyun ji 

Huje bhajan ya kalaam 

Sukhmani Sahib laada doheerra 

Orrana, saheraa ,loriyun ain saakhiyun gaaye 

Kayee athaie roshan Sindhiyat ji shaam  

Keean visaariya tokhe Sindhi adaakaaraa  

Jahinji sangat mein sabhaie pyaara 

Huje ko bi avsar 

Sindhiyun ji Lata Mangeshkarj ji gaayikee-a jo thiye ahirro asar 

Ta fida thi vanye RadhaBekhabar 

They say that making someone smile is the greatest thing to do.

So you, smile please and make others smile too. Because the universe needs a smiling you.

Hello all, my name is Radha Narwani (RadhaBekhabar@IgnorantWriter), a creative content writer from Mumbai India.

When my dad died, I was completely devastated, shaken to the core. In those tragic times, my mom was my pillar of strength. She used to make me laugh. That’s when my sister and me started making jokes in our mother tongue Sindhi. Some years later mom left too. But I continued writing poems, articles,jokes etc.

Hope this joke will make you smile.

Thank you

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