Yes, no one killed our Mother Tongue 'Sindhi'. There was no need to kill her, her children just abandoned her, and she died a slow painful death.
This is the likely scenario a few years into the future if things don't improve immediately. In a few years, Sindhi, our sweet mother tongue, will only be found in History Books. But what is the reason for this sorry state of the Sindhi Language? Who is responsible? We need to do some introspection.
Most languages, though, die out gradually as successive generations of speakers become bilingual and then begin to lose proficiency in their traditional languages. This often happens when speakers seek to learn a more-prestigious language in order to gain social and economic advantages or to avoid discrimination.
Source: Britannica Encyclopedia
The above excerpt is from the Britannica Encyclopedia. In this article, it talks about language in general. But, you will feel that it is referring to the Sindhi Language.
Everyone will agree that most Sindhis do not speak in Sindhi with fellow Sindhis. For some reason, Sindhis speak to each other in Hindi or English. Unfortunately, Sindhis don't talk in Sindhi even when at home with their family. So Unfortunate!. I find it absurd when a Sindhi Mother talks to her children in Hindi or English. How are the children supposed to learn Sindhi in such a situation? The usage of Sindhi Language among Sindhis is declining at an alarming rate.
Sindhi Boli is such a sweet language. It is almost like music to the ears. It is one of the oldest languages in the world and has existed since the time of Mohenjo Daro. It is such a complex language when compared to English. Sindhi Script has 52 Alphabets while English has only 26. But why do Sindhis speak other languages and not in Sindhi? Here are some reasons.
Historically, Sindhi was an important language even during the British Rule. The Sindhi Language was recognized by the British as one of the official languages in the region, despite opposition from Muslims, who preferred Urdu over Sindhi. After the partition in 1947, the importance of the Sindhi Language started diminishing. In Pakistan, Urdu became the official language. In India, Hindi became prominent. The Sindhi language became weak after being influenced by Urdu in Pakistan and Hindhi in India. Too many words were borrowed by Sindhi from Urdu and Hindi which diluted Sindhi Language.
Also, in India, everyone is influenced by Hindi Movies and Sindhis are no exception. Incidentally, Bollywood is responsible for degrading the Sindhi Language and Sindhi people to a great extent. In Hindi Movies, Sindhis are always shown as Jokers who utter 'Wadi Sai Wadi Sai' in every sentence they speak. Sindhis are always portrayed as stupid, senseless, Fools who only eat Papad. Try to remember a Hindi movie in which a Sindhi person is shown as a normal person. You will not, because they always portray us Sindhis as idiots. Are we Sindhis like that?
In Hindi Movies, Sindhis are always shown as Jokers who utter 'Wadi Sai Wadi Sai' in every sentence they speak. Are Sindhis like that? Sindhis are always portrayed as stupid, senseless, Fools.
Because of this awful image of Sindhis in the movies, many Sindhis became over-conscious of being a Sindhi. Many even stopped using the Sindhi language in public because of the fear of being laughed at. Gradually, many Sindhis started speaking only in Hindi, and later, it became a norm in the whole Sindhi community.
Most young Sindhi couples rarely speak in Sindhi. So it is obvious that their children will never speak in Sindhi. This means that the Sindhi Language has a dark future. As mentioned in Britannica, Languages die when native speakers stop speaking the language and use another language which according to them is more fashionable. This is exactly the case with the Sindhi Language today.
Sindhi Arabic script is almost extinct now. Most Sindhis don't know how to write in Sindhi Arabic script. There are almost no Sindhi Schools in India as no one is interested in studying in Sindhi. The Sindhi language is unwanted now. No one loves or cares about her anymore. Like some people send their old Parents to Old Age Homes, we the Sindhis, have decided to send our sweet Sindhi Boli to Old Age home.
Due to globalization, English has taken the place of Hindi. The Generation Z of Sindhis speaks English instead of Hindi. But, never Sindhi. English is the 'in' thing so the new generation speaks English. This new generation is even worse when it comes to Sindhi Language. They are not able to pronounce typical Sindhi words "ॿ (b̤a) ٻه" or "द॒ह (d̤aha) ڏهه" because they have never spoken only Sindhi and their tongue is not capable of these complex words. It is so unfortunate for the Sindhi Community.
The past two generations of the Sindhis are particularly at fault. They gave more importance to Hindi and English and as a result, the present generation has gone far away from the Sindhi Language. When someone from this generation tries to speak in Sindhi others laugh at him. Such is the sorry state of our Sweet Sindhi Boli.
There is no harm in speaking other languages. When one Sindhi speaks to another Sindhi in Hindi or English it looks weird. But, when a Sindhi family speaks in Hindi among themselves, it is heartbreaking. The Sindhi language has lost its shine.
If you notice, Marathi People speak in Marathi with fellow Marathis, Gujarati People speak Gujarati, and South Indians take pride in speaking their respective languages. Very few Sindhis are proud of the Sindhi Language. As far as I have noticed, most Sindhis are ashamed of the Sindhi Language. Go to Gujarat and you will find that every Gujarati speaks in Gujarati. Go to South and you will rarely find a person who uses any other language than their native language.
Sindhis must learn that all the great countries or communities have prospered because they have never left their roots. Japanese people love Japanese and never use any other language. The same is the case with Germany, Italy, Spain, and even, China. People who love and speak their own language become more successful. Not only that, but their language, culture, and communities become strong.
It is high time that Sindhis come together and take immediate and positive steps to save Sindhi. We are sensitive people, we must not abandon our ailing Mother "Sindhi Boli" but save it with our love and care. We must not let this great language Die.
There are many Sindhi Organisations that are working to promote Sindhi Language. They are doing a noble job. We should be thankful to them. But, it is a fact that no outer pressure will work if a person is not willing from within. The only way to save our Mother Tongue is by teaching it to our future generations. Let's start this by encouraging our children to speak in Sindhi. Let us do our duty towards our Mother by promising that from now on, we will speak with fellow Sindhis 'only and only' in Sindhi.
Let us all work collectively and stop sending our ailing Mother to an old age home. Let us bring back her Glorious Days back to her. Let us all pray and Pledge that No one will kill Sindhi Boli.
Sindhi Asan Ji Boli, Mithdi Asan Ji Boli.