THE%20SINDH%20STORY

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Alexander’s Waterloo in Sindh EVEN MORE than the Vedas and the Epics, Sindh figures very prominently in, of all places, the annals of Sikander that is Alexander. British historians used to talk of Alexander as “the world conqueror” who “came and saw and conquered” every land he had visited. He is still advertised in Indian text-books as the victor in his war with India’s Porus (Puru). However, the facts as recorded by Alexander’s own Greek historians tell a very different tale. And Marshal Zhukov, the famous Russian commander in World War II, said at the Indian Military Academy, Dehra Dun, a few years back, that India had defeated Alexander. Alexander fared badly enough with Porus in the Punjab. Indeed, Porus put him on the spot when he told him: “To what purpose should we make war upon one another. if the design of your coming to these parts be not to rob us of our water or our necessary food, which are the only things that wise men are indispensably obliged to fight for? As for other riches and possessions, as they are accounted in the eyes of the world, if I am better provided of them than you, I am ready to let you share with me; but if fortune has been more liberal to you than to me, I have no objection to be obliged to you.” Alexander had no reply to the questions posed by Porus. Instead, with the obstinacy of a bully, he said: “I shall contend and do battle with you so far that, howsoever obliging you are, you shall not have the better of me.” But Porus did have the better of Alexander. In the fighting that ensued, the Greeks were so terrified of Indian prowess that they refused to proceed farther, in spite of Alexander’s angry urgings and piteous lamentations. Writes Plutarch, the great Greek historian: “This last combat with Porus took off the edge of the Macedonians’ courage and stayed their further progress in India.... Alexander not only offered Porus to govern his own kingdom as satrap under himself but gave him also the additional territory of various independent tribes whom he had subdued.” Porus emerged from his war with Alexander with his territory doubled and his gold stock augmented. So much for Alexander’s “victory” over Porus. However, what was to befall him in Sindh, was even worse. In his wars in Iran, Afghanistan, and north-west India,. Alexander had made so many enemies that he did not dare return home by the same route he had come. He had, therefore, decided to travel via Sindh. But in Multan the Mallas gave him hell. The Sindh Story; Copyright © www.panhwar.com 29
When Alexander’s hordes invaded Sindh with the novel war-cry “Alalalalalai!” the Sindhis were obviously scared. The rulers of Musicanus, Sindemana, and Patala --- identified by Dr. H.T Sorely I.C.S. author of The Gazeteer of Sind (1968), as Alor, Sehwan, and Hyderabad, respectively- fled. (“Patala” is believed to be a Greek corruption of “Patan” which means river bank or sea shore). But before long they collected their wits and gave Alexander a very bad time. Notes H.T. Lambrick, a former commissioner of Sindh, and author of the Sindh before Muslim Conquest: “There was a subtle power in Sindh which created the will to resist the foreigner, the influence of the Brahmins.” Dushhala’s settling of 30,000 Brahmins in Sindh had not gone in vain! Alexander confessed to his friends back home: “They attacked me everywhere. They wounded my shoulder, they hit my leg, they shot an arrow in my chest, and they struck me on my neck with a loud thud.” At one stage word had spread in the Greek camp that Alexander was dead --- and he had to be propped up and exhibited as alive! Alexander never excused the Brahmins for persuading the Sindhi king Sabbas to stand up and fight. To the horror of the local people, he had a whole lot of them slaughtered. However, he was so impressed with the quality and spirit of the Brahmins that he captured and kept with him ten of them. Plutarch’s account of Alexander’s questions and their replies makes interesting reading. “The first being asked whether he thought the most numerous the dead or the living, answered, ‘the living, because those who are dead, are not at all”. Of the second he desired to know whether the earth or the sea produced the largest beasts, who told him. The earth, for the sea is but part of it. His question to the third was, ‘which is the cunningest of animals?’ ‘That,’ said he, ‘which men have not yet found out.’ He bade the fourth to tell him what argument he used with Sabbas to persuade him to revolt ‘No other,’ he said, ‘than that he should either live nobly or die nobly.’ Of the fifth he asked, what was the oldest, night or day. The philosopher replied, ‘Day was oldest, by one day at least’. And perceiving Alexander not well satisfied with that account, he added that he ought not to wonder if he got strange answers for his strange questions. Then he went on and inquired of the next, what a man should do to be exceedingly beloved. ‘He must be very powerful, without making himself too much feared.’ The answer of the seventh to his question, how a man might become 8 god, was, ‘By doing, that which was impossible for man to do.’ The eighth told him, ‘Life is stronger than death because it supports so many miseries.’ And the last philosopher, asked how long he thought it decent for a man to live, said ‘till death appeared more desirable than life’.” The Sindh Story; Copyright © www.panhwar.com 30
Page 2 and 3: THE THE SINDH SINDH STORY STORY A G
Page 4 and 5: Appendix: G M Syed’s Visit .. ..
Page 6 and 7: Preface to Reprint “The Sindh Sto
Page 8 and 9: My grateful thanks are due to Prof.
Page 10 and 11: information. In this connection I m
Page 12 and 13: Mr. Malkani’s book is a book of h
Page 14 and 15: --- “Employment of appropriate ph
Page 16 and 17: effort had been made to synthesise
Page 18 and 19: Long have we suffered; see how grie
Page 20 and 21: Sindhu is Divine IN THE BEGINNING w
Page 22 and 23: Interestingly enough, the Bhagvad G
Page 24 and 25: Sindhu Mata THE VEDAS and the Puran
Page 26 and 27: to Encyclopedia Britannica, “the
Page 28 and 29: no lime in the area to use as cemen
Page 32 and 33: The philosophers in turn posed him
Page 34 and 35: Truth about Dahir Sen THE PROPHET o
Page 36 and 37: next 80 years, led by Hakam, Abdull
Page 38 and 39: army of Islam became irresolute and
Page 40 and 41: order to meet the financial deficie
Page 42 and 43: priest would not agree to Sita beco
Page 44 and 45: “Jhoolay Lal” WHEN Mahmud Ghazn
Page 46 and 47: of the Khaljis. But more revealing
Page 48 and 49: The Umar Marui is one long paean of
Page 50 and 51: OH LORD of Sindh, Jhoolay Lal, and
Page 52 and 53: Napier had written off all the pre-
Page 54 and 55: loosely knit system that could be a
Page 56 and 57: Dayaram helped set up the Nari Shal
Page 58 and 59: when Gandhiji wrote his autobiograp
Page 60 and 61: muttered “lainat! lainat!” in r
Page 62 and 63: to convert them to Christianity. An
Page 64 and 65: anybody else. Colonel Trevor, the C
Page 66 and 67: The theosophists also joined hands
Page 68 and 69: “Sangathan”, and “Sanskriti
Page 70 and 71: Freedom Movement in Sindh “NADIR
Page 72 and 73: When Tilak visited Sindh in 1920, y
Page 74 and 75: of 40 women satyagrahis. Many young
Page 76 and 77: Ahmedabad municipality and Subhas C
Page 78 and 79: “I am a Sindh” -- Gandhi “EVE
Page 80 and 81:
consider him a Mahatma. He used to
Page 82 and 83:
On one occasion not only was a saty
Page 84 and 85:
not anti-Muslim. I decline to think
Page 86 and 87:
wrote to Sucheta in 1945 to ask Kri
Page 88 and 89:
able to admit of inter-migration, s
Page 90 and 91:
Thrown to the Wolves INDIA BECAME F
Page 92 and 93:
sessions judge of Hyderabad, an Eng
Page 94 and 95:
Hindus were, if anything, even more
Page 96 and 97:
esolution. “He just allowed us to
Page 98 and 99:
from 30 to 400. During this one Lea
Page 100 and 101:
Nehru declined the offer --- even a
Page 102 and 103:
In January, 1948, Government of Ind
Page 104 and 105:
The Sindhi leaders in their goodnes
Page 106 and 107:
language of Sindh, Bhutto had the p
Page 108 and 109:
and destiny. In the process it has
Page 110 and 111:
ealization, and not in hatred and v
Page 112 and 113:
Allah Alone Knows SINDH’S REJECTl
Page 114 and 115:
Baluchi guerrillas and 3,300 Pakist
Page 116 and 117:
It will thus be seen that the democ
Page 118 and 119:
G. M. Syed Or Sindh has said that a
Page 120 and 121:
Sindhi Society and Culture SlNDHI S
Page 122 and 123:
Cardinal Wolsey, was murdered in th
Page 124 and 125:
Panhwar, Malah, Mangta, Sodha, Dhat
Page 126 and 127:
And Muslim backwardness in the fiel
Page 128 and 129:
malicious, Sir Bhutto’s wife, who
Page 130 and 131:
Muslims believed that marriages sol
Page 132 and 133:
Shah, Sachal and Swami LANGUAGE AND
Page 134 and 135:
Sindhian ra istalah Sindh madah; Hi
Page 136 and 137:
you want to be a yogi, follow the g
Page 138 and 139:
Mohammed Khan Sewhani, Bherumal Meh
Page 140 and 141:
Even as they tried to lift themselv
Page 142 and 143:
Individual Sindhis have also made a
Page 144 and 145:
just dubhashis, bilingual; they are
Page 146 and 147:
Appendix: Report on G M Syed’s De
Page 148 and 149:
The Bar Association of the Supreme
Page 150 and 151:
Q. Why are you more opposed to Bhut
Page 152 and 153:
(English) Bibliography Ahmed Q.: Th
Page 154:
Sheikh, M. Somar: Kachyun Ja Qaul S
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