Social Change and Cultural Consciousness in Sindhi Short Stories of Sahiti Pargana: A Critical and Analytical Study

Abstract

Sahiti Pargana occupies a significant position in the literary and cultural history of Sindhi literature. This study critically examines the representation of social change and cultural consciousness in Sindhi short stories of Sahiti Pargana before and after the Partition of the Indian subcontinent. It explores the region’s historical, social, cultural, and literary contexts, focusing on thematic and technical developments in Sindhi short fiction. The study reveals an evolution from traditional narratives, folklore, and moral themes towards social realism, progressivism, nationalism, psychological realism, existentialism, symbolism, and modern literary experimentation. Before Partition, writers including Manohar Das, Parumal Kevalramani, Khushiram Waswani, Amar Lal Hingorani, Lekho Tulsiani, M. R. Maidasani, and Hashu Kevalramani highlighted moral values, social reform, class divisions, women’s status, human empathy, and national consciousness. Amar Lal Hingorani particularly employed social realism and innovative narrative techniques to portray institutional contradictions, human values, and religious tolerance. After Partition, writers such as Ghulam Qadir Soomro, Munir Ahmed Manik, Nasir Morai, Rashid Morai, Mushtaq Bagani, Zafar Laghari, and others explored poverty, unemployment, social injustice, rural life, political conditions, gender inequality, and changing cultural values. Munir Ahmed Manik emphasized psychological and existential concerns, while Anand Khemani contributed psychological realism and formal experimentation. Rashid Morai portrayed local environments, rural idioms, and cultural memory. Women writers, including Sameena Memon, Abida Ghanghro, and Bano Mehboob Jokhio, addressed female identity, domestic injustice, marital conflicts, and gender discrimination. The study concludes that Sahiti Pargana’s Sindhi short fiction serves as a vital literary medium for documenting social transformation, preserving cultural identity, expressing human experiences, and reflecting collective consciousness across changing historical periods.