Vikram Malhotra <vixbenny@yahoo. co.uk> wrote:
dear Friends

i wish to correct the statistics of siraiki that is available on the net.

Please remember that 30% of Siraki Speaking people migrated to Indian Territory in 1947-48.

The Hindu Siraikis that now reside in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and in UP are large in no.

The statistics state only 20,000? How can that be. There should be some lakhs of Multani Speaking people in India. Indore is another large city full of Multanis after Delhi and Bombay. We all identify ourselves as Punjabis and very few people know the word SIRAIKI. So if ever a census was taken for SIRAIKI speaking, the Multanis would have been highly ignorant of this word and would have easily identified with the PUNJABIS and not the SIRAIKIS.

I wonder if the siraiki movement in Pakistan should popularize the pre-partition nomenclature of MULTANI to mobilize a sense of belonging among the Multani / Siraikis in India?

Jai Wasaib.

regards

vikram
________________________________________________________

Dear Sir

You are correct .What are your suggessions .What we should do ? yours Aslam Rasoolpuri


----- Original Message ----
From: Javed Hajana <javed_hajana@ yahoo.com>
To: siraikinationalissu e@yahoogroups. com
Sent: Friday, 7 September, 20

________________________________________________________

dear Aslam jee

i would really wish that in Pakistan we popularize the word Multani along with Siraiki. Siraiki I think is a more academic nomenclature.

Further, we would like to know more about the siraiki movement so that we can include indians.

I think as the generations grow and get assimilated in mainland India, we are losing our identity. We all think of ourselves as INDIANS, which is not bad, for national integration, but we are forgetting our roots. We all say we are Punjabi, which is not entirely false, but not exactly correct either.

I wonder what we can do.

The first thing also is to popularize local TV channels of Pakistan like Sindhi and Siraiki TV in India. You should try and get them to tie up with TATA SKY TV providers so that we can get these channels just as we get the other regional channels all over India.

The multanis will love to see their language and culture being so popular and alive in Pakistan.

Most of us belive that Pakistan is now the land of the Muslims, who speak pure URDU and shun everything that is HINDU. I know this is a misconception, as this might have been the approach and propoganda of the state and the clergy, but is not the spirit of the people, after i read all that is being said and experienced on tv and on the websites. The people are siraiki and sindhi and pathans and baluchis and punjabis before they are muslims or hindu or sikh. This we should understand.

And what more powerful a media than TV. It is playing a great role in popularizing regional culture and language and pride in one's own ethnicity in India at the moment, just as it is in Pakistan.

Since we understand that certain homelands and cultures are now distanced from the Hindu in India ( I speak of the Multanis, Baluch and Sindhis) we should make their TV channels available to them. Popularize this. Before we mobilise public and political initiative in this direction.

I hope my suggestion is pertinent.

Regards

Jai Waseb.

Vikram Malhotra
vikram.malhotra@ vidushiacademy. in
www.vidushiacademy. com



----- Original Message ----
From: Aslam Rasoolpuri <rasoolpuri@yahoo. co.uk>
To: siraikinationalissu e@yahoogroups. com
Sent: Thursday, 13 September, 2007 9:29:05 PM
Subject: Re: [siraikinationaliss ue] Siraiki in India



07 7:50:02 AM
Subject: [siraikinationaliss ue] Re: Salaam sain


Seraiki

Population

13,843,106 in Pakistan (2000 WCD). Population total all countries:
13,863,106.
Region

Southern Punjab and northern Sind, Indus River Valley, Jampur area.
Derawali is in Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Bannu, and Dera Ghazi Khan.
Jangli is in Sahiwal area. Also spoken in India, United Kingdom.
Alternate names

Saraiki, Riasiti, Bahawalpuri, Multani, Southern Panjabi, Siraiki
Dialects

Derawali, Multani (Khatki), Bahawalpuri (Riasati, Reasati), Jangli,
Jatki. Dialects blend into each other, into Panjabi to the east, and
Sindhi to the south. Until recently it was considered to be a dialect
of Panjabi. 80% intelligibility of Dogri. May be intelligible with
Bahawalpuri. Lexical similarity 85% with Sindhi; 68% with Dhatki,
Odki, and Sansi.
Language development

Literacy rate in first language: below 1%. Literacy rate in second
language: 5% to 15%. Radio programs. TV. Dictionary. Grammar. NT:
1819.
Also spoken in:

India

Language name

Seraiki

Population

20,000 in India (2000).
Region

Punjab; Maharashtra; Andhra Pradesh; Madhya Pradesh; Uttar Pradesh;
Rajasthan; Delhi; Gujarat.
Alternate names

Saraiki, Multani, Mutani, Siraiki, Southern Panjabi, Reasati,
Riasati, Bahawalpuri
Dialects

Jafri, Siraiki Hindki, Thali, Jatki, Bahawalpuri (Bhawalpuri,
Riasati, Reasati).
Language development

Literacy rate in first language: below 1%. Literacy rate in second
language: 15% Urdu, Marathi.