Furthermore, due to constant upheaval of Sindhis, and further migration and amalgamation with different migrant tribes, a lot has changed, and Sindhi music and dance post Islamization has not remained the same. Thus, 'nukhs' are the only way to identify one's roots. There are many more variations in the community, and it is quite difficult to identify who belongs where. The Bhaibund and Shikarpuri Sindhis, who returned back (Sintis) from Armenia, Turkey and Egypt, brought with them business skills and tactics. The Aamil Sindhi for example were a cross-breed of Indo-Iranian Sindhis and Alexandrian Greeks, and thus emphasized more on education. Different dialects in Sindh were born, and different dressing sense as well. Already an Indo-Iranian race, the Sindhi Hindus, once becoming Sintis in distant lands acquiring a range of cultural habits of different cultures, and furthermore with many inter-cultural marriages, the fabric in the race of Sindhis varied tremendously.

These tribes added 'ani'(southern sindh) and 'ja' (northern sindh) to their names. Those who managed to return are called 'AARYAN', which is a term different to the sanskratic version 'ARYA'.ĪARYAN in Sindhi means those who have come back. Many did return back, but many were pushed westwards, and thus have never returned. However, many Sintis awaited the end of Ghaznavid rule, so that they could return back. 'Gypsy' is a term used for them frequently. They were called 'Banjaras' in India, Sinti in distant European lands, and 'Sintowee' in Mongolia and China. Now the Question arises, why is there a need to add 'ani' or 'ja' to Sindhi surnames? It's because, post Mahmud Ghaznavi invasion, many Sindhis had escaped. 'Ja' in Sindhi means 'of', so if a person belonged to the village of 'Junay', then their surname would be 'Juneja'. Many surnames of northern Sindh eg: (Shikarpur) and Multan (ancient name: Sawarawkistan) end in 'ja', eg: Ahuja, Raheja, Hinduja etc.

May the person be from Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Anatolia, Armenia or wherever, as this 'ani' is only unique to Sindhi civilization.Īnother variation does exist to this norm. Same goes for all the ani's in the world. So if someone returned or came from Georgia, his nukh would be 'jeorus', and his surname could be coined after the family head's name (subject to change every seven generations), eg: your family head 7 generations back had the name: 'Tolaram', then your surname would be TOL-ANI. This is much of the reason why Hindu Sindhi surnames end in 'ani'- which means 'anshi', derived from the Sanskrit word 'ansh', which means 'descendence'. Unlike other Hindus of India, who have a 'gotra', Sindhis often have a 'nukh', which means roots. Here's a piece of information picked up from another sites, which all Sindhis and communities should know! Why do many Sindhis have their surname end with 'ani'.