INTRODUCTION

Department of Sindhi, University of Mumbai was established on 15th June, 1974.
Mr. Ram Panjwani was the first person, worked as Reader & Head, until 19th November, 1976. After his retirement, the Department remained Headless and on 3rd March, 1981, Dr. A.G. Mirchandani took charge, as it's second Reader & Head. He worked until 20th April, 1985. Later on, Dr. N.J. Paryani joined the Department of Sindhi as a Lecturer, on 8th August, 1985, who was subsequently appointed as a Reader on 13th September, 1990. He remained Reader & Head, till his retirement on 30th September, 1992. Subsequent to that, Dr. Baldev B. Matlani was appointed as a Lecturer (Senior Scale) on 15th February, 1994 and became Head in the Department on 13th April, 1994. Immediately after that on 1st September, 1994, Dr. Baldev B. Matlani was appointed as a Reader by the Selection Committee, on 1st September, 1994. Thereafter Dr. Baldev B. Matlani got Reader's Scale through Career Advancement Scheme with retrospective date, i.e. 1st June, 1994 and subsequently promoted to the post of Professor through Career Advancement with effect from 1st September, 2002. Dr. Manoharlal B. Matlani was appointed as a Lecturer in Sindhi, on 27th November, 1996 and became Head of Sindhi Department on 6th July, 2001 by rotation and completed his term as Head, on 13th June, 2005. Thereafter once again Dr. Baldev B. Matlani has been given charge as Head, Department of Sindhi.

The Department of Sindhi is responsible for imparting education upto M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D., Certificate Course in Sindhi, Diploma in Sindhi and Advanced Diploma in Sindhi. It arranges different educative Symposiums and Seminars too. It also encourages research and constructive work in the field of Sindhi literature.

The details of students, studying at the Department of Sindhi, in various courses for the last three years is mentioned below :

The Department started publications of most worthy books since 1997, and published 12 books till today. The very first book published by the Department,

'Fun-e-Tahqiq ain un ja Usool' of Dr. Baldev B. Matlani, bagged Sahitya Akademi Translation Prize in the year 2000, while Dr. Manoharlal B. Matlani was given Merit Award from National Council for Promotion of Sindhi Language (NCPSL), Ministry of HRD, Govt. of India, on his book 'Gobind Malhi - Shakhs ain Adeeb' in the year 2004, published by the Department.

The Department of Sindhi arranged 11 national seminars and 7 international seminars on various research-based subjects, so that our students may take benefit of the presence of most renowned and world fame scholars of Sindhi language & literature.

The Department is taking keen interest to cope up with the day to day challenges and with this objective, in order to teach Sindhi language to all those matured students, who want to learn Sindhi Language, living in Mumbai; the Department started new courses of 'Certificate Course in Sindhi', 'Diploma in Sindhi' & 'Advanced Diploma in Sindhi', in the year 1998, 1999, 2002 respectively.

On 20th August, 2004, the Department invited a delegation of British students, comprising Kavita Gogna (Burmingham), Kirti Sharma & Neeru Sharma (Nodtingham), Poonam Chopra (Slough), Venishia Ansal (Oxford), Luiza Allexandraseue (Romania), Billiana Gernich (Chrosia) and Ikatirina Tulipina (Russia), under leadership of Mr. Ved Mishra, Surrey, United Kingdom on 20th August, 2004 and arranged a lecture on 'Teaching of Hindi Language' by Dr. Ramji Tiwari. The delegation was overwhelming happy with the environment at the department and published their remarks in 'Purvai' July-September, 2004 magazine of London, England.

Dr. Baldev B. Matlani, Professor at Department of Sindhi was invited by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, USA, to represent Sindhi language at 'Conference on Indian Literature', held at New York, on 23rd-25th September, 2003. It was very first time that such a linguistic conference was arranged outside India, to promote Indian languages on foreign soil. Hence Dr. Matlani participated in that Conference, and delivered speeches on 'Current Trends in Indian Literature, with special reference to Sindhi Language' and 'Modern Indian Literature and their Common Characteristics'. This conference was inaugurated at the hands of Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpaye, the then Prime Minister of India, and was presided by Mr. Yashwant Sinha, the then Union Minister for External Affairs, Govt. of India. Dr. Baldev B. Matlani was invited by Sindhi Association of Southern California also, where he delivered a lecture on 'Evolution of Sindhi Language' at Norwalk, California, USA, on 5th October, 2003.

Dr. Baldev B. Matlani, Professor at Department of Sindhi, was invited by Sindhi Association of United Kingdom, London, specifically to take the responsibility of Master of Ceremony at XI International Sindhi Sammelan, on 23rd to 25th July, 2004. This Sammelan was being organized under the auspices of Alliance of Sindhi Associations of America, in co-operation of London host Raj Daswani and others. Dr. Matlani, not only did compare all the sessions of this three day Sammelan, but delivered a lecture on 'Preservation of Sindhi Language' to the specifically called Youth Session and shared the dais with Srichand Hinduja and some other speakers.

Dr. Baldev Matlani was invited by World Sindhi Congress, London, to present a Paper on 'Revival of Secular Traditions of Sindhi Culture', at their 16th International Conference on Sindh, held at London, on 31st July, 2004.

Help Desk : Contact Address : Department of Sindhi, University of Mumbai, Vidyanagari Campus, Santacruz (East), Mumbai-400 098

Telephone : 2652 63388

e.mail : head@sindhi.mu.ac.in