August 18, 2025

Nearly 80 years ago, a brave group of Hindu Sindhi merchants ran away from the fierce violence after the Partition of India. My family was one of them. Scattered across the world, some in this community didn’t just survive—they turned into billion-dollar business owners, shining examples of refugee success stories! Their path mirrors modern refugees fleeing war zones like Syria and Myanmar. The big question remains: will new countries welcome migrants with open hearts or shut the doors? Partition changed everything for my community. Around 2 million Hindu Sindhis stayed in Pakistan, almost 3 million in India, and millions more spread worldwide. Many of these exiled people built famous business empires. One flashy example is Singapore’s Hiranandani family. Their dad escaped from Sindh (now in Pakistan) in 1947 with just a tiny shop near a British military spot. Today, his descendants are super-rich billionaires. Raj Kumar and his son Kishin lead huge property firms, and Asok Kumar with his son Bobby own top hotels like Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort and the second Raffles Hotel on the island! Singapore’s ex-UN ambassador Kishore Mahbubani writes in ‘Living the Asian Century’ that Sindhis are famously hardworking and business-smart. They had businesses in cities since the 1800s and adapted fast after Partition’s chaos. That year, about 15 million people moved, and sadly 1 million died in violent fights. British rulers divided India into Muslim Pakistan and Hindu India, forcing people to move from their homes. My dad, only 5 then, recalls how their Muslim friend warned his family about a coming angry mob. They grabbed what they could, ran, and took trains to Bombay, then boats to Indonesia, where my grandfather had business connections. If Indonesia had shut its doors, families like mine might have disappeared! Migration is more than moving—it can spark amazing economic growth. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, every working-age migrant creates 0.2 more jobs through new businesses, resulting in nearly 4 million jobs created from 2011-2021 alone. The Punjabi family in Indonesia, Sindhis though their last name sounds different, began with textiles. Now they’re the ‘Kings of entertainment’, famous in media across Asia. In 2021, China’s Tencent invested $50 million for 15% of their company, PT MD Picture, co-founded by Manoj Punjabi. Not all left because of Partition. The Harilela family left Sindh in 1922 and built huge trade and hotel businesses across Asia, Europe, and the USA, making them one of the richest families in the region. Today, migration debates are spicy and tricky. Mixing cultures can cause strain but ignoring migrants’ talents means everyone loses out. My family might not be billionaires, but we have added value to our new home. Hopefully, many more migrants worldwide will get the same chance to shine and succeed!

Read More at Economictimes →

Tags: Sindhi diaspora, Partition of india, Migration, Refugees, Business success, Economic growth,