ICSE Class 9 Sindhi Syllabus 2026-27

Sindhi is offered as a compulsory Second Language (Group I) in ICSE Class 9. It is a scheduled language of India (Article 8 of the Constitution) and one of the most distinctive Indo-Aryan languages, shaped by Sanskrit, Persian, and Arabic influences. After the 1947 Partition, the Sindhi-speaking community was displaced from Sindh (now in Pakistan) and settled across India — making Sindhi unique as a language with no home state but a vibrant diaspora literature. The ICSE Sindhi syllabus introduces students to both the language's grammar and its rich literary tradition, from the classical Sufi poetry of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai to the post-Partition writing of modern authors.

The subject carries 100 marks in total: 80 marks for the written external paper and 20 marks for school-based internal assessment. The Class IX examination is school-conducted; the Class X ICSE Board paper covers the full combined syllabus.

Script: Sindhi is traditionally written in the Perso-Arabic script (Sindhi Lippee). Some schools may use Devanagari. Confirm the script requirement with your school before the examination.

Prescribed textbooks: Always confirm the exact prescribed texts with your school or from the official CISCE website before the start of the academic session.

Exam at a Glance

Aims of the Sindhi Syllabus

•       Appreciate Sindhi as an effective means of communication and as a language with a distinguished literary heritage

•       Acquire knowledge of the elements of the Sindhi language: grammar (Viakaran), vocabulary (Shabd Bhandar), syntax, and idiom

•       Develop a genuine interest in the Sindhi language and its literary traditions

•       Understand Sindhi when spoken at normal conversational speed

•       Develop the ability to read, comprehend, and respond to unseen prose passages in Sindhi

•       Develop the ability to write compositions and letters in correct, idiomatic Sindhi

•       Develop an appreciation of Sindhi literature through the prescribed texts

Section A: Language (40 Marks)

All four components are compulsory and must be answered in Sindhi.

1. Composition (Insha / Nibandh)

•       Write one composition in Sindhi from a choice of topics (narrative, descriptive, or expressive); approximately 250-300 words

•       Stimuli may include language prompts, pictures, or objects

•       Assessed on: relevance to topic, organisation, clarity, correct Viakaran (grammar), spelling, and vocabulary

2. Letter Writing (Khat Lekhan)

•       Write one letter from a choice of two given subjects

•       Formal letters (Sarkari Khat): to authorities, editors, or organisations

•       Informal letters (Nijji Khat): to relatives and friends

•       The layout — date, address, salutation, body, conclusion, signature — forms part of the assessment

3. Comprehension (Apathit Gadya / Avabodhan)

•       An unseen prose passage of approximately 250 words in Sindhi; questions and answers in Sindhi

•       Tests understanding of content, meaning, and vocabulary of the passage

4. Grammar (Viakaran)

Tests practical use of Sindhi language. Formal knowledge of grammatical terminology is NOT required. The following topics are tested:

Naam / Sangya (Nouns)

•       Types: Jativachak (common), Vyaktivachak (proper), Bhaavavachak (abstract), Samuhvachak (collective), Dravyavachak (material)

•       Linga (Gender): Pullinga (masculine) and Istrilinga (feminine); no neuter gender in Sindhi; gender transformation rules (e.g. baabu/baai, veer/bhain, putar/dhee)

•       Vachan (Number): Ikvachan (singular) and Bahuvachan (plural); plural formation rules in Sindhi

Sarvanam (Pronouns)

•       Types: Purushvachak personal (maa(n)/aasaan, tu(n)/tau(n), hoo/unhan), Nishchayavachak definite (hii, huu), Anishchayavachak indefinite (kchhau, koi), Prashnavachak interrogative (kaun, cha/chi/chu), Sambandhvachak relative (jo, jis)

•       Pronoun-verb agreement; oblique forms of pronouns in Sindhi

Visheshan (Adjectives)

•       Types: Gunavachak (qualitative), Sankhyavachak (numeral), Parimanvachak (quantitative), Sarvanamik/Sanketavachak (pronominal/demonstrative)

•       Agreement with nouns in gender and number

•       Degrees of comparison: Sadharan (positive), Uttam/Uttari (comparative, using 'khaan' = than), Sarvottam (superlative, using 'sab khaan' = most of all)

Kriya (Verbs)

•       Types: Sakarmak (transitive), Akarmak (intransitive), Prernaarthi (causative)

•       Kaal (Tense): Vartaman Kaal (present: simple, continuous, perfect); Bhoot Kaal (past: simple, continuous, perfect, pluperfect); Bhavishat Kaal (future: simple and conditional)

•       Verb agreement for gender, number, and person

•       Ergative construction — a distinctive Sindhi feature: in transitive sentences in the past (perfective) tense, the subject takes the agent marker 'e/ai' and the verb agrees with the object, not the subject. This is a high-frequency examination topic unique to Sindhi and related Indo-Aryan languages

Avyay / Kriya Visheshan (Adverbs and Indeclinables)

•       Kriya Visheshan (Adverbs): Kalavachak time (aaj, kal, kabhi/kada), Sthanvachak place (hitha, hutha, kitha), Prakarvachak manner (theek, jald, dhire), Parimanvachak degree (ghano, thoro, vado)

•       Samyojak Avyay (Conjunctions): ta/aur (and), par/lekin (but), ya (or), kyun-jo (because), jad (when), je (if)

•       Vismayadi Avyay (Exclamations): wah!, hey!, areh!, shabash!

Karak / Vibhakti (Case and Postpositions)

'khe' double duty: The postposition 'khe' functions as both the accusative (direct object) and the dative (indirect object) marker — a feature unique among the major Indo-Aryan languages and a frequently tested point.

Genitive jo/ji/ja: Changes based on the gender and number of the noun that follows: jo (masculine singular), ji (feminine singular), ja (plural). Parallel to Hindi ka/ki/ke and Punjabi da/di/de.

Vakya Parivartan (Sentence Transformation)

•       Types by structure: Saral (simple), Sanyukt (compound), Mishrit (complex)

•       Types by meaning: Vidhanvachak (declarative), Nishedhvachak (negative), Prashnavachak (interrogative), Aagnavachak (imperative), Vismayadi (exclamatory)

•       Karta Prayog (Active Voice) and Karma Prayog (Passive Voice): transformation between the two

•       Pratyaksha Ukti to Paroksha Ukti: converting direct speech to indirect/reported speech

•       Converting between simple, compound, and complex sentences

Sandhi (Phonetic Junction) and Samaas (Compound Words)

•       Sandhi: Svar Sandhi (vowel junction) and Vyanjan Sandhi (consonant junction); Sandhi Vigraha (splitting into components)

•       Samaas types: Tatpurush (determinative), Dvandva (copulative: e.g. maa-pita), Karmadharaya (attributive), Bahuvrihi (possessive/exocentric); Samaas Vigraha (splitting and explaining relationship)

Alankar (Figures of Speech)

•       Shabdalankar (sound-based): Anupras (alliteration: same consonant at beginning of consecutive words), Yamak (same word repeated with different meanings)

•       Arthalankar (meaning-based):

◦       Upma Alankar (Simile): comparison using Sindhi words jivha(n), vangur, or misali (all meaning 'like/as') — these Sindhi-specific markers are the standard way to identify Upma in Sindhi texts

◦       Rupak Alankar (Metaphor): direct identification of one thing with another, without a comparison word

◦       Utpreksha Alankar (Poetic Fancy): imagining one thing as another for poetic effect

◦       Atishayokti Alankar (Hyperbole): deliberate exaggeration for emphasis or effect

◦       Manvikaran (Personification): attributing human qualities to non-human objects or concepts

Chhand (Poetic Metre)

•       Doha: two-line couplet; 13 matras in the first half and 11 in the second; used in Sindhi devotional and folk poetry

•       Bait: the fundamental metrical unit of classical Sindhi poetry — a two-line distich; the building block of the Wai form; distinctively Sindhi and different from the Doha

•       Wai: classical Sindhi poetic form; multiple Baits grouped under a Sur (chapter); Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai's primary form in Shah Jo Risalo (30 Surs)

•       Kaflo / Kafi: lyric Sufi-devotional form; used by Sachal Sarmast and others

•       Azad Nazm (Free Verse): dominant form in contemporary Sindhi poetry — no fixed syllable count or rhyme scheme

•       Identifying the type of Chhand in a given verse; counting syllables or matras

Shabda Bhandar (Vocabulary)

•       Paryayvachi Shabd (Synonyms) and Viruddh Arthi Shabd (Antonyms) of common Sindhi words

•       One-word substitutions (Ek Shabd Prayog) for phrases in Sindhi

•       Muhavare (Idioms) and Aakaani (Proverbs): meanings and use in sentences

•       Tatsama (Sanskrit-origin, unchanged), Tadbhava (Sanskrit-derived with phonological changes), Videshi Shabd (Persian, Arabic, and English borrowings — a significant part of Sindhi vocabulary)

•       Upsarg (Prefixes) and Pratyaya (Suffixes): word formation; identifying root words (Dhatu)

Section B: Prescribed Texts (40 Marks)

Candidates answer four questions from ONLY two of the prescribed textbooks. All answers must be in Sindhi.

Always confirm the exact prescribed textbooks with your school or from the official CISCE website before the start of the session.

Types of Prescribed Texts

•       Prose anthology (Gadya Sankalan): essays, short stories, biographical sketches, travel writing by notable Sindhi authors

•       Poetry anthology (Padya Sankalan / Kavita Sangrah): poems by classical and modern Sindhi poets

•       A novel or supplementary reader may be prescribed in some sessions

Classical Sindhi Literature

Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai (1689-1752)

•       The greatest poet of Sindhi literature; his Shah Jo Risalo is the supreme work of Sindhi letters, organised into 30 Surs (chapters), composed in the Wai form

•       Themes: Sufi mysticism, divine love, the soul's yearning for union with God expressed through folk heroines as allegorical symbols:

◦       Marui: abducted but yearning for home — soul longing for its divine origin

◦       Sassi: searching across deserts for her beloved — the seeker's journey toward God

◦       Sohni: crossing the river on a pot to meet her beloved — the soul's daily striving toward the divine

◦       Noori: fisherwoman turned queen — humility and divine grace

◦       Momal: beauty, love, and fidelity tested

•       His poetry is sung to traditional ragas by Sindhi musicians to this day

Sachal Sarmast (1739-1827)

•       'The truthful one'; Sufi mystic; wrote in Sindhi, Seraiki, Urdu, Persian, and Arabic

•       Themes: mystical union, unity of all religions, critique of orthodoxy and ritual, divine love

Sami (c.1743-1850) and Shah Inayat Shaheed (d.1718)

•       Sami: Hindu Sufi poet; Bhakti and mystical devotion; part of Sindh's cross-religious literary tradition

•       Shah Inayat: Sufi saint and poet; symbol of spiritual and social resistance

Modern Sindhi Literature

Mirza Qalich Beg (1853-1929)

•       'Father of Modern Sindhi Prose'; wrote Zenat — the first modern Sindhi novel; standardised Sindhi prose; made literature accessible to modern readers

Narayan Shyam (1917-1983)

•       Celebrated modern Sindhi poet; themes of Partition displacement, nostalgia for Sindh, and Sindhi cultural identity in exile

Sundri Uttamchandani (1924-2013)

•       Short stories and novels on Sindhi women's lives; progressive social themes; Sahitya Akademi Award winner

Gobind Malhi (1919-2007)

•       Novels on the Partition of 1947 and the Sindhi community's life in independent India; Sahitya Akademi Award winner

Popati Hiranandani (1924-2017) and Mohan Kalpana (1927-2014)

•       Popati Hiranandani: prolific writer and activist; devoted life to preserving Sindhi language and culture after 1947

•       Mohan Kalpana: modern poet; themes of existentialism and the displaced Sindhi community

Nature of Questions in Section B

•       Explanation and appreciation of passages or stanzas: meaning in the student's own words (artha viakaran)

•       Short answer questions: factual questions on content, characters, or events

•       Character analysis: role, qualities, and significance of a character or folk persona

•       Thematic questions: central theme, moral, or social message of a prose piece or poem

•       Context questions (Prasang Jigyasa): speaker, context, and significance of a quoted passage or Bait

•       Language appreciation: identifying Alankar and Chhand in the prescribed poems

Internal Assessment (20 Marks)

Class IX requires 2 to 3 assignments per year: at least one from the language component and one from the literature component.

Language Assignments

•       Creative writing (300-400 words): prompted by music, sounds, a picture/photograph, an opening sentence, or a newspaper clipping

•       Factual writing (informative or argumentative) in Sindhi

•       Expressive writing (descriptive or imaginative) in Sindhi

•       A film or book review in Sindhi

•       Aural assignment: listening to a passage in Sindhi, then summarising or answering questions

Literature Assignments

•       Character analysis: essay on a character or folk heroine from the prescribed text

•       Thematic analysis: central theme or message of a prescribed work

•       Socio-cultural or historical background: context of a prescribed work (e.g. Sufi tradition in Shah Abdul Latif; Partition of 1947 in modern Sindhi writing)

•       Summary or paraphrase (Saar / Artha Viakaran): in the student's own words

Internal Assessment Grading: Creative Writing

Internal Assessment Grading: Literature

Preparation Tips for Students

For Section A: Language

•       Practise writing Sindhi compositions on a variety of topics with clear paragraphing and correct spelling

•       Practise both Sarkari Khat (formal) and Nijji Khat (informal) letter formats; memorise the complete layout including script conventions

•       Read unseen Sindhi prose regularly; answer comprehension questions in complete Sindhi sentences without copying from the passage

•       Revise Sindhi's unique grammar features: the double-duty 'khe' (accusative AND dative), the ergative past tense (verb agrees with object, not subject), and the genitive jo/ji/ja pattern. Also revise Samaas, Sandhi, Alankar (especially jivha(n)/vangur/misali for Upma), Chhand (Bait and Wai), Vakya Parivartan

•       Keep a Shabda Bhandar notebook: synonyms, antonyms, Muhavare (idioms), Aakaani (proverbs), Tatsama/Tadbhava/Persian-Arabic borrowed words

For Section B: Prescribed Texts

•       Read all prescribed prose and poems thoroughly and repeatedly; do not rely on summaries

•       Understand the allegorical dimension of Shah Abdul Latif's folk heroines — questions often test the Sufi symbolism (Marui = soul longing for God, Sassi = seeker's journey, Sohni = daily spiritual striving)

•       Study the Partition context of modern Sindhi writing — Sindhi is unique in that the whole community was displaced in 1947; themes of nostalgia, displacement, and cultural preservation define this literature

•       Practise context questions (Prasang Jigyasa): speaker, context, and significance of a quoted Bait or passage

•       Solve previous ICSE Sindhi question papers to understand format, depth, and time management