Indian Community • Los Angeles
Sindhi Community in Los Angeles
Sindhu Center (Norwalk) since 1997 • SASC founded 1986 • 2 International Sammelans hosted • Artesia Little India • Cheti Chand annually
Southern California’s Sindhi community is anchored at the Sindhu Center in Norwalk — a permanent community-owned facility purchased in 1997 by the Sindhi Association of Southern California (SASC), the region’s 40-year-old Sindhi civic backbone. Families live in Cerritos, Artesia, and Diamond Bar, with a newer professional wave in Irvine, all orbiting the Artesia Pioneer Boulevard “Little India” commercial corridor — one of the most complete Indian shopping ecosystems in America outside of Edison, NJ. SASC has hosted two international Sindhi Sammelans in Los Angeles (2001 and 2009), signaling that SoCal punches above its weight in the global Sindhi diaspora. The year’s defining gathering is Cheti Chand at the Sindhu Center — the birthday of Jhulelal, patron saint of the Sindhi people.
Last updated: March 2026 • Full Indian Community guide for Los Angeles →
Why Sindhi Families Choose Los Angeles
The Sindhi community has been in Southern California since the early 1980s, making it one of the longer-established Sindhi diaspora settlements in America. The Artesia Pioneer Boulevard corridor — which may have its commercial origins in the hands of Indian merchants, possibly including Sindhi entrepreneurs — has evolved into one of the largest and most complete South Asian commercial ecosystems in the US. Today it is the community’s daily hub: two Pioneer Cash & Carry grocery stores, multiple Indian restaurants, sari shops, and jewelers stocking everything a Sindhi household needs.
The anchor institution is the Sindhu Center in Norwalk — a community-owned facility that SASC purchased in 1997 after years of holding events in member homes. The center hosts monthly satsangs, the annual Cheti Chand celebration, Mata Ka Jagrans, yoga classes, and social gatherings. Its Sindhi Link monthly newsletter, published since the community’s founding in 1986, covers satsang news, matrimonial listings, and event announcements for members across LA, Orange, and Riverside counties. That geographic reach is deliberate: SASC has always been a regional organization, not just an LA city org.
Southern California’s Sindhi community is smaller than NJ or Houston, and more diffused. There is no Sindhi-dense neighborhood, no Sindhi restaurant, and no in-person Sindhi language school. What there is: a 40-year-old community organization that has kept Sindhi identity alive across three generations, a permanent temple-and-hall that is entirely community-funded and volunteer-run, and an Indian commercial corridor that ensures Sindhi families can cook, shop, and socialize in a way that feels like home.
Where Sindhi Families Live in Los Angeles
The Sindhi community does not cluster in a single neighborhood — unlike the Gujarati community which has Artesia’s Pioneer Boulevard as its commercial anchor and specific Swaminarayan temple zones as its residential magnet. Sindhis blend into the broader North Indian and Gujarati residential corridor and maintain community identity through the Sindhu Center, not through a neighborhood. Here is where they actually live.
Cerritos — The School-Driven Residential Anchor
Cerritos is where Sindhi families with school-age children have settled since the 1980s. With an Asian population of 62 (ACS 2022).6% and approximately 3,674 Indian-ancestry residents, Cerritos has long been a premier Indian-American suburb in Southern California. The draw is schools: Whitney High School — ranked #1 in California and #27 nationally (US News 2012) — and Oxford Academy are the gravitational centers for Indian families prioritizing academics. The ABC Unified School District serves most of Cerritos. For Sindhi families, Cerritos means top schools plus proximity to the Artesia Pioneer Blvd corridor and the Sindhu Center in adjacent Norwalk.
Artesia — The Commercial Heart of Little India
Pioneer Boulevard between 183rd and 188th Streets is Southern California’s “Little India” — 120+ South Asian businesses in a six-block stretch that generates an estimated 25% of Artesia’s city sales tax from Indian-owned businesses alone. Two Pioneer Cash & Carry grocery stores (founded 1982, fully vegetarian, baking fresh pav daily) are the anchor; Ambala Cash & Carry and RASA Indian Grocery round out the corridor. Sindhi families living in Artesia or nearby Norwalk can walk to sari shops, jewelers, Indian sweet shops, and grocery stores that stock the full Sindhi pantry — besan, karela, methi, doodhi, papad, whole spices. Little India has faced post-pandemic headwinds (foot traffic down roughly 50%, some shop closures) but remains the commercial center of Indian Southern California.
Diamond Bar — Inland Family Suburb
Diamond Bar in the eastern San Gabriel Valley (~20 miles east of Artesia) is a bedroom community of ~55,000 with an Asian population over 62%. Median household income ~$106,600 puts it firmly in upper-middle-class suburban territory. Indian families choose Diamond Bar for good schools, more affordable housing than Cerritos, and a quieter pace. The commute to the Sindhu Center in Norwalk is manageable on weekends. This is the Sindhi community’s inland residential zone, without its own dedicated Sindhi institutions.
Irvine / Orange County — The Tech Professional Wave
A newer settlement layer has emerged in Irvine and surrounding Orange County cities, driven by tech and healthcare professionals. ACS 2022 data shows 6,156 India-born residents in the Irvine PUMA — with Hindi speakers (2,692) and Gujarati speakers (657) prominent; Sindhi (counted under “Other Indic” at 542) is part of this growing professional community. Irvine lacks a dedicated Sindhi institution; newcomers here connect back to the Sindhu Center in Norwalk or tap national networks like SANA. For recent tech immigrants, Irvine offers the corporate proximity and lifestyle amenities that make it worth the distance from the Little India corridor.
Sindhi Organizations in Los Angeles
Sindhi Association of Southern California (SASC)
14117 Clarkdale Ave, Norwalk, CA 90650 (Sindhu Center) • sindhicenter.org • Facebook: sindhucenterla
SASC is the sole formal Sindhi community organization for all of Southern California — and it has been for 40 years. Incorporated with the California Secretary of State on February 4, 1986, founded by the Makhijani, Chandnani, Uttamchandani, and Samtani families who organized the community before there was a formal entity. Today it is a registered 501(c)(3) (EIN 33-0269065), entirely volunteer-run, with FY 2024 revenues of $136,500 and $695,836 in assets — the bulk of that is the Sindhu Center property itself, owned free and clear by the community.
SASC’s reach extends across Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside counties. Its monthly Sindhi Link newsletter — published since founding — covers satsang updates, matrimonial listings, births, weddings, deaths, and event announcements: everything that makes a dispersed community feel like a connected one. SASC hosted the 8th International Sindhi Sammelan (July 2001, Radisson Hotel LA) and the 16th International Sindhi Sammelan (July 2009, Westin Hotel LA) — signals that the Southern California Sindhi community carries significant national and international weight.
Sindhi Association of North America (SANA)
sanaonline.org
SANA is the largest Sindhi representative body in North America, founded 1985. No California chapter office, but LA-area families are eligible members and have access to national programming:
- SOLS (Sindhi Online Language School): 4 curriculum levels, online, free/low-cost enrollment at sanaonline.org/sols/
- SYNA (Sindhi Youth of North America): Youth networking — sanaonline.org/syna/
- SANA FAME Scholarship: Academic scholarships for Sindhi students
- SWAN: Sindhi Women’s Association of North America
- SAATH: Cultural networking organization
Alliance of Global Sindhi Associations (AGSA)
sindhisammelan.com — The international umbrella body that organizes rotating International Sindhi Sammelans. SASC is a founding member. The Sammelan network is the clearest expression of the global Sindhi diaspora staying connected across continents. LA families interested in the broader diaspora should follow AGSA’s event calendar.
Sindhi Temples & Satsang Centers
Sindhu Center (Sindhi Association of Southern California)
14117 Clarkdale Ave, Norwalk, CA 90650 • (909) 709-3541 • sindhicenter.org
The Sindhu Center is the beating heart of Sindhi community life in Southern California. Acquired by SASC in 1997 after years of holding gatherings in member homes, the center is entirely community-owned and volunteer-operated. Facilities include a worship space dedicated to Jhulelal and Sai Baba devotional practice, a community hall, kitchen, library (books in Sindhi, Hindi, and English), and a yoga room.
Regular programming: monthly satsangs, Jagrans, Kirtans, yoga classes, youth meetings, cultural courses, social gatherings and karaoke. Annual festivals observed: Cheti Chand (the Sindhi New Year centerpiece), Holi, Diwali, Shiv Ratri, Janmashtami, Ramnavami, Guru Nanak Jayanti, Mata Ka Jagran, and Teejri. The hall is available to other Hindu organizations for rental. Call ahead to confirm current Sunday hours and event dates; Cheti Chand is typically late March or early April (2026: March 25).
Los Angeles Sathya Sai Center
2961 Motor Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90064 • (310) 837-8568 • region8saicenters.org
Meetings: Saturdays 4:30–6:30 PM (first Saturday in-person; other Saturdays Zoom)
Sai Baba devotion runs deep in Sindhi Hindu culture across the diaspora. The LA Sathya Sai Center serves all Sai devotees — not ethnically Sindhi — but is a natural touchpoint for Sindhi families who include Sai worship in their practice alongside Jhulelal devotion. The center runs service programs monthly for the homeless community in Venice. Additional Sai Baba centers may operate closer to the Artesia/Cerritos area; check sathyasai.us for the interactive center finder.
Sindhi Food & Groceries in Los Angeles
There is no dedicated Sindhi restaurant in the Los Angeles metro. Sindhi cuisine — sai bhaji, sindhi kadhi, koki, seviyan, sindhi dal — is primarily the domain of home kitchens and community potlucks at the Sindhu Center. This is worth knowing before you arrive: the community food experience in LA is intimate and home-based, not restaurant-driven. That is not a gap — it is characteristic of a tight-knit Sindhi community that has always organized around the home as the center of cultural life.
Artesia Little India — Grocery Corridor
The Pioneer Boulevard corridor in Artesia is one of the most complete Indian grocery ecosystems in the US outside of Edison, NJ. For Sindhi home cooks, every staple is available here:
- Pioneer Cash & Carry (Store 1): 18601 Pioneer Blvd, Artesia • (562) 809-0004. Founded 1982. Fully vegetarian store — no meat on premises. Fresh pav baked daily, paneer, yogurt, frozen foods, spices. Among the most-reviewed and highest-rated Indian grocery stores in SoCal. pioneercashandcarry.com
- Pioneer Cash & Carry (Store 2): 11700 183rd St, Artesia • (562) 809-9433. Second location same block.
- Ambala Cash & Carry: 18411 Pioneer Blvd, Artesia • (562) 924-1441. Fresh vegetables, lentils, traditional Indian snacks, live panipuri and paan service. Open daily 10am–10pm.
- RASA Indian Grocery: 18707 Pioneer Blvd, Artesia • (562) 402-9622. Organic-focused Indian grocery on Pioneer Boulevard.
- Kerala Store: 11826 Artesia Blvd, Artesia • (562) 916-0299. South Indian grocery emphasis; part of the Artesia cluster.
Artesia Restaurants (Community Dining Hub)
While no Sindhi restaurant exists, the Artesia corridor has Indian vegetarian restaurants that share considerable overlap with Sindhi vegetarian cuisine — dal, kadhi, thali-style service, street food:
- Rajdhani Restaurant: 18525 Pioneer Blvd, Artesia • rajdhaniofartesia.com. Gujarati unlimited thali — dal, kadhi, vaal, palak paneer, puri, papad, roti, mango ras, dhokla. One of the most reviewed Indian restaurants on the Little India strip.
- Jay Bharat Restaurant: 18701 Pioneer Blvd, Artesia • jaybharat.com. Founded 1988; institution-level status on the corridor. Gujarati snacks and thali. Open since the corridor’s founding era.
Sindhi Language & Schools
No in-person Sindhi language school operates in Southern California. SASC has historically offered cultural courses at the Sindhu Center — contact them directly at (909) 709-3541 to ask whether Sindhi language or cultural classes are currently available. The national online option is the most reliable path:
- SANA Sindhi Online Language School (SOLS): 4 levels — alphabets through advanced grammar. Reading, speaking, listening. Curriculum referenced against Sindh board textbooks. Online; accessible from anywhere in LA. Enroll at sanaonline.org/sols/. Contact: presidentofsana@gmail.com or +1 (773) 827-4162.
- SYNA (Sindhi Youth of North America): Youth networking for the second generation at sanaonline.org/syna/
Sindhi Arts & Culture
Cheti Chand — Sindhi New Year (The Year’s Defining Gathering)
Cheti Chand — the birthday of Jhulelal (Uderolal), Sindhi patron saint and river deity — is the most important Sindhi festival globally and the anchor event of the year at the Sindhu Center. Celebrated on Chaitra Sud 2 in the Hindu lunar calendar (typically March or April): 2026: March 25 • 2025: March 30 • 2024: April 9.
At the Sindhu Center in Norwalk, Cheti Chand is observed with community puja, jhankis (tableau processions), bhajans, prayers, a communal feast, and distribution of prasad — thadri, akkha (wheat grains), and offerings with fish imagery that honor Jhulelal’s identity as a water deity. This is the day when Sindhi families from across Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside counties come together under one roof. For a newly arrived Sindhi family, Cheti Chand at the Sindhu Center is the fastest way to enter the community network. Contact SASC at (909) 709-3541 for the specific date and venue confirmation each year.
LA’s Role in the Global Sindhi Diaspora
The Sindhi community in Southern California has hosted two of the most significant global Sindhi gatherings in diaspora history: the 8th International Sindhi Sammelan (July 13–15, 2001, Radisson Hotel Los Angeles, convened by SASC President Kishore Lala) and the 16th International Sindhi Sammelan (July 24–26, 2009, Westin Hotel Los Angeles, organized by SASC). Hosting the Sammelan signals global credibility — these are gatherings of Sindhi diaspora leaders from the US, Canada, UK, Southeast Asia, and India. For a community that is numerically smaller than NJ or Houston, the two Sammelans in LA are a point of real pride.
Annual Community Events at the Sindhu Center
- Cheti Chand — Sindhi New Year (March/April); primary annual gathering
- Mata Ka Jagran — All-night devotional singing (documented 2011; ask SASC for current schedule)
- Teejri (Teeyan) — Women’s festival with fasting and songs (documented 2016)
- Diwali, Holi, Janmashtami, Shiv Ratri, Ramnavami, Guru Nanak Jayanti — Observed across the Hindu calendar
- Monthly satsangs — Regular community devotional gatherings at member homes and at the center
- Annual community picnic — Social gathering for the full LA-area Sindhi community
Data Sources
U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2022 5-Year Estimates) • Community organization websites and direct verification • Local school district enrollment data • Zillow and Apartments.com (rent estimates) • Glassdoor and BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (salary data) • Redfin (home price data). Community population estimates reflect available Census language data combined with organization-reported figures. Read our full research methodology →