{"id":8567,"date":"2019-02-09T19:59:50","date_gmt":"2019-02-09T19:59:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/?p=8567"},"modified":"2019-02-13T14:13:29","modified_gmt":"2019-02-13T14:13:29","slug":"the-romani-from-india-to-the-world-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/the-romani-from-india-to-the-world-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The Romani: from India to the World, Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

In last week\u2019s blog<\/a>, we discussed the Romani (Romany or Roma), a group (\u0938\u092e\u0942\u0939\/samooh)<\/strong> of people from the Northwestern Indian subcontinent (\u0909\u0924\u094d\u0924\u0930-\u092a\u0936\u094d\u091a\u093f\u092e\u0940 \u0907\u0902\u0921\u093f\u092f\u0928 \u0909\u092a\u092e\u0939\u093e\u0926\u094d\u0935\u0940\u092a\/uttar-paschimi Indian upmahaadveep)<\/strong> who, about 1,500 years ago, migrated (\u092a\u094d\u0930\u0935\u093e\u0938 \u0915\u0930\u0928\u093e\/pravaas karnaa)<\/strong> from this region (\u0915\u094d\u0937\u0947\u0924\u094d\u0930\/kshetra)<\/strong> and eventually settled (\u092c\u0938\u0928\u093e\/basnaa)<\/strong> in about 30 countries (\u0926\u0947\u0936\/desh)<\/strong> worldwide. In this second part of the blog series, we\u2019ll talk about the Romani\u2019s history (\u0907\u0924\u093f\u0939\u093e\u0938\/itihaas)<\/strong>, culture (\u0938\u0902\u0938\u094d\u0915\u0943\u0924\u093f\/sanskriti)<\/strong> and religious beliefs (\u0927\u093e\u0930\u094d\u092e\u093f\u0915 \u0935\u093f\u0936\u094d\u0935\u093e\u0938\/dhaarmik vishvaas)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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The World Roma festival occurs every year in Prague; image by Jialiang Gao on Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.<\/p><\/div>\n

Despite their rich culture, remarkable fortitude and ability to adapt to adverse and ever-changing circumstances (\u092a\u0930\u093f\u0938\u094d\u0925\u093f\u0924\u093f\u092f\u093e\u0901\/paristithiyaan, \u092a\u0930\u093f\u0938\u094d\u0925\u093f\u0924\u093f=singular)<\/strong>, the Romani people have known discrimination (\u092d\u0947\u0926\u092d\u093e\u0935\/bhedbhaav)<\/strong>\u00a0and stigma in many of the places to which they\u2019ve traveled and in which they\u2019ve made their homes. In fact, until the gradual abolition of slavery (\u0917\u0941\u0932\u093e\u092e\u0940\/gulaami)<\/strong> in the mid-1800s in what are today regions of Romania and Moldova, the Romani were sometimes kept as slaves (\u0917\u0941\u0932\u093e\u092e\/gulaam);<\/strong> indeed, in medieval Europe, slavery was commonplace and usually targeted the poor, downcast and marginalized members of society as its victims. However, even while slavery was legal in Europe, many Romani continued to travel freely with their wagons, their nomadic lifestyle (\u0916\u093c\u093e\u0928\u093e\u092c\u0926\u094b\u0936 \u091c\u0940\u0935\u0928 \u0936\u0948\u0932\u0940\/khaanaabadosh jeevan shaili or \u0916\u093c\u093e\u0928\u093e\u092c\u0926\u094b\u0936\u0940=nomadic life)<\/strong>\u00a0undoubtedly making it more difficult for people to enslave them permanently. Over time, the wagon wheel (\u092a\u0939\u093f\u092f\u093e\/pahiyaa)<\/strong>\u00a0became a powerful symbol (\u092a\u094d\u0930\u0924\u0940\u0915\/prateek)<\/strong>\u00a0of the Romani, which embellishes their flag (\u091d\u0902\u0921\u093e\/jhandaa)<\/strong> today. This flag was created in 1933 and later accepted by the World Romani Congress in 1971 as a symbol of the Romani people as a whole.<\/p>\n

In addition to being subjected to slavery, the Romani people were victims (\u0936\u093f\u0915\u093e\u0930\/shikaar)<\/strong> of ethnic cleansing, abduction of their children, forced labor, expulsion from the communities in which they attempted to settle and all manner of horrific violence (\u0939\u093f\u0902\u0938\u093e\/himsaa)<\/strong>. In WWII, they suffered at the hands of the Nazis who forced them to live in concentration camps where they performed grueling labor and were subjected to genocide (\u0928\u0930\u0938\u0902\u0939\u093e\u0930\/narsamhaar)<\/strong>, a process that decimated numerous Romani communities (\u0938\u092e\u0941\u0926\u093e\u092f\/samudaay)<\/strong> and is known as \u201cPorajmos\u201d (or \u201cThe Devouring\u201d) in Romani. In what is now the Czech Republic, the extermination of the Romani communities living there during WWII was so severe that an entire language, Bohemian Romani, became extinct. Even after the war had ended, the suffering (\u092a\u0940\u0921\u093c\u093e\/peeraa)<\/strong> of the Romani scarcely ceased and discrimination against them continues today as they are targeted as scapegoats for a variety of modern ills.<\/p>\n

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An artist’s rendering of a Spanish Romani family, by painter Yevgraf Sorokin, circa 1853; image by Yevgraf Sorokin on Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain.<\/p><\/div>\n

Interestingly, there are numerous parallels (\u0938\u092e\u093e\u0928\u0924\u093e\u090f\u0901\/samaantaae=similarities)<\/strong> between Indian and Romani culture. The Romani highly value community spirit and the extended family, preferring to live with numerous generations (\u092a\u0940\u0922\u093c\u093f\u092f\u093e\u0901\/peeriyaan, \u092a\u0940\u0922\u093c\u0940=singular)<\/strong> close together. Additionally, it is common for men and women to marry at a young age and, indeed, this has given rise to controversy (\u0935\u093f\u0935\u093e\u0926\/vivaad)<\/strong> over the practice of child marriage (\u092c\u093e\u0932 \u0935\u093f\u0935\u093e\u0939\/baal vivaah)<\/strong>. Unlike some dowry practices (\u0926\u0939\u0947\u091c \u0915\u0940 \u092a\u094d\u0930\u0925\u093e\u090f\u0901\/dahej ki prathaae)<\/strong> in North India today, the male side must pay a bride price to the bride\u2019s parents as part of the wedding arrangements in traditional Romani communities (this practice is not observed by all). Yet, like many North Indian households, once the bride and groom are married, the bride joins her husband\u2019s family, where she may work her way up the hierarchy by becoming a mother and, later on, a senior wife. Within the extended family, however, it is generally the oldest male who holds the most authority.<\/p>\n

Additionally, traditional Romani groups practice purity (\u092a\u0935\u093f\u0924\u094d\u0930\u0924\u093e\/pavitrataa or \u0936\u0941\u0926\u094d\u0927\u0924\u093e\/shuddhtaa) <\/strong>injunctions similar to those observed by traditional Hindus, such as considering certain parts of the body to be impure (\u0905\u0936\u0941\u0926\u094d\u0927\/ashudd or \u0905\u092a\u0935\u093f\u0924\u094d\u0930\/apavitra)<\/strong>\u00a0(namely, the lower half of the body) and washing clothes for those parts of the body separately from other clothes as well as washing eating utensils separately. Moreover, childbirth is considered impure so it often occurs outside a person\u2019s dwelling place and, after giving birth, the mother is considered impure for a period of time as well. Similarly, death (\u092e\u094c\u0924\/maut or \u092e\u0943\u0924\u094d\u092f\u0941\/mrityu)<\/strong> incurs impurity onto the deceased person\u2019s family, who remain isolated from society for a period of time after their relative\u2019s death. Yet, unlike most North Indian Hindus, the Romani typically bury their dead.<\/p>\n

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Romani children, by artist August von Pettenkoffen, circa 1855; image by August von Pettenkoffen on Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain.<\/p><\/div>\n

Most fascinating, perhaps, is that the Romani have a term for their all-encompassing way of life and culture: Romanipen. This term does not refer to any particular cultural practice but rather to the Romani way of life and perspective\u00a0(\u0926\u0943\u0937\u094d\u091f\u093f\u0915\u094b\u0923\/drishtikon)\u00a0<\/strong>and the fortitude and verve needed to keep moving forward despite societal pressure (\u0938\u092e\u093e\u091c\u093f\u0915 \u0926\u092c\u093e\u0935\/samaajik dabaav)<\/strong> to conform \u2013 this term may even be described as a state of being or life philosophy (\u0926\u0930\u094d\u0936\u0928\/darshan)<\/strong> that differentiates a true Romani from a gadjo<\/em> or outsider (\u092a\u0930\u093e\u092f\u093e\/paraayaa or \u0905\u091c\u0928\u092c\u0940\/ajnabi)<\/strong>. Romanipen is an important concept in the Romani cultural worldview but, at the same time, it is not guaranteed merely because one is born a Romani. A Romani who does not respect the cultural practices of his community and distances himself from this way of life is thought to have lost this essence (\u0917\u0941\u0923\/gun=quality)<\/strong>, while a person who has been adopted into this way of life or has intermarried into the community can attain this essence if they respect the Romani\u2019s cultural practices, learn from their elders and embody the spirit of Romanipen.<\/p>\n

Many Romani religious practices (\u0927\u093e\u0930\u094d\u092e\u093f\u0915 \u092a\u094d\u0930\u0925\u093e\u090f\u0901\/dhaarmik prathaae)<\/strong> have their roots (\u092e\u0942\u0932\/mool or \u091c\u0921\u093c\/jar)<\/strong> in a variety of Hinduism known as \u201cShaktism\u201d which stipulates that a female consort is necessary for the worship of a god, meaning that prayer (\u092a\u094d\u0930\u093e\u0930\u094d\u0925\u0928\u093e\/praarthnaa)<\/strong> is conducted through a female medium but is ultimately directed toward the male deity. Yet, the Romani\u2019s nomadic nature and residence in a variety of countries has forced them to adapt their Hindu beliefs to a variety of other religions (\u0927\u0930\u094d\u092e\/dharm)<\/strong>, such as Christianity and Islam, in case a religious ceremony such as a baptism or funeral was ever required in their country of residence. Today, in fact, most Romani identify as Christian. The result of this adaptation of Hinduism to other religions is a fascinating syncretistic belief system, one interesting example of which is Saint Sarah or Sara e Kali, which is a Christian remodeling of the Hindu goddess (\u0926\u0947\u0935\u0940\/devi)<\/strong> Kali. This saint possesses a shrine at Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer in France and is envisioned not only as a Christian saint-cum-Hindu-goddess but as emblematic of the Romani people\u2019s unshakeable link to the Hinduism of their ancestors (\u092a\u0941\u0930\u094d\u0935\u091c\/purvaj or \u092a\u0941\u0930\u0916\u093e\/purkhaa)<\/strong> and their origins in the subcontinent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

In last week\u2019s blog, we discussed the Romani (Romany or Roma), a group (\u0938\u092e\u0942\u0939\/samooh) of people from the Northwestern Indian subcontinent (\u0909\u0924\u094d\u0924\u0930-\u092a\u0936\u094d\u091a\u093f\u092e\u0940 \u0907\u0902\u0921\u093f\u092f\u0928 \u0909\u092a\u092e\u0939\u093e\u0926\u094d\u0935\u0940\u092a\/uttar-paschimi Indian upmahaadveep) who, about 1,500 years ago, migrated (\u092a\u094d\u0930\u0935\u093e\u0938 \u0915\u0930\u0928\u093e\/pravaas karnaa) from this region (\u0915\u094d\u0937\u0947\u0924\u094d\u0930\/kshetra) and eventually settled (\u092c\u0938\u0928\u093e\/basnaa) in about 30 countries (\u0926\u0947\u0936\/desh) worldwide. In this second part of the…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":140,"featured_media":8571,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3792],"tags":[309353,3834,475520,238697,216955,476078,476082],"class_list":["post-8567","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hindi-language","tag-hindi-language","tag-hindi-vocabulary","tag-hindi-words-and-phrases","tag-learning-hindi","tag-roma","tag-romani","tag-romany"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/140"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8567"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8567\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8588,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8567\/revisions\/8588"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8571"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}