Sep
6
Written by:
host
9/6/2007 10:08 AM
Roma people, also called as Romanies and Gypsies, live mostly in Europe and Americas. Roma people, originally Hindus, belonged to Punjab/Sindh of North-west India. They believed to have migrated to Europe via Persia to escape Muslim onslaught around eleventh century AD. Rough estimates put their population at 15 to 30 million now, out of which close to 10 million live in Europe, especially in Eastern Europe.
India had seen waves of Islamic onslaughts during medieval times. Killing innocents, pillaging the sacred, enslaving the defeated became the practice. On one account, Ghazni Muhammad took over 500,000 people as salves to his kingdom who might have migrated to Europe to escape persecution. They are also a few other theories on Roma’s migration from India. As per W.R.Rishi, one part of the defeated army of Prithviraj Chauhan, set off across Afghanistan to Europe. As per some other theory, Romas were a victorious Hindu army against Muhammad Ghazani, who went further and eventually crossed over to Europe.
They were worshippers of Goddess Kali centuries ago but later on adopted the religions prevalent in their host countries like Christianity and Islam. Music and Palmistry were some of their favourite professions. Even though they were away from their homeland, they maintained strong commitment to their culture for centuries and keep themselves away from other cultures. This had nearly marginalized them from the societies around. Often, they were treated very inhumanly and were subjected to discrimination and persecution. Many European countries had their hands soaked with the blood of Roma people. Romas were rounded up and hunted down like animals in many of the European countries and the hunters were rewarded by the rulers. Nazi Christians of Germany exterminated about a million Romanies along with several million Jews. Countries like Hungary, Romania, Spain, France, Finland along with many other European countries had their share in persecution of their own Roma people. Roma people are subjected to human rights violations even now and live in utter poverty in these countries. Countries, who boast of civil rights and civil liberties, are shamefully silent when it comes to Romanies.
I happened to read the following account from one of websites by Artur Radvansky — a Jewish Holocaust survivor:
"I witnessed the most terrible thing, something which no-one else knows about in this country because no-one else is alive to remember it. One day, the Auschwitz guards brought in between 400 and 600 Roma from Germany. Many of the men were former German soldiers who had fought in Poland during the First World War. Some of them were still wearing their medals: the Knight's Cross, if you're familiar with it. They were decorated soldiers — German soldiers — and yet one night the guards came and took them to the gas chambers to be killed."
The world acknowledge with great grief the holocaust of Jews by Nazi Christians. However, the holocaust of Romanies by the same groups is selectively ignored. It is important for Romanies to unite and fight for their basic civil rights. Hope one day, this centuries old discrimination will end and they too will live with dignity and respect wherever they are.
Video on holocaust of Roma:
Some of the Roma websites:
- http://www.romani.org/
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roma_people
- Roma Music
- http://www.romawomen.ro/
Copyright ©2007 BharatWisdom
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9 comments so far...
Re: Roma : The lost Hindus
Latcho dives (Good Day in the tongue of the Sinti-Rom)
There is but one part that I would like to take issue with and that is the fact that not all Romani People are of the Roma group. There are at least two - if not indeed three - distinct different Romani groups and wile we are all Romani we are not all Roma. Sinti, for instance, are not Roma and this is shown by cultural differences as well as DNA, and the same holds true for the Cale, so it would appear.
Latcho drom,
M V Smith
Gypsy Union
Romani Institute
By Veshengro on
9/5/2007 10:16 AM
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Re: Roma : The lost Hindus
Thank you for the update.
By host on
9/6/2007 10:41 PM
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Re: Roma : The lost Hindus
You are most welcome
M V Smith
Gypsy Union
http://gypsyunion.blogspot.com
By Veshengro on
9/5/2007 1:36 PM
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Re: Roma : The lost Hindus
Dear Narasimha,
you wrote that according to an account Ghazni Muhammad took over 500,000 people...This large number of deported people is very remarkable. Will you cite your sources please?
By Tsutomu Inoue on
9/6/2007 10:09 AM
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Re: Roma : The lost Hindus
I think this was the figure given by Abu Nasr Muhammad Utbi, the secretary and chronicler of Mahmud Ghaznavi. You can find more about this at 1. http://www.voiceofdharma.com/books/mssmi/ch3.htm 2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_Slave_System_in_Medieval_India 3. http://www.romani.org/rishi/retygajo.html 4. http://orbat.com/site/cimh/kings_master/kings/mahmud_ghaznavi/Mahmud%20Ghaznavi.html
By host on
9/6/2007 10:23 AM
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Re: Roma : The lost Hindus
Many Vlax hold to the belief they are decended from Jews, as the Romanipen laws are closer to the Laws of Moses than Hindu beliefs.
By Tomás Ó Cárthaigh on
3/28/2008 4:31 AM
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Jews join Hindus in asking Pope to save European Roma from apartheid
Jews join Hindus in asking Pope to save European Roma from apartheid
Jews have joined Hindus in asking His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to advocate the case of about ten million Roma people of Europe, who have been maltreated for centuries and reportedly live in apartheid conditions.
Advancing the cause spearheaded by acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed; Rabbi Jonathan B. Freirich, prominent Jewish leader in Nevada and California in USA; in a statement today at South Lake Tahoe (California), said, "As head of the largest religious organization in the world, Pope Benedict has a special responsibility to come to the rescue of the mistreated and powerless of the world, especially when Europeans continue to rain down injustice and inequality upon the Roma populations in their midst."
"Justice, justice you shall pursue," Rabbi Freirich quoted a dictate from a text (Deuteronomy 16:20), shared by Jews and Christians, to back this cause.
Rabbi Freirich pointed out, "As leaders of communities that hold justice for all as a prominent value, we cannot tolerate the human rights violations and the structural discrimination of most disadvantaged Roma living deep in poverty even in the most prosperous nations of Europe and the world. While Europe has worked diligently to repair the damage done to Jews in the Twentieth Century, the perpetual persecution of the Roma persisting to this day must rise to the consciousness of the leader of the Catholic world."
Rajan Zed, president of Universal Society of Hinduism, has been highlighting the maltreatment of Roma people of Europe, and urging Pope to openly embrace their cause. Rabbi Freirich has announced his wholehearted support to Zed's stand on the Roma issue.
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By host on
1/16/2009 1:39 AM
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Re: Roma : The lost Hindus
Can you tell us i do it exist some web sites on Sinti-Rom painting arts?
We are interested four our painting courses in Italy:
http://www.laba.biz
Best regards
By Laba on
12/5/2009 2:11 AM
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Re: Roma : The lost Hindus
Anyone who spaek for these people is a great Indian.
By paramvir saini on
5/29/2010 7:36 AM
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