India has witnessed numerous out-migrations since the time immemorial, nonetheless, the most intriguing but turbulent dislocation from Northern India has been identified with Roma community whose forefathers were enslaved by Mahmud of Ghazni in September-December 1018 CE when he invaded and plundered Mathura and Kannauj. The Tarikh Al-Yamini, a war chronicle by Sultan Mahmud’s secretary, Abu Nasr Muhammad bin Abd Al Jabbar-al-Utbi, reports the forced dislocation of 50,000 ( 55000 by other historians) people from Mathura and Kannauj, caused by the invasion of Mahmud of Ghazni. These deportees who were outstanding tin-smiths, iron-smiths, gold-smiths and proficient craftsmen, artisans, warriors, musicians, dancers and notables belonging to all walks of life turned out to be the progenitors of Roma. The captured were sold as slaves in Kabul and later in Khorasan, Transoxiana (now Central Asia) and Bagdad where they outnumbered the local population. As Mahmud was aware of the skill and craftsmanship of theses prisoners of war so he was disposed to exploit with an aim of turning Ghazni into the capital city of the world and engaged them in the construction of palaces, buildings and Masjid-i-Jami (Bride of Heaven mosque) in Ghazni (now in south-eastern Afghanistan) and others.
Roma traversed the different territories, starting from Kannauj, Mathura and other northern parts of India to Ghazni in Zabulistan (Southern Afghanistan) and Khorasan in north-eastern Iran wherefrom, they as Ghulams and non-free military forces joined the Seljuks who defeated Ghaznavid army in the Battle of Dandanaqan in 1040. Afterwards, they moved towards Baghdad in Iraq, Armenia and Asia Minor regions on the capture of the city Ani or Anion (the present-day Armenian-Turkish border at Kars) in 1064 CE and the decisive defeat of the Byzantine army at the Battle of Manzikert or Malazgirt in 1071 CE by the Seljuk. In the early fourteenth century, the expansion of the Ottoman Empire throughout Asia Minor precipitated a massive exodus of Roma to Bulgaria, Romania, and Serbia, some stayed in other Balkan states and offered skilled craftsmanship to mainly backward rural populations, while other Romani groups headed further west in Europe by the fifteenth century.
The history of Roma is part of shared history of India, as Roma and Indians suffered the same fate. Roma were displaced by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni, whereas numerous Indian villages and towns were burnt and desolated as well as a multitude of Indians were killed by the same sultan. Despite an elapse of more than thousand years of Roma’s exodus, Indians and Roma are knit together by shared culture and values. This is not only a historical and traditional kinship but also a physical and genetic symmetry.
The Romani people are traditionally itinerants, but now a majority of them no longer leads a nomadic life. They were widely known by the appellation ‘Gypsies’ until the First World Romani Congress in 1971 when the name “Roma” was officially adopted as the sole preferred ethnonym for the Roma-Gypsy groups. The linguists and philologists hypothesize that the word Roma originates from Domba (Sanskrit word “Doma”), an ethnic nomadic group living in the northern part of India. The word “Roma” means “Man and Husband” as well as Romni means “Woman and Wife” and refers to lots of different sub-ethnic groups, including Kalderash in south-eastern Europe; Gypsy and Romanichals in England; Sinti and Zigeuner in Germany and Italy; Gitan and Manush in France; Cigani in Hungary; Kale in Wales, Finland and Portugal; Gitano in Spain; Cigan in Russia; Zingari in Turkey as well as many others. The estimated population of Roma is to be 22 million in the world and around 12-14 million Romani people living on the European continent, representing the largest ethnic minority of Europe but awfully marginalized and backward community.
Romani Culture and Philosophy Symbolizing Indian Heritage
The Roma have taken up the central religion of the host countries where they have settled or been living, though this was usually superficial and just a formal adoption for avoiding religious persecution and alienation. However, some groups of Roma community are still pagans and worshipers of sun and nature. It is also riveting to signify the hereditary disposition of various groups of Roma communities towards India’s Dharmic religions, venerating different deities and exalting the Hindu philosophy for their quest for spiritual and temporal realms, despite they profess to Christianity or Islam or other religious orders.
Roma do not keep idols yet worship female deity, known as Kali Sara (Kali Bibi) or Sainte Sara – is considered to be a goddess of fate, fertility, power and protection, analogous to Indian divine cult of Goddess Kali / Durga. For venerating or worshiping Kali Sara, many Romani groups, traveling from all over the world, attend the Sainte Sara pilgrimage and procession at Saintes Maries de-la-Mer, at the communes of Arles in Southern France between 24th and 25 of May every year. Roma nomadically sing and dance day and night on the streets of Saintes-Maries dela- Mer and mumble prayers in honor of their patroness.
During the procession Romani devotees place written prayers for curing the sick, good luck, and success in life and business at the feet or near the feet of the Kali Sara’s statue and they also touch and kiss the face and eyes of the statue for her blessing. The celebration of Sara festival in France is seemingly corresponding to the procession of the Kali Pooja and Shaivite tradition in India. Even at the first sight of this festival one can get the impression of parallelism between these two ceremonies.
The western scholars Dr. Rajko Djuric and Dr. Ronald Lee along with Indian scholars like W.R. Rishi and Dr. Lokesh Chandra identified the Romani ceremony of Kali Sara with Durga Pooja of India. In Romani cult, Kali Sara has the appearance and physiognomy of a pagan idol quite similar to Indian Goddess Kali and Durga. Like Hindus, Roma too venerate the Shaktism. By these inferences and analysis, it establishes the fact that Kali Sara is identically same to the Indian goddess Durga who is another aspect of Kali, and the consort of Lord Shiva.
Holding on to Indian cultural values, Roma believe in higher spiritual power and broader sense of humanity, thus are respectful to all religions and creeds. Concordant with the precept of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” (The Whole of Humanity is one Family), Roma are not only the paragon of peaceful and harmonious coexistence amongst diverse societies but also an exemplary model of constructive integration, living as equals with their neighbours but keeping their heritage alive, despite the vicious cycle of slanders, prejudice and discrimination against them. As they do not claim any specific religious dogma, so they share and celebrate together Easter with the Christians, the Festival of Eid-al Adha with the Muslims, and Passover with the Jews. Roma have preserved many beliefs and values reminiscent of Hinduism which continue in day-today cultural behavior and they still behave more or less in a same way as they used to conduct themselves in India.Roma believe in philosophy of dualism similar to Indian philosophy of Karma. Roma are a non-violent, reflecting their open-mindedness to denominational diversity due to their polytheistic background. Indians and Roma bear on the ideal of religious freedom, heterodoxy, acceptance, respect and equality which embodies the doctrine of the universal brotherhood and that is now a sine qua non for a harmonious, inclusive and peaceful world.
Zameer Anwar is a Research Fellow at Centre for Roma Studies and Cultural Relations Antar Rashtriya Sahayog Parishad-ARSP.