Romas and Their Identity Crisis

Recently, in the International Roma Conference and Cultural Festival held in New Delhi, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj pitched for the documentation of research pertaining to Roma-India links. She even called Romas as “children of India” and remarked them as “first flag bearers of Indian culture overseas”. Appreciating Romas’ ability to adapt to foreign cultures, she cited their adaptations as an example of peaceful coexistence in challenging foreign conditions. This event was organized by ICCR, which is the cultural wing of the MEA. It hosted 33 scholars and 12 cultural performers from 12 countries; and 15 scholars from India. It should be noted that the first Roma conference was held way back in 1976. It was arranged by an organization in Chandigarh and was attended by the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Why was the event organized?

The event was organized to deliberate on various issues the Roma community faces including its Indian origin. The need to set up a cell in the MEA to study and research the origin of Romas and suggest the status to be accorded to them are among the conference resolutions which are to be submitted to the external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj.

Who are Romas? What is their Indian connection?

Roma or Romani people are believed to have originated from nomadic tribes such as Dom, Banjara, Gujjar, Sansi, Chauhan, Sikligar, Dhangar etc. in northern India and were traditionally believed to be blacksmiths. This fact is widely accepted by anthropologists, historians and geneticists. A 2012 study analysed around 8 lakh genetic variants among Romas in Europe and concluded Roma people left northern India about 1500 years ago and Romas’ living in Europe started migrating through the Balkans about 900 years ago.

Furthermore, the first wave of the Romas were believed to have migrated with Alexander the Great to Europe at around 326 BC as they were iron smelters and experts in making war weapons and with time got spread across the world with significant presence in the continents of Asia, Europe, America and Australia. The most prominent members of the Roma community include actor-filmmaker Charlie Chaplin, painter Pablo Picasso, Hollywood icon Michael Caine, entertainer Elvis Presley, tennis star IllieNastase, and actor YulBrynner among others.

There are many striking examples of cultural similarity existing between the Roma community and Indian culture. The word ‘Roma’ itself is argued to have roots from the Sanskrit ‘domba’ or the modern ‘dom’ or its variations. It is found in several Indian languages referring to people of lower castes who engage in professions like itinerant singing, dancing and a variety of menial works. The Romani language also has similarities to the languages spoken in northern India. for example, the Romani numerals such as ‘yek’ ( ‘ek’ in Hindi), ‘dui’ ( ‘do’ in Hindi), ‘trin’ (‘teen’ in Hindi), ‘shtaar’ (‘chaar’ in Hindi), ‘panchi’ (‘paanch’ in Hindi), ‘sho’ (‘chhe’ in Hindi), ‘desh’ (‘dus’ in Hindi), ‘bish’ (‘bees’ in Hindi) etc. and the words like ‘manush’, ‘baal’, ‘kaan’ and ‘naak’ is same as that of the Hindi words meaning man, hair, ear and nose respectively. Also, the practices like applying mehandi on palms by Roma brides, associating white colour with mourning, observing laws of purity and taboos for birth and death and considering a woman in childbirth as impure, practices of child marriage, worshipping of gods similar to Shiva, Kali, Agni etc. are similar to the Hindu culture. Also, the Roma dialect is believed to have about 1500 Hindi words.

What is the estimated population and spatial distribution of Romas’ in the world?

The estimated population of the Roma community around the world as stated by the Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj in the conference is around 20 million. They are present in around 30 countries in West Asia, America, Europe and Australia. Largest among them resides in Turkey, which is around 2.75 million. Some one million people live in the US and 8 lakhs in Brazil. Apart from these countries sizeable population are present in Brazil, Slovakia, Spain, Romania, France, Serbia, Bulgaria, Russia, and Hungary. The actual population figures of the Roma community are not known because of the reluctance on the part of the community to disclose their identities to avoid harassment or persecution.

Ill-treatment and abuse of Roma community

A lot of negative perceptions surround the Roma people. They are often portrayed in film and literature as thieves or law breakers with unpredictable temper and who possess mystical or occult powers and indulge in fortune telling. This has resulted in abuse, discrimination and persecution of these people by various governments. The Nazis ill-treated Roma people by sending them to labour camps, in which a lot of Romas perished. They were enslaved and killed in the countries like Germany, Portugal and Italy. They are even accused of bringing the great plague to Europe. There are many instances of human rights violations against these people. Roma people were forced to undergo sterilization in Czechoslovakia in 1980s. Similarly, Turkey in the year 1934 passed a law denying the citizenship rights to the Roma people. Even today, there are instances of ill treatment of Romas in various parts of the world.

Demands of the Roma Community to the Indian government

The Roma community wants the Indian government to accept them as Indian Diaspora and regard them as its linguistic and cultural minority to end the negative perception and the discrimination the community faces worldwide. According to the president of World Roma Organisation, recognizing Romani people can help India at all levels namely political, economic or cultural.