The Romani Hindu Faith/Dharma, Culture & History

This date, May 16, marks a pivotal moment in history, when the Romani prisoners incarcerated in the so-called “Zigeunerlager” (Gypsy Camp), also known as the “Zigeunerfamilienlager” (Camp of the Gypsy Families) at Auschwitz-Birkenau, initiated a courageous act of resistance. The uprising began upon learning of the German Nazi regime’s intention to liquidate the camp by exterminating the remaining 6,000 Romani detainees in the gas chambers. On the night of May 16th, 1944, the Roma rose in defiance against the SS guards, armed only with tools of labour—hammers, pickaxes, and shovels. Through their bravery and resistance, no Roma were murdered in the gas chambers on that day. This revolt stands as the sole documented instance of an uprising at Auschwitz, and it is rightly honoured as Romani Resistance Day. It is essential to view this event within the broader context of the Romani Holocaust—often referred to as the Porrajmos (a term that, while widely used, is linguistically controversial...

 🛤️ From the Ashes of Faith to the Roots of Dharma A Personal Journey Through Religion, Identity, and Return 📜 Prologue I was born in post-communist Czechoslovakia during the early 1990s, into a family of mixed Romani and Slavic heritage. Though our household was essentially secular, religion lingered quietly in the corners, like an old guest who never truly leaves. S ome of my close family members were Christian— both Catholic and Orthodox. One of my grandfathers had even been baptized in the Czechoslovak Hussite Church and had served as a ministrant ( child altar server). However, part of his family later turned strongly anti- Christian and anti- religious— likely influenced by firsthand or familial experiences with clerical abuse, a sadly common reality in the Christian  religion. Though I could recite the Our Father and the Hail Mary—fragments even in Latin—my disposition remained one of sceptical rationalism, more Marx than Matthew. As I have a heritage of the Rom...

A case of TikTok & Instagram The First Impression Trap: TikTok Builds Your Feed in Minutes TikTok is designed to understand your interests in the first 30–60 minutes. A few videos watched or paused will teach the algorithm what to serve. The problem is the default feed because is: Woke and extremist socially progressive by default Often oversexualised ( half-naked women or children dancing, too open to sexual topics) or borderline inappropriate (support of the terrorist groups, gender ideology, pro-pedo content) Politically polarising ("if you disagree, you're a fascist") The Risks: Children or users with little critical thinking are shaped by what they're shown Entertaining content can manipulate opinions and identity Instagram: Less Aggressive, But Still a Bubble Problematic is again the default feed , well not as much as the TikTok's one, but still contributes badly to the development of the personality. Don't let the default feed to manipulate you...

Explaining Roma Monotheism as a Dharmic Tradition, Not Evidence of Non-Indic Origins Some of the Roma believe that their ancestors, both in India and after migrating to Europe, were strictly monotheistic, worshipping only Devel/Devla/Del as a single God, and interpret this as evidence of origins outside the Indian subcontinent, perhaps tied to Israelite (as influenced by the Christianity within the host countries), or other non-Indic cultures. However, this belief in one God aligns perfectly with the spiritual traditions of the Indian Subcontinent, particularly within Hinduism and broader Dharmic frameworks. Here’s how Devla reflects the Indic concepts of Param Brahman and the worship of a chosen deity, not a non-Indic monotheism. 1. Understanding Devel in Roma Belief Romani View: Devel is seen as the supreme, formless God, eternal and all-pervading, often described as beyond human understanding. For many Roma, other figures like Devloro (Little God, linked to Jesus nowadays) or Sara l...

Debunking the Myth of Israelite Origins for the Roma: A Cultural and Ritual Comparison Some Roma communities have started to claim the Israelite origins, a narrative possibly born from shared experiences of diaspora and persecution or as a strategy to gain acceptance in Christian Europe or as a means to break with India which is presented in the European or the Western media as a backward country. However, a close comparison of Roma and Jewish cultural practices, particularly around ritual cleanness and chastity laws, reveals stark differences, firmly rooting Roma identity in the Indian Subcontinent’s Ḍom heritage rather than Israelite traditions. 1. Origins and Historical Context Roma: Linguistic, genetic, and cultural evidence traces Roma origins to the Ḍom people of India (among other Indian People), who migrated westward between 525–1000 CE. The Romani language derives from Sanskrit and Prakrit, and genetic studies show significant AASI (Ancient Ancestral South Indian) ancestry, c...