The Romani Hindu Faith/Dharma, Culture & History

Today, August 2, is the Roma (& Sinti) Holocaust Memorial Day. The Romani Holocaust (often referred to as the Porrajmos - a term that, while widely used, is linguistically controversial, as in some dialects it translates to "rape", alternative and more right terms include Samudaripen - Genocide, Kali Traš - Black Fear, and Sarvanaš—a word whose closest translation may suggest a total or complete disappearance)   did hit the up to 2.5 million Roma, Sinti-Manouché and Kale as the direct victims who were killed by the Nazi Germany & its collaborators. The date of 2 August was chosen for the memorial because on the night of 2–3 August 1944, 2,897 Roma, mostly women, children and elderly people, were killed in the "Gypsy families camp" ("Zigeunerfamilienlager") at Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.

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...

 Introduction As I mentioned in earlier article  History of the Ḍom People (ancestors of the Roma) within the South Asia (and partly beyond)   our ethnic name, the Roma, comes from the  Ḍom and the Ḍom(a) are connected to the drumming nomadic community , etymology of that caste name comes from the Dravidian origins - the ṭamaṭama (where ṭ reads close to Indo-Aryan Ḍ, it means retroflexed R) and ṭamaṭama is a type of drum "tomtom" . Why ethnic name Roma comes from Ḍom(a) & who are the Ḍom(a) ? The  Ḍom(a) are the nomadic group , the Ḍom(a) is same as the case of the Roma in Europe a umbrella ethnic term, which in fact contains various Jatis (castes) ranging from ritually clean Śudra (almost Vaish-like Varna), via the ritually unclean Śudra to straight-up Dalits (ritually unclean untouchables). The Ḍom(a) are often misunderstood by the Gora (Whites) and by the Indians (or by other South Asians as a whole), where they (non- Ḍoma) claim that all the Ḍom ...

  Who were the AASI? The AASI ( Ancient Ancestral South Indians ) represent a hypothetical ancestral population in India , inferred from genetic studies. They are considered the original hunter-gatherer inhabitants of the Indian subcontinent , and their lineage predates the arrival of agriculturalists and pastoralists from other regions , such as the Iranian Plateau and Central Asia. In other words; The AASI likely descended from populations that migrated out of Africa and reached South Asia tens of thousands of years ago, possibly as early as 50,000–70,000 years ago. They were primarily hunter-gatherers and lived in the Indian subcontinent long before the development of agriculture. Genetically, they were distinct from other major ancestral populations of India, such as those associated with Neolithic Iranian farmers and the Steppe Pastoralists (i.e. the Aryans). The AASI are often linked to the Neolithic & Mesolithic (in fact older, i.e. Paleolithic) populations found i...

The  original Ḍom People started migrating from southern India (apparently somewhere in between nowadays Tamil Nadu and Kerala, with stops taking longer time than 300 years in nowadays Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka) to northern India in 2500 BC. Some etymology to the name Ḍom. It´s presumed root, ḍom, which is connected with drumming, is linked to word damara and damaru, Sanskrit terms for "drum" and the Sanskrit verbal root डम् ḍam- 'to sound (as a drum)', perhaps a loan from Dravidian, e.g. Kannada ḍamāra 'a pair of kettle-drums', and Telugu ṭamaṭama 'a drum, tomtom'. Why Ḍom are ancestor of the Roma? From Ḍom arose our ethnic name Rom - the Roma, in some dialects still with retroflexed R. In elsewhere pronounced as Dom/Domari with normal "D" in the name (within the Middle East & in Pakistan) and Lom (in Caucasus). Closest people to the original Ḍom are nowadays Adivasi tribes of the southern India, like the Irula, Paniya and ...

The origin of the name Roma, Domari & Loma In a part of South Asia historically known as Bharat (nowadays India, Pakistan, Nepal & Bangladesh) exists a group of people called the Domba or Dom (which is either ethnic group or caste umbrella of various jatis within Śudra varna ), in Sanskrit known as  ḍoma  (pronounced as Roma, with retroflexed R , which in some Romani dialects survives till present). The Domba/Dom are mostly nomadic group , but exists settled down communities, most of them are of Śudra varna and very few of them are Dalits. The Dom are among other things musicians, blacksmiths, snake-leaders and acrobats. Which corresponds with traditional Romani jobs. Its presumed root,  ḍom , which is connected with drumming , is linked to  damara  and  d amaru , Sanskrit terms for "drum" and the Sanskrit verbal root डम्  ḍam-  'to sound (as a drum)', perhaps a loan from  D ravidian , e.g. Kannada   ḍamāra  'a pair ...

The word Bohemian used as an exonym for the Roma in France and other French-speaking countries, same as in some cases in Spain is because the Roma came there in 15th Century from Bohemia which is a part of the nowadays Czech Republic. It was because those Roma said that they are Bohèmiens = Czechs .

The origin of the Servika Roma and Ungrika Roma --- or how the Vlax Roma use to call us all "Romungre". Who are the "Romungre" in general? Also known as Hungarian Roma are the ethnic group living in the Hungarian language area and Slovakia. Their original language are various dialects of the Carpathian Romani. Their traditional occupations: musicians, nailers, horseshoes, adobe throwers... Ungrika Roma or Magyarcigányok = Hungarian Roma/"Gypsies" Servika Roma = Serbian Roma, nowadays mostly known as Slovačika Roma = Slovakian Roma Both used to name themselves as Kherutne Roma = Roma with the houses in contrast with the nomadic Vlaxs who came to Hungary later. Even all Romungre used to be nomadic before forceful settlement of the Roma directed by the Austria-Hungary. Now we will go back to the history. Originally the ancestors of the Ungrika Roma and Servika Roma were called the Pajibano which meant "those who wander" or "wanderers" or ...