“Their flag has two background colours: green representing the ground below, and blue for the sky above. In its centre it depicted a wheel: this symbolized the image of the Romani people as travellers and, resembling the 24-spoke wheel known as the Ashoka Chatra which features in the centre of the flag of India, it served as a reference to the Roms' historical country of origin.” IndiaCitizenshipNationalityRomaGypsiesRomaniRomani Gypsies Book:I Met Lucky People: The Story of the Romani Gypsies Source: I Met Lucky People: The Story of the Romani Gypsies
“I believe that it is not beneficial either to idealize Romani culture or treat it as exotic. Romani culture is not simply Indian or Asian, though some aspects of it clearly reflect its historical origins in India, language being one of the most obvious. Nor is it inherently a culture of poverty or a culture of resistance or defiance against mainstream norms.” CultureIndiaImmigrationAsiaMulticulturalismGypsyMigrationRomaRomaniRomani Gypsy Book:I Met Lucky People: The Story of the Romani Gypsies Source: I Met Lucky People: The Story of the Romani Gypsies
“People are often surprised to hear that Romani is in fact a fully fledged language just like any other, that it has its origins in India, that it is related to Sanskrit, an ancient language associated with Indian scholarship and religion, and that it has been preserved by the Romani populations through oral traditions and in a variety of dialects for many centuries.” IndiaSanskritRomaGypsiesRomaniRomani GypsiesSanskrit Language Book:I Met Lucky People: The Story of the Romani Gypsies Source: I Met Lucky People: The Story of the Romani Gypsies
“On the rare occasions when Romani Gypsies meet south Asians from India or Pakistan, they are astonished to discover that they can understand many of the words these people use in their language, such as Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi. There is thus a connection with eastern Europe - Romania and Hungary - but also with far-away India.” HistoryIndiaGypsyMigrationDiasporaLanguages And CultureRomaniRomani GypsiesDiaspora QuotesDiaspora Minority Author:Yaron Matras