Romani, Gypsies, and Hippies

I was watching some videos on the gypsies and I was surprised to find that they have an origin in north-eastern India (present-day Rajasthan, Punjab). Their subsequent spread is a historical story full of struggles. It is, however, amazing in terms of how they have been able to preserve some of their traditional cultures. They might be related to present-day nomadic Kalbeliya tribes in Rajasthan.

Hippie culture was all crazed in the US during the 1960s. Their free-spirited living appealed to the mass of youngsters looking to break away from the established notion of how one is supposed to live. It is this part of their lifestyle that appeals to me the most. Of course, this doesn’t mean that it's all happy-going for them. The economic hardship that these people have to face is very real. And it perhaps might be one of the compelling reasons why they resorted to such living in the first place. They are not welcomed by society and often called witches, sorcerers, thieves. Nomadic people couldn’t lead a settled lifestyle because they had no means to do so. They had no ownership of fertile land to settle down and cultivate and were not welcomed by already settled clans. However, their resilience to survive even admit countless discrimination and with little to no resource is what makes them unique. It is what has influenced parts of their culture as well. Though, some unwanted traditions like child marriage have also persisted.

There is the annual international festival of the Romani people in Prague. Be it the flamingo style of beautiful dance or the bright mix of flowing flowery dresses or the catchy hippie music, one immediately realizes the influence they had on modern society. The Kalbeliya tribes still perform very similar dance styles in Rajasthan. But the takeaway is that there is no rulebook of how to live one's life. It is really liberating to break away from societal standards of beauty, appropriateness, customs, and live the way you want. Peace and ❤. BYe!