Vice-president of World Roma Organization Rromanipen

Janardhan Singh Pathania (India)

Personal information

Full name: Janardhan Singh Pathania

e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Postal Address: 110, PURANI – MANDI, PADHA – GALI, JAMMU, PIN – CODE: 180001. ( INDIA ).

History:

I Retired as a Drilling Engineer in 1991.

I have worked for many many years for the Exploration of Oil and natural Gas, under –Ground Water and Minerals all over India. During exploration, I used to travel from place to place and move with tentage in the remote places of India. It was here that I happened to meet a lot of nomadic and tribal people.

History was one of my favourite subject since school days. So wherever Iwent, I immediately picked-up the nomadic and tribal peoples’ local languages and dialects and then I used to enquire from them about their history, language, culture, customs and traditions.In this manner I picked up several Indian languages and dialects as well as their history.

I learnt about the Gypsy people from my father when I was a small child because my father was an army officer and he happened to meet Gypsies in France in the year 1927 and then again in 1929 in England.

I happened to meet Gypsy people (Roma) for the first time in 1976 during the inauguration of the first Roma – Festival at Chandigarh (INDIA) and I spent a week with them. I immediately picked up their mother tongue Romani from them and was in regular touch with them through Romani - English correspondence.

Then after nine months my maiden poem in Romani language was published in one of the Roma magazine. Then my many poems and articles from time to time were published in Romani journals and magazines.

In 1983 the second International Roma Festival was again inaugurated at Chandigarh (INDIA) by the then prime-mimister of INDIA, Madam Indira Gandhi . She said that:

I feel kinship with the Roma people, I always admire their love for adventure, their closeness to nature and above all their fortitude and resilience.
Welcome Roma brothers and sisters
to your “Baro – than” (INDIA) !!!

During this festival I made my maiden speech in Romani which the Roma people appreciated very much. This further encouraged me to do my research work on Roma and Romani language.

In 1986 I was invited to attend the international Symposium on Romani language at Sarajevo (Old - Yugoslavia) and there I read my paper on a “Standard International Romani Language” and which was very much appreciated.

In 1989 I met a Delegation of Roma artists from Romani Theatre Moscow (Russia) and attended their programmes at Chandigarh and New Delhi. I had a good talk with them in Romani language. They had toured many parts of Northern India and told me that every where in north India , they were told that their language Romani was related to their Indian language. Therefore I would like to tell them to which particular language Romani is related to.

I narrated them an old story from the famous Indian story book called “Panchtantra” . The story was of “five blind men and an Elephant” and they understood it fully well and were much pleased with it.

I wrote an article in romani called “Romani chib si sar jek Fili” / Romani language is like an Elephant, on this incident in Romani language and compared it with the Panchtantra story of “Five Blind Men and an Elephant” and sent it to my Roma friends in Europe. My this romani article was published and broadcasted from the Radio Stations in Europe, which aired the Romani programmes.


Dr Donald Kenrick wrote a book titled From Ganges to Thames and which was inspired by my original Romani poem.
On the 8th April, 2004 on Roma Day the book From Ganges to Thames was released at London. This book was published by University of Hertfordshire Press, which dealt with the migration of Roma people from their mother land “India” to “Europe” and it was very much appreciated.

In the year 2008, I attended the International Romani conference sponsered by the IRU, at “Zagreb” in Croatia. Where I met many Roma people and discussed with them Roma history and their mother tongue Romani.

In the year 2009, a Romani Book titled “Like Water/Sar o Paj” was published by “Kafla Inter-Continental” Chandigarh (INDIA)” and in that book I translated three poems from English to Romani in poetic form.

To celebrate the Birth centenary of the famous Gypsy poetess “Bronislawa Wajs Papusza” There was an International Competition conducted by the “Muzeum Okregowe w Tarnowie” (Poland) and the poems of six Romani-poets were selected and I was one of them. These poems were published in a book titled “Papuszy” in the year 2010 and I was given a Diploma for it by the authority of “Muzeum Okregowe, w Tarnowie”.

I have also contributed towards the Romani dictionary written by Dr Trajko Petrovski - Kasum Cana from “Zagreb” (Croatia) which was published in the year 2008.

In the year 2011 one of my article in Romani language was published in a Romani magazine by the name of “KETHANO DROM” from HUNGARY.

19 – 22 April, 2012 the World Roma Organization Romnipen conducted a conference at Belgrade (Serbia), which I attended and where I was elected as its vice-President unanimously from INDIA.

My Romani language is taught in the Romani department of the Paris University which is confirmed by its Head of the Department of Romani language and also by its Romani students.


Since 1976, I am in regular touch with the Roma people around the Globe , I do my research work on Roma history and their mother tongue Romani on my own. My love for Roma and Romani chib is my life.