Roma Peoples Project

“I march to a different
drummer
My life it is my own
I’m an explorer of experience
That is how I’m known.”

————Roger Turner

Banjara SOUL

Wanderers of Lands.
Infused with a sense of mystery and the spirit of adventure, Banjara Soul Collection embodies the fiery and intense spirit of the Banjara.
The Banjara, a nomadic tribe share many similarities with the Roma who traversed the long road into Europe.
The Collection embodies their independent spirit which is brought to life in the fabrics and motifs. The stories intertwined in the embroidered designs are chronicles of their lives that unravel when looked at closely. Stitches are inspired by local flora and fauna. Cowrie shells, hammered silver jewelry and rustic cotton threads that embellish the Banjara Soul collection are a window into their rugged lives.
Banjara Soul is an avante garde collection that is well suited for the “Haute Hippie” in all of us.
Known world over as Gypsies, these wandering people can be traced back to the nomadic tribe called Roma. In Europe, they were known as goddess worshippers. This goddess was none other than Kali, as the origin of these peoples has been traced back to India.
Cleopatra, the dark lady in Shakespere’s sonnets is said to have inspired by the gypsies.

“From Europe I follow the roads of the Roma into the orient: to Armenia and Iran where the Sassanids once ruled, and before them the Achaemenids. From here the road leads to another land where the Indus-river flows to the land where the Kushans once held sway”
Gypsies: from India/
from the Indus to the Mediterranean
by Donald Kenrick
Empowerment and preservation have been the corner stone of Alamwar’s continuing efforts to incorporate indigenous crafts of the region into hand made life style products.