From: "Ali Kazmi" <alikazmi-AT-cyber.net.pk>
Subject: Re: Fwd: The top 12 most Luddite films of all time
Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2000 19:13:23 +0500


From: Old Goat <olgoat-AT-kdsi.net>

> hey, Ali, just a query.  where are you situated vis a vis the Punjab
region?
> (my ken of the geography of the subcontinent is really shaky.)  the reason
I
> ask is that my forebearers came out of the Punjab a while back -- 6th or
7th
> century C.E.

Karachi is in the Sind province. Sind deriving its name from Indus River,
(sindhu in antiquity) which also gives its name to India, and H'indu, this
river flows through the Punjab, which is just north of Sind. Humm, as to the
gypsies originating from Punjab, I don't know, because Punjab has alwas been
the agricultural heart of this part of the world. Further North, in the
North West Frontier Province and Afghanistan, we still have "Kuchies" who
are travelling traders with no fixed abode, living in tents and caravans. To
the east in Rajistan (desert province in India) there are the "Banjaras"
also travelling traders and craftmen living in caravans. As both Kuchies and
Banjaras are very old established ethnic groups originating from areas
without arable land, I would think that the Gypsies have there origin with
either of these two. Farmers usually stay put. However, Punjab was (and
still is) the most densely populated area, therefore both the Kuchies and
Banjaras would be traveling through it. So, origin wise, the Gypsies are
most probably either Afghans or Rajputs.

There was a mini-series titled "Jewel in the Crown" which was filmed in
Rajistan, if you wan't to looksee.


> as to Gattica, I have never seen it, but I'd like to.

Gattica is good.

regards

Ali