The Ahikuntaka

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The Ahikuntaka Varigasabha
The Ahikuntaka Community in Sri Lanka was able to hold a tribal
meeting or Varigasabha for the first time in six decades with the
support of Dilmah Conservation. This event took place on the banks
of the Rajangana Tank in Kudagama, Thambuttegama on January 28,
2011. Gypsies from all corners of Sri Lanka met as one community and
spoke to each other about their lives, changing times, concerns and the
need to preserve their unique identity that is disappearing in the face of
modernisation.
Dilmah Conservation supported the Varigasabha to enable the
community leaders to come together and discuss issues that are affecting
the very existence of the community and the ways in which to address
them. The meeting was preceded by an elaborate cultural ceremony that
commenced with flute playing and a traditional dance by the womenfolk.
The Varigasabha brought together five community leaders to one
platform where they discussed the problems they faced. The discussions
among these leaders, K. Nadrajah of Kudagama, Enkatenna Masanna
of Andarabedda, M. Rasakumara of Aligambe, Karupan Silva of
Siriwallipuram and Anawattu Masanna of Kalawewa paved the way
for better understanding among the communities. The community
leaders discussed their core issues including the lack of infrastructure
development in their respective villages; lack of employment
opportunities for community members and the need to ensure that their
traditional forms of livelihood are secured in the years to come.
The leaders made a pledge to unite in order to strengthen and save
their unique cultural identity. The first Charter of the Ahinkuntaka
community, the ‘Kudagama Charter of the Sri Lanka Ahikuntaka
Community’ was brought forward endorsed by the five community
leaders on behalf of their communities. This is regarded as a landmark
event not only for a minority community in Sri Lanka but also for the
worldwide Gypsy community at large.
54 The Ahikuntaka
The Ahikuntaka Varigasabha