Paddan Aram: – Aram chi, Aram tzo. Are you ok?

Paddan Aram was an early Aramean kingdom in Mesopotamia. Paddan Aram means the field of Aram. These are the fields of a man, Aram, one of the sons of Shem. And the people who lived here are Shemites, relatives of Abraham.
The Banjara people (Lambada. Labhani. Lamani) use the word “Aram” everyday. You will be greeted with the following question: Aram chi? The answer will be “Aram tzo”. The English understanding of this question and answer will be: Are you ok, and in peace? The expected answer will be: “Yes, everything is fine”. In the Indian context, “Aram” means peaceful, and in balance. But as a personal greeting, the Hindi speaking people would use “Shanti” as a statement proclaiming a peaceful mind. The Banjara language (Gormatti) is the only language in the Indian subcontinent who use the phrase “Aram” as a personal greeting, the first word spoken in every personal encounter. Without failure.

In the Middle Eastern Context “Aram” is the name of a man, the head of a tribe. And the area where they settled is called Paddan Aram. The home of Nahor the brother of Abraham, the father of Rebecca who married Isaac the son of Abraham. Laban lived in Haram, the village center of Paddan Aram. Jacob, the father of the 12 tribes if Israel served under Laban for 14 years. He married his who daughters Rachel and Leah.

The history of pastoral Nomadic tribes is passed on to the generation orally. The tribes who lived in this area would eventually be driven away, and never to return. The sons and daughters would be instructed; “Please remember Aram”. The daily question would be: “Is Aram ok?”. In the gormatti language “tzo” would mean “go”. A reply like “Aram tzo” would literally mean “Go to Aram”. Hundreds of years back, the daily conversation would likely have been: ‘You are Aram, are you ok? “Please go to Aram and find out your self”. Aram chi? Fram tzo.

This linguistic circumstantial evidence is not sufficient to make a case for the Banjara people originally living in Paddan Aram. But as I will and have explained, there are multiple circumstantial evidences. And when all the pieces are puzzled correctly together, it is possible to make a strong case. The Banjara people are linked to the lost tribes of Laban.