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FOR THE RABARI PEOPLE IN RAJASTHAN, CAMEL TRADING IS A WAY OF LIFE. ATTENDING THE PUSHKAR CAMEL FAIR – THE LARGEST OF ITS KIND IN THE WORLD – OFFERS A WINDOW INTO THIS UNIQUE DESERT CULTURE

india

Every

year at the time of the Kartik Purnima full moon in November, the sleepy Indian town of Pushkar comes roaring to life as the Pushkar Camel Fair – or Pushkar Camel Mela as it is known locally – rolls into town, as it has done for centuries. Billed as the largest camel fair in the world, it attracts an estimated 200,000 visitors each year – an eclectic mix of Hindu pilgrims, livestock traders and wideeyed tourists, creating a carnival-like atmosphere where religion, tourism and commerce come together, yielding an enchanting and chaotic scene on the border of Rajasthan’s Thar Desert.

Camel keepers and up to 20,000 camels descend on the sand dunes surrounding the city prior to the fair to set up camp and mingle with traders, devising strategies to buy and sell their camels. Following the official opening of the fair, an itinerary of cultural activities and competitions are thrown into the mix. The atmosphere is hard to describe, but it’s something of a chaotic combination of a frenetic auction and fun fair – on steroids.

An emblem of India’s Rajasthan state, the camel symbolises love in local folklore, and owning one once signalled great status and wealth. The camel was used in warfare by the maharajahs, and played an important role in their desert communication, transportation and trade.

Although the fair may sometimes feel like nothing more than a gaudy carnival, a deeper look reveals the fascinating story and plight of the Rabari, a tribal group of Rajasthani camel keepers who were, historically, the guardians of the camel.

“My ancestors were responsible for transportation for the ruling princes. They relied on us and it was a great source of pride,” explains 53-year-old Hukuma Ram, who walked nine days

with his 15 camels through the desert from a small village near Bikaner in northern Rajasthan to attend the fair. Ram has been coming to the fair for 20 years to buy and sell camels that he uses to help plough his fields. The camels also provide him and his family with milk, an important part of the Rabari diet and a highly nutritious source of vitamins and minerals that can sustain nomadic herders on long desert treks for weeks. “I love my camels like I love my son,” Ram confesses. “The camel has been a part of the Rabari family since the beginning of time.”

Stories passed down generations shine a light on the Rabari creation myth which reveals a fascinating connection with the camel, revealed in Rabari Myth of Origin, Census of Rajmarwar, published in 1896: “Shiva was meditating. Waiting for him to be finished and trying to pass the time, his consort, Parvati, started shaping animals out of clay. She created one particularly strange animal with five legs. Then, she asked Shiva to blow some life into it. He refused, saying that such a misshaped animal would be beset by a host of problems. But Parvati persisted in begging him. Finally, Shiva gave in. He folded the fifth leg over the animal’s back and then said uth – get up! The camel got up and walked away. After some time, it started making a lot of trouble and creating a big nuisance. Parvati once again came to Shiva and asked for his help. She requested him to make a man that could look after the camel. Shiva then rolled a little bit of skin and dust from his arm and out of this he made the first Rabari.”

For a poor farmer like Ram, purchasing a camel can be a huge investment. Traders can be seen examining the health of camels,

prying open their mouths to inspect their teeth, a telltale sign of good (or bad) health. Negotiation on a price can be a long, arduous process with backwards and forwards haggling over the course of weeks. The going average price for a camel these days is approximately 30,000 INR (USD500).

India has the world’s third-largest camel population and camels tend to differ according to the region in which they’re found: Bikaneri camels sport long hair and tufted ears, whereas camels from Jaisalmer near the Pakistani border are long-legged and fast; those originating from Kutch are well known for their high milk yields.

Wandering around the fair grounds in the early morning and at dusk is the ideal time for taking photos, and for mingling with Rabari traders, all of whom sport colourful turbans as they sit on the dunes around campfires, sipping chai made frothy with camel milk, often smoking tobacco using traditional clay chillum pipes. Rabari women adorned in ornate jewellery and bright clothes circle the grounds collecting camel dung, which is then laid out to dry and later used as fuel

For an authentic Rajasthani experience stay at one of the luxury tents at Camp Bliss and enjoy nightly performances of music, gypsy dancers and traditional puppet shows.