Adventures with Julia

11/11/11 This must be an auspicious date.  We will never see the numbers all the same again.  Happy Veterans Day!

We are now in Udaipur, but the story is still in Pushkar.

We were in Pushkar one and a half days, which was the perfect amount of time.  The fair, which lasts 10 days, culminating on the November full moon, draws livestock traders fro all over western India to this otherwise very small desert town.  The timing of the fair is determined, like so many other Indian events and festivals, by the lunar calendar, transforming a mere livestock show into an auspicious spiritual confluence of people and animals ordained by the heavens.   On the afternoon of the 6th, the fair was at its zenith.  A few sales had already taken place and some animals had departed, but most were still in the process of being traded.

Pushkar Camel Fair - 2011

We rode on camel drawn carts through the animal part of the fair, which encompasses the whole town of Pushkar in addition to the adjacent desert area used for the animals.  Years ago, when camels were a necessary mode of transportation, there could be as many as 50,000 camels alone, according to Daisy.  This year, there were maybe 7000 camels, a couple hundred horses and some cows.    The cows and horses were more or less contained in one area near the entrance, while the camels were spread out over several acres.  Among their own animals, owners had set up their tents and were spending their time wooing prospective buyers, who opened the camels’ mouths to check their teeth, pulled up their hooves to check their feet, watched the owner walk the camel and make it back up and then sat around on their haunches negotiating price.

Negotiating a camel trade

Sellers and buyers alike sported white, orange or multi-colored turbans, which identified a persons tribe. Many of them had large bushy mustaches.  Some even had hair growing out of their ears.  It was hard to tell what was more photogenic–the men or their animals.  In addition to trading, there were races and judging contests for what I will call “best of show”.

Camel art

Many camels had had their fur trimmed into interesting patterns and designs and some had had their fur colored black for added effect.   The Indian women traveling with the men were of two basic types–those who did menial work like picking up dung  to dry it for fuel or fetch water or cook and those who were dress up in colorful saris with bangles, sequences and shiny jewelry and hoped to get paid for allowing their photo to be taken.  It was much easier to get the men to smile and allow a photo for nothing than to get the women to relax and look at the camera even if you agreed to pay them.

A Kathia Wadi being saddled

The horses were altogether beautiful—small, delicate and well proportioned.  Many were solid white, some were dark brown and others were white with brown patches. The most charming feature was their ears, which have a cute little twist at the tip.  Part Arabian and part Indian, they are called Kathia Wadi.  No idea what the name means.  Apparently they are bred for show and for stud and are a rich man’s hobby.  I did not see any of them being traded, although I am sure that is why they were at the fair.

We were able to get lots of pictures from the cart without having to walk in the sand and excrement.  Gradually the carts worked their way to the top of a small hill where we all alighted for refreshments, music and a sunset view.  The ride was a great way to keep our feet clean, stay in the shade and get a layout of the scene.

Street scene at the fair

That evening a mediocre Indian buffet dinner was preceded by Indian music, singing and dancing around a campfire.  Having developed a head cold, I was happy to go to bed early.  We were able to sleep in spite of a wedding party with loud music happening at a house near our camp.  Next morning, we went on a walking tour of the town to see the rest of the fair.  Packed with more Indian fair goers than tourists, the streets were cheek by jowl with vendors selling everything from trinkets to junk food, incense to hats and scarves and more.

The balloon Seller

The shoppers were mostly Indians and their children.   Between the edge of town and the animals was a carnival with ferris wheels and other rides.   The whole event reminded me of our own county fair —“on steroids”, added Mark.

At the center of town was a small lake, which was believed to have sprung into existence where Brahma tossed a lotus petal to earth and it landed on the desert.  The only India temple dedicated to Brahma is situated at the edge of the lake next to a ghat (steps leading down to the water’s edge as at the Ganges).  Daisy invited all of the group to have a priest give each one a personal blessing.  Mark and I were the only ones who accepted her offer and I am glad we did.  Without our shoes or cameras, we walked from the street down to the water’s edge and sat on a step.  The priest asked us some questions about ourselves and our families and then had us repeat a lot of phrases in Hindu.  No idea what we said, but it sounded nice.  Then he sprinkled flower petals, spices and water from the lake onto our open hands.  Finally we made a private prayer and tossed the petals onto the lake.  Lastly he gave us a blessing in English and walked us back up to the street.  Slowly, in a much relaxed state, we threaded our way back the way we came enjoying the sights, sounds, smells and crush of people all the way.

Our cart for the afternoon

After lunch we took a nice siesta in our cool tent during the heat of the day and at 4pm Mark and I rented a camel cart and went back to spend more time with the animals.  This time we got off the cart and walked most of the time.   Immediately we were aware of many fewer animals than the day before.  The pace was much slower and more relaxed.  We were able to interact with a number of people and even get friendly with a few.  Perhaps because we knew what to expect this time and had a sense of the place, we took our time and felt more comfortable.  Dodging dung was not so bad, especially since much of it does not lay around long.  It was nearly dark before we returned to camp feeling like we had had a good experience of Pushkar.   It is something that, once experienced, does not cry out to be repeated.

This evening our musical entertainment included bag pipes, a British hold over, as well as the usual drum, flute and dancer.  We tried to stay up and read, but were lights out by 9:30pm—-to not much avail.  Many camels had been sold during the day and the celebratory revelry lasted all night long in several different camps around the fair grounds.  So we were very ready to leave camp in the morning and hoped to nap on the bus while we headed for our next destination, a small village called Deogarh, about which we knew nothing as it is not mentioned in our guide book.