Pushkar Camel Festival, 2010

An experience is what I call the journey to the land of camels with people I had only heard about. The trip to Pushkar was a amalgamation of all kinds of feelings and experiences. From the loss of an expensive camera, iPod and phones to the acquisition of rare bank notes, we saw it all.

Pushkar lake, home to the only Brahma temple in the world

As we started, all doped with sleep, the 3.5 lakh camels and their poop is what kept us awake. I can't recall how many poos I stepped on and how many I ate (as baati of dal, baati, choorma is actually baked in camel poop). As we headed for the desert, we met a 12 year old local boy with a violin-like instrument who spoke to us eloquently in English and claimed to know many European languages (the claim was tested). He readily invited us for tea to his shack in the desert and shared his story. He was the eldest amongst the five siblings and the sole bread-winner for the family and thrived on tourism.

Natthu playing his late-father's instrument at his shack where he entertained us  not only with fine music and tea but a lot more

After the tea and local amusements, he took us around the city and finally to a place where we could hire bikes. We three hired a couple of bikes. I took the comfort of the pillion and trusted my faith on the biker.  The ride boosted our spirits and we headed for Ajmer, 20 km away. I tried my hands on the scooty too, only to pull the accelerator and never to leave it while looking for the brakes. Thankfully the woman I was about to hit was at a safe distance. We parked our bikes in an alley outside the dargah of Ajmeri Sharif and walked to the shrine.

Lily riding the scooty. She rides the scooty like I drive my car. May be that's why I could trust her and leave my hands off the support and get my hands on the camera

Slowly the weather began to change face. As we loaded ourselves with supplies, it started raining heavily. Riding the scooty became increasingly difficult in the mountainous stretch. We almost hit a big bus at a blind turn. So, we sought refuge in a dhaba and had our dinner. As the rain stopped for a while, we managed to slip away to the hotel where we figured that the glove box had been cleared off the bag which had the camera, iPod and a phone! Rest of the night saw us in the Police station.

A camel owner's family. Some of them are here to sell, some to participate, some are just accompanying their relatives. 

For the rest of the days, we were finding ways to recover the lost items. Ideas flowed, so did fun. We lolled on the sand in the warmth of the sun and talked to Camel owners from different parts of Rajasthan. Some came to sell the camels, some to participate in the camel events of the festival. Four amongst us left that night and four of us were left. Vigorous thumb fights and ghost story sessions followed. Finger shadow puppetry was the main attraction of the dark bedroom that night.

Jamura, a child prodigy in catching snakes. The most noticeable point in the picture is the clothes of the snake charmer. It's nothing like we urbans or foreigners picture them as. He is in denim jeans and shirt with no turban. But he still manages to drive the crowd crazy with his moves with the snake and the 'jamura'. He doesn't even own a 'been'. 

There isn't much to ask for when you make such great friends in such a short span of time. And about the Pushkar Camel Festival, it's not a fair worth missing!

Natthu sitting with us in the dunes overlooking the 3.5 lakh camels