Animals and humans in the numbers of hundred thousands gathered under the scorching sun of the Thar desert in Rajsthan. That is the picture that comes to our minds when we think of the Pushkar fair. The annual livestock fair and cultural festival that takes place during the month of ‘Kartik’ (around the last week of October to first two weeks of November) and lasts till the ‘Kartik Purnima’ or the full moon.
But, what attracted my eyes were not the huddled up, juxtaposed lives of animals and men together under one sun. But, the colors! The colors not only in the surroundings and the environment, but the color in the people of Pushkar. For a fortnight, the small town of Pushkar centered around the lake with the same namesake never sleeps. Thousands of pilgrims flock the city while thousand others gather to do business of livestock and cattle. Men and women sing in merriment in the pink dusk, while the ferris wheels turn into the night. Young and old often huddle up around fires keeping awake through the night to guard the animals, with fables and stories of their times accompanied by a cup of steaming ‘chai’, (tea). And all these people and stories of their lives add up to the color of the fair and the festivities. Making Pushkar a city come alive in vivid TECHNICOLOR!
