pushing off to pushkar

well, we've arrived in november, which means i'm entering my third month here. it's funny, at home november is always my least favorite month. the sky gets bleak and gray, the weather turns from a crisp autumn chill to harsh winds and cold rains, and all those pretty leaves turn to brown crunchiness. in india, of course, i've had none of that. i have to say i've missed the fall - i've never really lived anywhere without one - the scenery, the pumpkins, the candy corn (thankfully i had some help on that front), but i can't say i miss the idea of long nights and winter coats. here, though, november is usually one of people's favorite months. monsoons and hot weather have more or less subsided and winter is setting in. now people can take leisurely walks in the evening or sit out on their terraces and read. it makes sense of course but still i'm always struck by this sort of climatic 180 - looking forward to winter rather than summer is so foreign to me. of course none of this applies much to mumbai, where it stays temperate to hot and humid year-round. maybe it's the hot, monotonous weather that was making me feel restless. whatever the reason, i was anxious for a change of pace and some new scenery.

so, with a hop, skip and a jump - or a plane, auto and a bus - i found myself in pushkar. after seeing the unabashedly jacked-up hotel prices and hearing warnings of overcrowding, i was surprised at being able to find a room the day before i arrived (seems to be how i generally plan my accommodations here..) but the hotel was close to the bus stop, within walking distance to everything (it's a tiny town), and i was able to haggle a good price on my room. so all was well.

offerings ready for the devout

i spent the first few hours wandering around the town by myself. it's your typical touristy little town. although it's an interesting mix of foreigners (there for pushkar fair and to experience general rajasthani glitz)/hippies (in a word, drugs) and hindu pilgrims (to take a dip down by the ghats or to visit one of very few brahma temples for prabodhini ekadashi, a long-named festival). this seems to result in lots of signs in hebrew and restaurants boasting pizza alongside vendors with flower malas and prasad. and of course all manners of typical rajasthani crafts - leather chappals, wide-eyed moustachio'ed puppets, and transparent dupattas lined with shimmering gold.

a sunset worthy of a holy destination

i meandered down to the lake, wandering through alleys with houses and down steps festooned with marigolds. the water is quite peaceful and lovely but the experience is somewhat spoiled by people constantly approaching you to put a flower in the water (no disrespect to the religious aspect but they way they accost tourists has become such a schtick, it feels almost smarmy somehow) or to scold you for taking pictures (of the sky? come on, man). to be fair, though, they do get an awful lot of tourists, many of whom are very disrespectful, i'm sure. and i did enjoy a particularly lovely sunset there.

camel with the desert-ed carnival

i was later joined by two other fulbrighters, an older german/now american(?) spouse of another scholar and a younger professor from new york (an odd couple to say the least). we explored the ghats in the morning light, walked through the familiar lanes of shops and made our way to the fairgrounds. first you wind your way through rows of horse and camel gear - ropes, bridles, bits and decorative flair - and then you arrive on the main street, lined with food vendors of all kinds and families with cookware or shoes laid out on blankets to sell. next comes the carnival portion of the grounds. a jungle of metal bars and dragon heads. i never saw any of the rides in motion, just a few men tinkering here and there. hard to tell if they were setting up or taking down. past this section, at last we see the animals. camels, horses and tents over the rolling dunes as far as the eye can see. some of the men are bringing the camels to the few water troughs, the more industrious ones have carts to tote people and are trolling for tourists to cart along, but most are tending to campfires or squatting near tents smoking beedis. i did see a few transactions going on too. the real pushkar fair. we wound our way through the rows of camels and horses, trying to avoid eye contact with all the various hawkers and dolled-up girls who try to give everyone mehndi (yes, even men). 

leading camels

eventually we made our way to the fairgrounds, a large open space bounded by ropes and seats. we claimed a spot in the shade and watched a rather unsettling pre-show act, a man who touted his children's abilities to contort themselves, shimmy to music, or walk a tightrope (the latter was rather impressive, the rest odd). then the 'main event' began. the main event of the prescribed tourist-approved activities that day being the 'camel dance'. we, and the hundreds of other gawkers, gathered around a tiny pen, leaving the bulk of the seating around the arena empty. not well thought out, this design. the festivities began with a dog jumping through a hoop that was subsequently set on fire. then the camels. each came out one by one, invariably led by a man who proceeded to run it in (very small) circles inside the pen and then performed various tricks. sometimes having the camel lie down and lying on top of it, other times standing up on its back. all the while the camels were making those horrendous noises and it seemed clear from the amount of fight they put up that they weren't too happy. the subsequent horse tricks were a little more palatable. but we left halfway through, tired of sitting cramped behind the biggest dreadlocks i've ever seen (literally) watching tethered animals.

pots for offerings

evidently the more authentic cultural activities began after a few days, coinciding with the religious festival. i spent my last night there eating momos (in india, where there are tourists, there are tibetan shops/restaurants) and practicing two language with jeevan, my new half-french, half-indian friend. (he splits his time between the countries - i've never been so jealous of a 3-year old) i did get a glimpse at the cultural festivities though. the next morning i was strolling around to catch some last glimpses in that beautiful morning light when all of a sudden i found myself in the middle of a procession, with marigolds flying from all directions. (this was all fun and festive until i got splashed with jalebi oil! my poor purple kurta is ruined) there were various 'floats' rolled along on trucks, people marching, drummers, and of course, tons of flowers. it was quite a sight.

the aftermath

while i wish i could (and probably should) have stayed longer in pushkar i was feeling restless and had a family to meet in ajmer by the end of the weekend. such is my life. always pushing off to somewhere.