Pushkar Camel Fair: Rajasthans cultural extravaganza

The annual camel and cattle fair got underway this week at Pushkar in India's northwestern state of Rajasthan.Each year under the full moon of the Hindu month of Kartik, nomadic tribesmen set camp on the surrounding sands for a week of serious camel trading.This year the fair, where thousands of camel traders, villagers and foreign tourists converge, had a subdued start as the economic recession coupled with severe drought in various parts of India cast a negative vibe.On average, about 20,000 cattle change hands during the fair, but this year the number of deals are far fewer and it is a buyer's market with supply far outstripping demand.Sunder Singh Yadav, a cattle trader from Jagrajpur in Rajasthan, said the drought had forced the people to sell their cattle as the prices of fodder had surged.Parts of northern and western India, specially Rajasthan and Gujarat, have suffered severe drought with many lakes, reservoirs and canals drying up -- sending the prices of food and fodder beyond affordable limits for many.Paramhans, another cattle trader from Samdhabad in Rajasthan, said the drought and recession have hit farmers so hard they were finding it hard to feed their own families, so feeding animals was beyond their capacity.Until the early 1970s, the Pushkar camel fair was largely a rural affair where thousands of nomads and cattle owners used to come to trade in camels. But over the years it evolved into India's biggest tourist attraction, where foreigners travellers mix with villagers and their animals.