Faces at the Camel Fair, Pushkar, India

Man in a Colourful Rajasthani Turban
At the Camel Fair in Pushkar, the turbans are as colourful as the “characters” you meet!

Around the Fire
The people who bring their animals or other trade-goods to the Pushkar Fair grounds sleep on site: in tents or under their carts. When I arrived on my second morning there, it was cold, and still dark. Those people who were up were huddled around their camp fires.

Young Man at a Fire
There are only small twigs and branches in the surrounding desert – the resulting fires are thin, and don’t give off much warmth against the cold November morning.

Pushkar Campsite
The campsite comes to life slowly, as dawn starts to lighten the horizon.

Feeding the Horses
The Camel Fair is not just about camels: the prized and rare Marwari horses, with their strong bodies and inward-curving ears, are also a feature.

Man in a Blanket

Camels and Ferris Wheels
The camels, with their carefully shaved coats and painted markings, are everywhere.

Camel and Ferris Wheels
Their soft eyes and long lashes, and the flowers and pom-poms they wear, belie their notoriously bad tempers.

Man in a Green Turban

Man in an Orange Blanket
Cigarettes, pipes, and cheroots are everywhere.

Impromptu Family Group
If I see a camera, I duck for cover, so I’m always surprised by how enthusiastically I am met when I walk around with mine! A patriarch in this household (the man whose picture leads this post) insisted I stay at his campsite until he gathered up the whole family for a group shot. He then proceeded to give them stage directions from over my left shoulder, so that half the group is looking at him rather than me!

Man in a Cream Turban
Rajasthan is an arid, sandy place. November days are hot, but the nights are cold, necessitating the twig- and dung-fires that burn all around the campsite. It is not surprising that everyone has red and irritated eyes.

Woman in a Green Dupatta
These people spoke no English, so I’m not sure how many of the children in this group belonged to this woman. I can’t imagine how difficult her life in the desert must be.

Camel Herder Camp
Cover a camel cart in tarpaulin and throw a few woven mats on the ground, and Presto! you have a campsite.

Young Man and his Rajasthani Horse
My presence there prompted the youngest member of the group to leap up on his Marwari horse …

Young Man
… to practice his Bollywood smoulder.

Marwari Horse – Equus Ferus Caballus
From the Marwar (or Jodhpur) region of India, these beautiful horses were originally bred by the Rathores, the rulers of Marwar until the 12th century. Today’s horses are descended from a careful cross between native Indian ponies and Arabians. During the feudal period, only the Rajput families and the Kshatriyas (the warrior caste) were allowed to ride them, as they were considered divine.

Camels Feeding
Smoke and dust hang in the winter morning air.

Camels at the Water Trough
One of my favourite spots was the water trough …

Camels Bellowing
… where the beautifully decorated animals gave voice to their discontent.

Watering the Camels
The job of giving the huge animals their drinks can fall to the very young.

Man in a Blue Scarf
That direct gaze with strangers – so common in India – is something I see much less often in other parts of the world.

Man in a Blue Scarf
Once you have eye contact, it doesn’t take much to elicit a radiant smile.

Girl in Yellow
The rising sun finally cuts through the smoke and dust, …

Boy in a T Shirt
… casting a yellow glow over everything, and reflecting in the children’s eyes.

Man Drinking
The central water supply is a busy place.

Shaved Camel
I just loved all the different shaving and painting designs the camels sported, …

Decorated Camel
… and their colourful pom poms!

Man in a Red Turban
But, it was the people, and that direct gaze, that I kept coming back to.