The Pushkar Camel Fair

The first two days of the camel fair, I marveled at the camel decorating and the camel dancing competitions. I hungrily snapped photos like all of the other tourists. I stared amazed at the camel herds and the camel breeders camped out in their tents. “I have never seen so many camels before,” I exclaimed.

There was even a horse dancing competition. Horses seem to have a bit more rhythm than camels and a bit more variety to their dance routines.  

In the evenings, Anne, Sina, and I went to the festival stage to watch a fashion show, live music, or cultural dance performances. I met Anne (U.S.) and Sina (Germany) at the camel dancing event. The competition had concluded and the awards were being announced. I asked them, "Excuse me, do you know who won?" It turned out to be the most serendipitous interruption ever because we ended up hanging out for the next five days. 

There was also less formal entertainment, like tight rope walkers, snake charmers, and acrobats.

And some wacky events like the moustache competition. I learned based on the winners that it’s not all about length, but also shape and volume!

But there is always a hidden story behind the story. And the hidden story is usually one of exploitation and struggle. While wandering the camel grounds yesterday, we came upon a group of camel herders having a meeting with big banners unfurled that said, “Pushkar Fair is No Longer for Camels” and “Sorry We Can No Longer Afford to Care for Camels."

I couldn’t understand what they were saying, but they were clearly upset. It turns out that while shops, hotels, and everyone else profit from the Pushkar Camel Fair, the camel herders struggle to make a living. The Camel Fair traditionally has been where the Raika and Rebari people, pastoral nomads who raise camels, come to buy, trade, and sell their camels. In the past, the fairgrounds were covered with camels as far as the eye could see. In 2015, 10,000 camels were brought to the fair. This year there are an estimated 2,000-3,000 camels here.      

The camel herders said that out of desperation, they were selling their camels for only $20 and a whole herd for a $100. They were even selling off their females, which they traditionally keep for breeding. It turns out I could have bought a camel for the price of my overpriced dorm bed! The prices they are getting are not enough to make it worthwhile to maintain the camels or even make the trip to the fair — some spending up to 15 days on foot to come.      

The group of camel herders we saw had been waiting there for hours for officials from Rajasthan’s government to meet with them. They want to change a law that prohibits the sale of camels outside of Rajasthan or enact other policies to help their communities. If their demands aren’t met, they threatened to leave all their camels at the stadium for the government to care for or to boycott next year’s fair.      

The Camel Fair has a full program of cultural activities, like traditional dancing, music, and even a fashion show, and a fancy entertainment stage that draws international and local tourists who want to snap photos of the camels and the camel herders. There’s even a nice app and fancy logo. But at the same time, the lifestyle and traditions of those who raise the camels— what this fair is supposed to be about— are in danger. This is what the tourists do not see. Now that I’ve heard the hidden story, the Camel Fair doesn’t quite feel the same to me. This was a good reminder for me that as travelers, it’s important to educate ourselves about the people and places we visit and do what we can. I don’t feel like I can do much, but I wrote a Letter to the Editor, I've talked about this to every foreigner I have met who was at the Fair, and I bought some alternative camel products to support their efforts to create other revenue sources from their camels. It’s not much, but I suppose it’s better than nothing...