Pushkar: A Kaleidoscope Of Emotions

Akash Mehrotra recounts his vivid experience of the Pushkar fair.

- Akash Mehrotra

Pushkar had been hanging in my thoughts like a dream since long. The very idea of camels and traders journeying across the vast deserts of Rajasthan since time immemorial to meet, socialise, and trade; had aroused an inkling in me to experience it. I wished for a complete teleportation from the urbane life to a rustic one, from economy that survives on cars to one where camels form an integral part.

Pushkar is very magnetic – it’s very unlike the way one imagines Rajasthan. Fair or not, it will never cease to sweep you off its feet. The antiquity of the town is inspiring. The everyday world of Pushkar does more than inspire and encourage well-being, it makes the routine seem novel.

I was in Pushkar at the most appropriate time. Everywhere I turned, I could hear music, see a riot of colours, feel the exuberance, and sense Pushkar’s ability to engage with tourists pouring in from across the world. And then there were the rustic hues of herders and their camels, trekking athwart the deserts.

The Pushkar fair