I swear I didn't plan it but I landed slam bang in the middle of the Jaisalmer Desert Festival. Its a three day event and it began the day I arrived and gets over the day I leave. What are the odds of that !!
They have some really weird competitions. I just witnessed a competition to decide the best lips, for camels. and camels being camels, the winner sprayed spit all over the poor bureaucrat whose job it was to put a medal on him.
The festival is government sponsored so the top guests were the BSF chief, the Police Commissioner and the District Collector. The commissioner and the collector were both women, looking really smart and totally aware and at ease with the power they wield. Three cheers to the women power.
Earlier there was a tug-of-war between the local women and the visiting ladies. The visitors beat the locals way too easily. And the announcer really rubbed it in by telling everybody that this had happened ten years in a row. I put it all down to the sand. Used to walking lightly on hot shifting sands all their lives, the local women just don't know what it takes to firmly plant their feet and tug hard. That's my guess.
The event of the day was surely the camel polo match between two local teams. The announcer went all over the place telling how unique the event was and that the only place in the world you got to see it was right here in Jaisalmer. So ofcourse I waited as it got hotter and dustier and dryer. Then it began. Camels have a unique tread. They have these long necks and their heads are always looking slightly upwards. And then their walk is a bit of a hop and skip. So if you a camel move you are reminded of a haughty and bored dancer. Anyways, you had these twelve camels on the field, men astride with these ridiculously long mallets, and a soft football after which everybody jostled. All the hype apart it was quite a funny sight. And all these camels with their upturned noses and the skippty walk clearly looked as if they didn't want anything to do with this silly game.
The next biggest thing on the showcard was the BSF Tattoo. The BSF have the most resplendent camels. The camels are paired with their riders for life and the two clearly build a deep bond. I met this soldier and we began talking about his camel and the words he used would make any son blush with pride and joy. So when I saw these riders using a long leather thong to thwack the camels to get them to move I was taken aback a bit. They thwacked really really hard. So I asked my soldier friend and he laughed. It seems the camel hide it so thick that all that thwacking was just like a gentle pat for the camel.
They have some really weird competitions. I just witnessed a competition to decide the best lips, for camels. and camels being camels, the winner sprayed spit all over the poor bureaucrat whose job it was to put a medal on him.
The festival is government sponsored so the top guests were the BSF chief, the Police Commissioner and the District Collector. The commissioner and the collector were both women, looking really smart and totally aware and at ease with the power they wield. Three cheers to the women power.
Earlier there was a tug-of-war between the local women and the visiting ladies. The visitors beat the locals way too easily. And the announcer really rubbed it in by telling everybody that this had happened ten years in a row. I put it all down to the sand. Used to walking lightly on hot shifting sands all their lives, the local women just don't know what it takes to firmly plant their feet and tug hard. That's my guess.
The event of the day was surely the camel polo match between two local teams. The announcer went all over the place telling how unique the event was and that the only place in the world you got to see it was right here in Jaisalmer. So ofcourse I waited as it got hotter and dustier and dryer. Then it began. Camels have a unique tread. They have these long necks and their heads are always looking slightly upwards. And then their walk is a bit of a hop and skip. So if you a camel move you are reminded of a haughty and bored dancer. Anyways, you had these twelve camels on the field, men astride with these ridiculously long mallets, and a soft football after which everybody jostled. All the hype apart it was quite a funny sight. And all these camels with their upturned noses and the skippty walk clearly looked as if they didn't want anything to do with this silly game.
The next biggest thing on the showcard was the BSF Tattoo. The BSF have the most resplendent camels. The camels are paired with their riders for life and the two clearly build a deep bond. I met this soldier and we began talking about his camel and the words he used would make any son blush with pride and joy. So when I saw these riders using a long leather thong to thwack the camels to get them to move I was taken aback a bit. They thwacked really really hard. So I asked my soldier friend and he laughed. It seems the camel hide it so thick that all that thwacking was just like a gentle pat for the camel.
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