INDIA: Colourful Pushkar fair ends with holy dip and tug-of-war between foreigners and Indians

Record ID: 379696

  • Title: INDIA: Colourful Pushkar fair ends with holy dip and tug-of-war between foreigners and Indians
  • Date: 4th November 2009
  • Summary: TUG OF WAR COMPETITION BETWEEN FOREIGN TOURISTS AND LOCAL MEN INDIAN MEN PULLING THE ROPE FOREIGNERS PULLING THE ROPE (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) ASHOK KUMAR VISHNU, ONE OF THE MEMBERS OF THE WINNING INDIAN TEAM IN THE TUG-OF-WAR COMPETITION, SAYING: "I am feeling great that we have beaten the foreigners and done proud to India with our act." REFEREE BLOWING THE WHISTLE TO ST
  • Embargoed: 19th November 2009 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: India
  • Country: India
  • Topics: Religion
  • Reuters ID: LVA4J30LJ6H8VOMZPIQG3HKWPMU1
  • Story Text: Thousands of ash-smeared Hindu holy-men, villagers in colourful turbans and women in bright sarees walked through the serpentine lanes of the ancient town of Pushkar to take a holy dip in its lake, while foreign tourists competed with local men and women for physical glory on Monday (November 2), the final day of the Pushkar fair.
    The annual Pushkar fair, 375 km west of New Delhi, is a colourful mix of three diverse fairs --- annual cattle fair, a religious festival for Hindus, and a tourist attraction for foreigners.
    But this year Hindu devotees were bitterly disappointed when they reached the banks of Pushkar lake to find it bereft of any water.
    A severe drought coupled with administrations' delayed de-silting program meant the lake was not ready to receive hundreds of thousands of faithful on its biggest night.
    Each year under the full moon of the Hindu month of Kartik, tens of thousands of Hindu pilgrims come to bathe in the holy waters of Pushkar Lake.
    Kamla Devi, a Rajasthani woman from Punaria village said she was dismayed to find the lake dry and people bathing in artificial ponds on such an auspicious day.
    "I didn't like it at all, I felt bad that for the first time ever Pushkar lake is dry." Devi said after emerging from the lake banks.
    Hindus believe Lord Brahma, the creator in the trinity, wished to perform a yagna following his long years of penance. During his sojourn in , search of a place for yagna, Brahma dropped a lotus from heaven, which created the lake Pushkar.
    It is believed, on this night a drop of sacred nectar fell in this lake, making it sacred and pilgrims flock from all over India to be in Pushkar at this auspicious time.
    Balbir Sethi, a pilgrim from the city of Faridabad on the outskirts of the Indian capital said their journey has become fruitless because of the absence of water in the holy lake.
    "We came here with the belief that our prayers would be answered after bathing in the waters of the holy lake but our wish has not been fulfilled. We are feeling quite disillusioned," Singh said.
    While Hindu pilgrims were disappointed with the condition of the lake, foreign tourists were enjoying their last moments of the colourful fair which has been described by the Lonely Planet India as "India's biggest tourist attraction."
    Over the years the fair organisers have introduced an interesting mix of events to lure visitors - ranging from camel races, to display of traditional Rajasthani culture and competitions like the musical chairs and water-pitcher race between the local and foreign women.
    Nauddin Kardu, a local with a big beard and moustache wearing traditional Rajasthani clothes said they had come to the fair to showcase the state's traditional culture.
    "Moustache and beard is a symbol of Rajasthan's pride and we are here to keep that tradition alive and showcase it to the world."
    A tug-of-war competition between foreigners and villagers is one of the main draws at the festival and this year Indian men beat their foreign counterparts after a fierce duel.
    Ashok Kumar Vishnu, one of the members of the winning Indian team, said he had followed in his father's footsteps who had participated in the competition for nearly two decades.
    "I am feeling great that we have beaten the foreigners and done proud to India with our act," a beaming Vishnu said.
    In the women's competition also the Indian eves managed to pip their foreign counterparts.
    Rachel Turk, a tourist from England said she was completely exhausted after the exhilarating competition.
    "Tug-of-war --- tough, they are a lot stronger than we are, quite tired now," a visibly tired Turk said.
    Till the early 1970s, the fair was largely a rural affair where thousands of nomads and cattle owners used to come to buy and sell camels. But over the years it evolved into India's biggest tourist attractions where tourists from across the world mix with dusty villagers and their animals.
    For many of the villagers, the fair provides the only window of entertainment in an otherwise dreary life on the harsh sands of Rajasthan where regular draughts prevent any substantial rise in the standard of living.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register