Adding more to their charm

Puneetinder Kaur Sidhu

For itinerants and ascetics, a visit to Pushkar generally entails the usual reasons — either a holy dip or the lively one-of-its-kind livestock fair — the atmospheric town’s longstanding raison d’être. A pilgrimage centre of great import, the faithful have long flocked to Pushkar for ritual bathing in the hallowed waters of Pushkar Lake during the days preceding Kartik purnima (October-November). Over 50 bathing ghats ring the lake and form the setting for entrancing aartis conducted daily. 

The well-attended Pushkar Camel Fair, largest of its kind in the world, coincides with Kartik purnima fair as well. Not only is it a much anticipated outing for rural Rajasthan, it accounts for the presence of thousands of traders, foreign tourists and leisure visitors in Pushkar; as much for the resultant boost in economy. However, trade of livestock — the fair’s mainstay — has been somewhat lacklustre following demonetisation, the announcement of which crushingly coincided with the start of the event in 2016. Fear of a glanders outbreak (a lethal disease affecting mostly equines) severely restricted entry of horses to the fair last year. Besides, the inter-state transportation of cattle has, of late, been fraught with many dangers. A combination of these factors resulted in fewer footfalls and resulted in a slide in business. While these might well be temporary setbacks and a gradual upswing in fortunes could be underway, they also make a strong case for re-purposing locations to further enhance destinations. 

Pushkar may well be headed in that direction by way of an unusual offering in the form of a novel festival. The Sacred that follows Kartik purnima and the camel fair is a spiritual soiree featuring folk and sacred music, Sufi renditions, heritage walks and workshops.

For two evenings in December, Pushkar’s ghats resonate with the confluence of spiritual music traditions from around the world, holding a music-loving, spirituality-seeking audience from India and overseas in their thrall. The early morning tranquility of the ghats lend itself beautifully, as well, to the guided yoga, meditation, and classical music sessions offered as part of the festival.  

Since the past three years, The Sacred has been drawing music aficionados to the Jaipur Ghat. In the vicinity of which, a cluster of cafes offer everything from daal-baati-churma to banana pancakes to hungry patrons. Last year saw performances by nagada maestro Nathulal Solanki, folk singer Bhanwari Devi, Grammy-winning percussionist Vikku Vinayakram, Kavita Seth and World Ethnic Music Ensemble. There was also recital of devotional music by Rashmi Agarwal, followed by a classical guitar and Baul music performance by Simon Thacker and Raju Das. An all-female Polish group, Laboratorium Piesni, enthralled with polyphonic singing to the beat of shaman drums. 

The showstopper though was clearly the matchless renditions of Kabir, Mirabai and Amir Khusro by Sufi singer Mir Mukhtiyar Ali. 

The annual event, replete with soul-stirring meditative melodies, facilitates social intermingling, blurs cultural boundaries, and initiates much-needed conversations. It has become yet another reason to experience Pushkar’s timelessness.

Across the country many places have reinvented their raison d’être. Not too long ago, many of Mumbai’s decrepit mills found a new lease of life as spiffy malls and swanky corporate offices came up in place of those mills. The Swabhumi Hotel and Cultural Centre in Kolkata started life as a land fill. Scores of crumbling edifices of royal provenance across India began afresh as heritage hotels. 

The list is long, of the reinvention of abandoned spaces and buildings. Similarly, instances abound of how popular tourism hubs as also those off the beaten track have benefited significantly by offering visitors more than just the one reason to visit. The mushrooming of home and farm stays under the aegis of government policies has evidently benefited rural families, as more and more sign up to welcome willing visitors into the hinterland. In Uttar Pradesh, notoriety had kept people away from the ravine-rich Chambal region, till the Chambal Conservation Foundation recognised its potential as a wildlife destination and has since engaged with the government to develop it as such. 

Bir-Billing in Himachal Pradesh has been, for the past few years, drawing as many paragliding enthusiasts as it has drawn art aficionados, thanks to the ShopArt/ArtShop festival at Gunehar. In neighbouring Uttarakhand, the biannual Sonapani Film Festival is yet another reason for mountain-lovers and film-buffs to explore the Himalayan hinterlands. In addition, the tourism department is toying with the idea of ghost tourism for spook-seekers. A village in the strawberry-rich Satara district of Maharashtra has taken the lead in reviving leisure reading by converting houses, temples, and school buildings into libraries. Bhilar is India’s first village of books with 25 locations housing an average of 400 books each. 

The inventory of augmented destinations is steadily growing with most stakeholders implementing policies where sustainable development and economic growth go hand-in-hand. Should it continue in a manner where intentions remain well-meaning and interventions aesthetic, insatiable experience seekers of the future will want for nothing.