As fairs hold fort in Rajasthan

Md Masarrath Ali Khan

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As the monsoon retreats, autumn knocks at the door and winter eyes a return, Rajasthan gets set to celebrate the spirit of life in its myriad hues. If you ever wanted to explore the desert state, this is the time to pack your bags for the fairs and festivals, which start from mid-October and go on till March. With a line-up of 24 festivals, a rich potpourri of experiences awaits you in the streets, alleys, forts, scrublands and, of course, the vast desert.

The celebrations start in the month of Kartik, when Rajasthan reverberates with festive sounds. The decorated forts and palaces, local artistes playing music or performing folk dances, puppet shows, camel carts, all of these bring to you the rustic charm of the desert, even as the local delicacies of dal baati churma, kadhi pakoda and the hot brewing tea offer you warmth.

Among the most popular is the 10-day Dasehra Mela held in Kota. Starting from October 15, it is the longest festival to be celebrated in the state. The festival celebrations were started by Maharao Durjanshal Singh Hada sometime around 1723. It was, however, during the reign of Maharao Ummed Singh II (1889-1940) that the festival gained favour. Nearly 75-foot-tall effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakarana and Meghnad are set on fire on Dasehra day. Artistes from across the country come to take part in events like Cine Sandhya, Kavi Sammelan, Sindhi cultural programmes, all-India mushaira, qawwali and Bhojpuri night.

Patronised by Maharaja Gaj Singh of Jodhpur, the five-day Rajasthan International Folk Festival (RIFF), to be held from October 26, coincides with the Marwar Festival (October 27 to 28). Among other patrons of the RIFF include Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones. This year’s RIFF will have vocal performances by kalbeliya singers Suguna Devi, Mohini Devi and Asha Sapera, a double flute rendition by Kuula Hetke from Estonia and dramatic percussion ensembles with khartal and dholak masters from Langa and Manganiyar communities.

Violin by Jasser Haj, renditions by Ballu Ram Ji and Mala Ram Ji Meghwal, and spiritual songs by Jalal and Barkat Manganiyar are the other attractions this year.

Shortly after Diwali, the little town of Pushkar, 15 km from Ajmer, gets enveloped in the dust from the Camel Fair, which sees an annual participation of more than 50,000 camels. The fair will be held from November 20 to 27 this year. Caravans of camels will majestically amble their way through the golden sands and converge at the scrublands. Bedecked camel-drawn carts, surmounted with red, pink and green canopies, will take the visitors on a sightseeing tour.

Competitions like horse dance, camel dance, camel decoration are the major crowd-pullers. The camels are lovingly sheared, scrubbed, washed and perfumed; symbolic hair motifs called moondra are carved on to the fur and tattoos stamped on the sheared skins using black henna and heated ladles. Bedecked in colourful finery, silver bells and silver jewellery, they are all set to take part in the prize-winning beauty contest!

The other festivals to watch out for are Matsya Festival (November 25-26) at Alwar, Chandrabhaga Fair (November 26-28) at Jhalarapatan and Bundi Festival (November 30-December 2).

Hereafter comes the Kumbhalgarh Festival, which takes place from December 1-3. Visitors get a chance to visit the magnificent fort and appreciate its grandeur. Besides local crafts and handicrafts on display, the festival is marked by competitions like tug of war, turban tying, etc. In the evening, the fort gets illuminated with golden yellow light. The nights come alive with concerts, puppet shows and folk dance performances of kalbeliya, sapera, terah thaali, ghoomar, bhavai and gair. The year draws to a close with Mount Abu’s Winter Festival that takes place from December 29-30.

The other important festivals that will dot the state are: Bikaner Camel Festival (January 13-15), Udaipur Music Festival from February 9-11, Desert Festival from February 22-24 at Jaisalmer and Jaipur Literature Festival from March 5-14. The last event is the Rajasthan Festival from March 27-30 at Jaipur. The magic is all set to begin, so what are you waiting for?