The Sunday Soul Sante 2013 - Bangalore ● Photo Showcase

The Sunday Soul Sante 2013 had almost everything to offer - from food to beverages and music to a flea market. The event was organised by Asha Rao and her team at the Embassy International Riding School promises. Apart from damosels in fine-looking garments appearing totally appealing and attractive, the event also witnessed live music by the band Solder and Avril Quadros with her band Hammer N Thong and a fashion show by Prasad Bidapa Associates. Below are few photos of the event.

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Avril Quadros of Hammer N Thong at Sunday Soul Sante (photo - Jim Ankan Deka)

Avril Quadros at Sunday Soul Sante 2013, Bangalore (photo - Jim Ankan Deka)

Avril Quadros of Hammer N Thong at Sunday Soul Sante (photo - Jim Ankan Deka)

Models at a fashion show at Sunday Soul Sante (photo - Jim Ankan Deka)

Models at a fashion show at Sunday Soul Sante (photo - Jim Ankan Deka)

Models at a fashion show at Sunday Soul Sante (photo - Jim Ankan Deka)

Hammer N Thong at Sunday Soul Sante (photo - Jim Ankan Deka)

Vocalist Siddharth Abraham of Solder at Sunday Soul Sante (photo - Jim Ankan Deka)

Sylvester Pradeep of Solder at Sunday Soul Sante (photo - Jim Ankan Deka)

Bangalore based band Solder at Solder at Sunday Soul Sante 2013 (photo - Jim Ankan Deka)

Models at a fashion show at Sunday Soul Sante (photo - Jim Ankan Deka)

Models at a fashion show at Sunday Soul Sante (photo - Jim Ankan Deka)

Models at a fashion show at Sunday Soul Sante (photo - Jim Ankan Deka)

Avril Quadros of Hammer N Thong at Sunday Soul Sante (photo - Jim Ankan Deka)

Surya Nepal Jazzmandu 2013 - bringing musicians together

Surya Nepal Jazzmandu, formally known as the Surya Nepal International Kathmandu Jazz Festival, will once again bring International and Nepali musicians together in the Nepali capital for its 11th edition of “the biggest jazz party in the Himalayas”.

Jazzmandu 2013

Surya Nepal Jazzmandu, formally known as the Surya Nepal International Kathmandu Jazz Festival, will once again bring International and Nepali musicians together in the Nepali capital for its 11th edition of “the biggest jazz party in the Himalayas”.

Since its inception eleven years ago, the festival has grown to become a respected event among music enthusiasts and musicians alike, and an additional attraction for visitors to Nepal. The festival has been instrumental in placing Nepal on the International jazz map and jazz music has now found a place of its own in the heart of the Himalayas.

Over the years, Surya Nepal Jazzmandu has succeeded in not only introducing jazz to Nepal, but also in generating a growing interest for music education and western music traditions. Local musicians who have been exposed to jazz have expanded their creativity, explored new techniques and the freedom of improvisation in playing familiar instruments. The Jazz for the Next Generation competition is now a well established feature of the festival that provides an opportunity for aspiring local young bands to showcase their skills and talent and interact with renowned foreign artists.

The international language of music dismisses narrow socio-cultural divides and cuts across our differences of culture, color, faith, geography to promote peace and compassion in a world in great need of understanding, empathy and tolerance. Surya Nepal Jazzmandu provides an exciting platform for musicians and people of all walks of life to come together through their love of music.

Over the years, the festival has provided free shows for the general public, jazz performances for school students, master classes and workshops by visiting artists for music enthusiasts and students. Over the past eleven years Surya Nepal Jazzmandu has introduced people in Nepal to many great, world-famous jazz artists such as Trilok Gurtu, Louis Banks, Natalie Williams, Ari Hoenig, Tito Puente Jr, Mark Brown Band, and Catia Werneck Quartet to name but a few.

Visiting artists in turn have had the chance to discover and enjoy the rich culture, beauty and diversity of Nepal, to meet and share musical experiences, and jam together with renowned local musicians and other international artists.

The festival presents a unique blend of cultures, musicians and improvisational music to create a magical and unforgettable musical experience in the heart of the Himalayas. Surya Nepal Jazzmandu has successfully brought many reputed musicians from far and wide to the Nepali capital where an ever-growing audience of jazz enthusiasts and music lovers crave quality music. Jazz has permeated cultures all over the world and Surya Nepal Jazzmandu continues to bring musicians from diverse backgrounds to present their unique and refreshing approach to jazz.

This year, the festival features The Claudia Quintet (USA), Mike del Ferro (The Netherlands), Eliane Amherd (Switzerland), Yaite Ramos Quartet (France), 4th Element (India), and from Nepal: Cademza, Gandharva, Joint Family Internationale, the KJC faculty and the Dhime Girls

For more information about the festival and complete artists profiles log on to www.jazzmandu.org.

- EFNI

LOBELIA 2013 – Fun, Frolic and Fabulous

Science and culture collided at LOBELIA 2013 - the annual fest organized by the R.G Kar Medical College, Kolkata. The young medicos overcame their hectic schedules to be a part of four days of music, culture and endless fun from 26th to 29th of March 2013.

Indian Ocean at LOBELIA 2013, Kolkata

The music scene remained a kaleidoscope of diverse genres – right from Indian classical to rock, pop, hip hop and Bollywood.

The extravaganza intensified as the renowned fusion band ‘Indian Ocean’ took on the stage rendering their hit tracks like Leaving home, Kandisa, Bandeh, Khajuraho, Bondhu. Eminent rock bands like " Underground Authority " and "Lakkhichhara" rocked the evenings with scintillating performances, and 'DJ Harish' let the young doctors loosen up a little trying to make up for the hours of relentless studies and clinical duties.

"Lucid interval” a war-drum 'Battle of Bands' made its way to the top by wooing audiences – old and young alike.

Young medical students, true to their profession, competed fiercely in the ‘Mediquiz’ (as the name suggests a quiz on medical knowhow). The fete also saw witnessed impressive talent in the general quiz, triathlon, antakshari, t-shirt painting, creative writing, poster painting, and photography competitions.

The event was sponsored by Ebela (title sponsor for Lobelia 2013), Hero, and RadioVoice and managed by E365 Media Solutions.

- by Lina Barman

(Edited by Parmita Borah)

Rongali Bihu in Bangalore ● Photo Showcase

The spirit of spring came alive in Bangalore with Bohag Bihu celebrations organized by the Assam Association of Karnataka. The festive occasion amalgamated Assamese people from all corners of Bangalore adorning traditional attires to savor their traditional delicacies. The fête also had Bihu dances, Kanada folk dances, a fashion show displaying mekhela sador and musical performances - including some groovy solos by noted singer Sinchan Manohar Dixit.

Bihu dancers at Rongali Bihu festival in Bangalore (photo - Jim Ankan Deka)

Bihu dancer at Rongali Bihu festival in Bangalore (photo - Jim Ankan Deka)

Bihu dancer at Rongali Bihu festival in Bangalore (photo - Jim Ankan Deka)

Model displaying Assamese 'mekhela sador' at Rongali Bihu festival in Bangalore (photo - Jim Ankan Deka)

Singer Sinchan Dixit at Rongali Bihu festival in Bangalore (photo - Jim Ankan Deka)

Bihu dancers at Rongali Bihu festival in Bangalore (photo - Jim Ankan Deka)

Models displaying Assamese 'mekhela sador' at Rongali Bihu festival in Bangalore (photo - Jim Ankan Deka)

Hornbill Festival 2012, Nagaland ● Photo Showcase

Hundreds gathered at the the Hornbill Festival 2012, a week long celebration that showcases Nagaland's rich tribal culture. Launched in the year 2000, this visually extravagant festival is celebrated during the first week of December every year to celebrate Nagaland's socio-cultural heritage.

Named after the bird, Hornbill Festival is one of the largest celebrations of the indigenous warrior tribes of Nagaland and therefore re-enactment of battles is a core part of the performances. Every session at this festival is kicked off with the traditional war cry from the hundreds of performers in their traditional attire. The dance performances have different stories to tell - from harvesting to legends, as spectators sit in open-air ampi-theaters and relish their eyes on the kaleidoscopic view of art and culture.

This annual fete with an orgy of music, dance, traditional games and skills, food, films, beauty pageants and peace rallies forms a meeting ground for the age old traditions and the progressive artists of the state.

Sudeepta Barua shares some of the variegated moments of the Hornbill Festival that he captured though his lens.

- Edited by Parmita Borah

Hornbill Festival 2012, Nagaland (photo - Sudeepta Barua)

Hornbill Festival 2012, Nagaland (photo - Sudeepta Barua)

Hornbill Festival 2012, Nagaland (photo - Sudeepta Barua)

Hornbill Festival 2012, Nagaland (photo - Sudeepta Barua)

Hornbill Festival 2012, Nagaland (photo - Sudeepta Barua)

Hornbill Festival 2012, Nagaland (photo - Sudeepta Barua)

Hornbill Festival 2012, Nagaland (photo - Sudeepta Barua)

Hornbill Festival 2012, Nagaland (photo - Sudeepta Barua)

Rongali Bihu: Heralding spring

Photo by Kangkan Hazarika

From time immemorial, Assam has had various kinds of folk songs and dances sung and played at different seasons of the year by the common folk of the countryside when festivals are held to make merriment of various kinds. Among the festivals, the new year festival is celebrated with great pomp and grandeur in the spring season when the sky is overwhelmed with the utterances of the coming of the "Bordoichila".

All classes of people, irrespective of caste, creed and religion take part in the new year spring festival. This festival in Assam is known as Rongali Bihu or Bohag Bihu. The most significant part of the spring festival is the songs and dances which are sung and played expressing delight and also the love for life, society and friendship. Young girls from the countryside sing and dance to welcome Bihu. Nature begins to bloom with new colours and a new urge for recreation. This is expressed through various rites and festivals, song and dances and merry making.

Among the seasonal festivals of Assam, the Bihus have a wider popularity. There are three Bihu festivals in Assam which mark the agricultural season. The first is celebrated at the beginning of cultivation. The second is at the time when the seeds sown begins to appear as seedling, and the third is at the time of harvesting. The Rongali Bihu or Bohaag Bihu or the spring festival is celebrated at the beginning of the period when seeds are sown in the field. Bhogali or Magh Bihu is observed at the period of harvesting of crops. Further, there is the Kati Bihu or Kongali Bihu when agricultural fields are blooming with new crops - greenish in colour at first and gradually turning into yellowish colour and the time for harvesting approaching. In Bohag there is the completion of the sowing of seeds and there is the hope of getting good returns. The returns depend on the fertility of the earth and good weather. In order to propitiate nature, men and women, young boys and girls begins to worship nature in many ways.

Photo by Vikramjit Kakati

Of the three Bihus, the Bohag Bihu is the most important ceremony. It is celebrated when the Assamese new year enters on the Chaitra Samkranti day. In such a time spring touches the naked earth - everywhere there appears new life. During Rongali Bihu, nature is enlivened with a new spirit. It takes on a new life, with new colours in the sky, and in the forests and hills. Minds of men are vibrant with joy and they come out to make merriment through dances and songs. The girls come out with traditional dresses signifying their ripeness of youth. The red Riha is the symbol of ripeness. During this period nature is gay with new urge for creation. Nature also welcomes the song birds like the cuckoos who "pour out their music". The sky is bright and blue and occasionally "rolling drum of the thunder cloud is heard". The young boys wearing typical Bihu dress with Gamocha in the head come out with drums and different kinds of flutes.

Bihu songs are typical folk-songs. The songs have deep meaning appealing to the mind. The songs are sung in the fields, by the river side and under the banyan tree. In the Bihu songs, there is the depiction of love - sweet love of man to man, love towards nature - river, forest, hills and birds.

Bohag Bihu or Rongali Bihu festival continues for seven days. The Samkranti day of Chaitra (generally April 14) is the Goru Bihu (Cow Bihu). Other Bihus are Manuh Bihu, Hat Bihu, Senehi Bihu, Maiki Bihu, Rongali Bihu and Sera Bihu. The first day of the Bihu is the Garu Bihu which is celebrated to pay respect to the cows, which are used in agriculture.

The remaining days of the Bihu are celebrated in merry making and participating in other social activities. The elders offer blessings to the younger ones. The young boys and girls pay respect to the elders offering them traditional Gamochas.

The spring festival or Rongali Bihu has come a long way since its inception when people had to depend solely on nature. Gradually changes have taken place in the celebration of the Bihu and at present it has occupied a place of social coherence, brotherhood, fellow feeling, etc. Rongali Bihu is now the most important festival, which has been accepted by all classes of people as the meeting ground of unity in diversity. Rongali Bihu has been able to bring about a new philosophy of life — to live together, to sing together and to be one.

-by Bhabananda Deka

Holi, the festival of merriment and recreation

It’s the ‘Festival of Colors’ that brings harmony and cheer to all. Also known as Dol Jatra or Doḷajāta, Holi is a spring festival observed by the Hindus.

This year Holi is being celebrated all across the country. People from across the globe have landed in several towns in India like Mathura, Kashi and Barsana to take part in the festival.

President Pratibha Patil, Vice-President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday greeted the nation on the auspicious occasion of Holi.

"Holi is a festival of colours that heralds joy, hope and fulfilment in our lives," Patil said in her message. "Like the colours of a rainbow, that are different yet together they reflect beauty, may this festival bring together all the colours of India's diversity in a rainbow of unity," she said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in his message said the "festival of colours" is a part of the country's rich and diverse cultural heritage and is associated with the celebration of brotherhood and harmony.

"Let the spontaneity and liveliness of this spring festival yet again affirm togetherness of our multi-cultural nation," Singh said.

A riot of Holi colours is one of the highlights of Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee tour that begins on Thursday from the east Midlands town of Leicester, where members of the British Indian community will present a street performance based on the festival.

Bollywood celebrates Holi this year with exuberance, though few stars like Hrithik Roshan, Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar and Anushka Sharma are going to miss celebrating the festival this year.

- Agency

Spring Fest 2012, a Review

Spring Fest 2012, IIT Kharagpur

Every year, in January, the students of Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, organises a festival - the Spring Fest with 'Brobdingnagian' enthusiasm. The Spring Fest 2012, a four days event, was no different at all. Spectators of Spring Fest 2012 witnessed some of the biggest names of the music and theatre industry in the country.

Started on Jan 20, the festival was managed by the students of IIT Kharagpur and held in the campus of the institute. With delegates and contestants coming from all over the country, Spring Fest is one of the biggest festival ever held in Kharagpur, West Bengal. The festival started with an inaugural ceremony followed by the events Sanskruti and Hasya Kavi Sammelan on Jan 20.

Wildfire, one of the country's biggest college rock competitions, went nationwide with prelims in cities like Bangalore, Delhi and Guwahati. The semi-finals of the competition started on Jan 21. The Mumbai based band Blakc, apart from performing in the fest on Jan 22, also acted as guest judge for the competition.

Jan 21 witnessed another famous music competition and an acoustic western event, Lake Side Dreams. The competition was judged by Bangalore based institute Eastern Fare Music Foundation's directors Jim Ankan Deka and Ankur Deka.

Some of the other events and competitions held on Jan 21 were Aurora, an audio–visual experiment, Israeli Classical by ‘Shye Ben Tzur’, Nukkad and the power house performance by the fusion band Mrigya.

Spring Fest 2012, IIT Kharagpur

Jan 22 started with a Youth Marathon in the morning followed by Wildfire semi finals, Model United Nations and a Bollywood Hiphop Dance Workshop. Later, people roared with laughter and applause while witnessing an energetic performance by famous Bollywood actor Makrand Deshpande in the Hindi play Miss Beautiful. The other famous performers of the play were Nagesh Bhosle and Divya Jagdale. The star performers of the third day event were the members of the Delhi based band Parikrama. With more than 3000 spectators, the Jnan Ghosh Stadium turned into a fireball.

Apart from many small events, Jan 23, the final day of the Spring Fest, started with an eastern music competition Sargam in the Netaji auditorium judged by Jim Ankan Deka and Ankur Deka.

Towards the evening a photography workshop, Picture Perfect, was organised for the new generation photographers.

The Spring Fest 2012 climaxed with a glorious performance by Bollywood music industry's famous duo Vishal - Shekhar.

Celebrating Nature's Bounty - Magh Bihu

The arid chill of the winter paves way for bright and brimming spring with the season of harvest at its threshold, giving people reasons to rejoice.

Photo courtesy - Alfresco Grand / Archana Bora

Magh Bihu or more appropriately Bhogali Bihu, one of the most important festivals of Assam,  is a paradigm of that spirit of festivity. The festival is known as 'Magh Bihu', since it marks the end of harvesting season in the month of 'Maagha', and 'Bhogali Bihu' for the fact that the celebration revolves around families getting together for a grand feast. Bhogali is derived from the Assamese word 'Bhog' which maybe interpreted as food and the name signifies that the stores and granaries in homes across the state are filled with the just harvested crop.

A large bonfire, referred to as 'Meji', and a feast, are the cardinal focus of Magh Bihu, although there are other fascinating traditions associated with the celebration. The feast being a part of the festivities is anything but obvious since Magh/Bhogali bihu commemorates a season of harvest.

On the eve of Magh Bihu, the night that is known as 'uruka', a large buffet dinner is prepared, often as a community activity, following a long preparation of traditional sweets known as 'Pitha'. Pitha is a rice-based fillet most commonly sweet in taste and on rare occasions salty. The night of Uruka is also spent by family members chatting around a bonfire, an activity that is also considered to a form of community watch guard to refrain mischievous youth and pranksters to cause any trouble. Traditionally on the eve of Uruka, pranksters sneak into people’s courtyards to taunt the owners.

Photo courtesy -
AssamInfo.Com / Utpal Sarma

Preparation and burning of the Meji, the traditional bonfire, is possibly the greatest attraction of Magh Bihu. The groundwork begins a day before Magh Bihu. Sticks and leaves are collected and a rough hut called ‘Meji’ is constructed. The entire community spends the night in rough hay structures called 'Bhela Ghar', guarding their Meji. The exemplary feast is prepared to serve those who guard the Meji. Burning of the Meji , considered as a sanctified act begins with a ceremonial bath. The Meji is burnt and several rituals are observed around the burning bonfire. It is also customary for the lady of the house to make offerings of pithas and other eatables to the Gods. Once the rituals are over, various types of potatoes are roasted on the embers of the bonfire, and there is a session of feasting on these roasted vegetables. The proceedings end with a traditional firework display. The crackers are made of bamboo, and they are called Hiloi.

Other highlights of Magh Bihu include traditional sports activities including egg fights, bull fights and bird fights. 'Tekeli bhonga' or pot breaking is yet another much loved sport.

In any part of the globe, tradition and culture have always furnished a special spot for nature, and therefore with every cyclic change that nature bestows there follows a celebration that is vibrant and joyful. The people of Assam while truly embodying that spirit, extend their thanks to mother nature in this beautiful celebration of life called Magh Bihu.

-by Parmita Borah

All That Jazz - the London Jazz Festival

It’s all over London - from packed clubs to concert halls, the London Jazz Festival, is 'the hub' for Jazz musicians and fans alike. Produced by the creative company 'Serious' in association with BBC Radio 3, the ten day long jazz extravaganza is not only one of the city’s key music festivals, but is considered a major international jazz event. A number of London’s venues ranging from concert halls such as the Barbican and the Royal Festival Hall, as well as smaller jazz clubs, such as Ronnie Scott's and Vortex host this event.

The Camden Jazz Week of the 1970’s could be considered an ancestor to the London Jazz festival as the later seems to have evolved from it. It all began with the inclusion of a Jazz Week into the long-established Camden Festival by the London Borough of Camden.  The Camden Jazz Week was held at several venues around the borough – the Roundhouse, Shaw Theatre, Logan Hall, Bloomsbury Theatre, the Forum - both as part of the spring Festival, and in some years, adding an Autumn week as well. The early nineties witnessed the dawdling and demise of the Camden Festival, however, the Jazz Week survived and under the initiative of the creative company 'Serious', took a new direction.

Photo Courtesy - Emile Holba

The London Jazz Festival was designed as a forum for a mix of British and International Jazz artists to connect and collaborate  in a city where a trend of rich cultural exchange was beginning to emerge. Soon the week long festival extended to a ten day long international music event, where Jazz musicians from all corners of the world showed up to perform at different venues all over London.

While each year is beguiled in its own way, the London Jazz Festival preserves some landmark moments in its book of reminiscence. Jools Holland Rhythm and Blues Orchestra performing the first ever concerts at the Hackney Empire, and Michael Garrick, Frank Holder and Coleridge Goode paying tribute to the late Joe Harriott in a trio that collectively was some 250 years old.

Every succeeding year brings new contributions- classic and contemporary, to the world of Jazz. The London Jazz Festival has made a steady transition from north London to London-wide and from May to its present November slot. The festival’s unmatched euphonic appeal has not only established its influence in London’s cultural calendar, but made it an affair that inspires music lovers from across the world to show up and be a part of.

-by Parmita Borah

Hornbill Festival - Where the Action is...

Hornbill Festival (Photo Courtesy - Johan Gerrits)

Beat the winter chill with the hottest festival of the year. Not Kingfisher calendar photo shoot, but something way hotter and well, cooler too. Gear up for Hornbill Festival, the annual cultural extravaganza of Nagaland. Named after the Hornbill bird, visible in many traditional symbols and folklore of Nagaland, the weeklong fiesta can be best described as a melange of inter-cultural festivities of the land.

Often referred to as the ‘Switzerland of the East’, for its scenic ascendancy, Nagaland (North-eastern state in India) is the home to a multitude of indigenous tribes. Each of these tribes has sovereign festivals handed down by their ancestors, which they celebrate with a lot of ardour and devotion. 

Phom Naga Girl
(Photo Courtesy - Johan Gerrits)

Some of the important festivals celebrated are: Tsukhenyie by the Chakhesangs in January, Mimkut by the Kukis in January, Bushu by the Kacharis in January, Sekrenyi by the Angamis in February, Aoling by the Konyaks in April, Monyu by the Phoms in April, Moatsu by the Aos in May, Tuluni by the Sumis in July, Nyaknylum by the Changs in July, Tokhu Emong by the Lothas in November and Yemshe by the Pochurys in October.

The Hornbill Festival is a brainchild of the Government of Nagaland, to create an inter-tribal cultural exchange amidst the people of the state. It has also proved to be an apt platform to promote the cultural heritage of Nagaland, and is a bonus from tourism perspective too. Hornbill festival is organized by the State Tourism and Art & Culture Departments was introduced for the first time in the year 2000.

Bamboo Morung in Naga Heritage Village
(Photo Courtesy - Vivek V Gupta)

The Naga Heritage Village at Kisama (about 12 KM from Kohima), permanently created for this purpose, hosts this annual gala. The independent festivals of about 16 odd Naga tribes, celebrated over different seasons of the year, are condensed into this seven day long celebration. Hornbill festival unites the people of Nagaland as they amass under one roof to display their indigenous arts and crafts. 

The sought after highlights of the festival include the Traditional Naga Morungs Exhibition and sale of Arts and Crafts, Food Stalls, Herbal Medicine Stalls, Flower shows. The celebration is garnished with a cultural medley of traditional songs and dances, fashion shows, beauty contests, traditional archery, Naga wrestling, indigenous games, and even motor rally.

In 2007, yet another enlivening facet was introduced to this jamboree. The Hornbill National Rock Contest, possibly the only music festival in the entire nation to last for a week’s duration. About a dozen bands vie for this coveted title, judged by a panel of judges that include musicians and personalities from music industry and media of the country. The Consulate General of United States of America and the Meghalaya’s Higher Education and IT Minister RG Lyngdoh (former member of band Mojo where he used play harb) kick started the Hornbill Rock Contest for the first time in 2007.

So all the backpackers and travel freaks brace yourselves, for the celebration commences from the 1st of December. See you there.

-by Parmita Borah

The Desert Comes Alive Once Again... Pushkar Camel Fair 2011

Nothing can be more apt than the phrase “unity in diversity”, when one describes or pictures the Indian subcontinent. Adding its own streak of colour to the existing flamboyant and multi hued tapestry of Indian culture is the festival and one of the highly rated travel experience called Pushkar Camel Fair.

Held each November at the time of the full moon in the Indian month of Kartik, Pushkar Camel Fair is a grand spectacular event, attracting 300,000 people and up to 50,000 camels.

One of the largest camel fair in the world, the Pushkar Camel Fair witnesses the blending of tradition and spirituality. During this four day event, one gets to witness livestock trading, religious “pujas”, music, dance, various sports and competitions that are not just funny but unusually unique, shops selling local arts and crafts. It turns into an enchanting carnival that at times makes one feel like a moment from some fairy tale book.

The festival comes to an end on the day of Kartik Purnima. On this day, ritual bathing on the ghats of Pushkar Lake begins at dawn. The water of the Lake is believed to possess medicinal powers and also wash away the sins of a lifetime. After the holy dip, the devotees visit the Brahma temple, which is one of the oldest and most prominent Brahma temples in the country.

The first five days of the festival in Rajasthan are for selling and purchase of the cattle. Over the years, this traditional affair has been revamped by the Rajasthan Tourism department to give it some additional glow and recognition. This event is a unique colourful display of another aspect of rural life in India, performance arts, handicrafts and an extravagant number of camels!

The golden sands of Rajasthan will come alive again this November as millions will gather to witness this extravagant event. The multi hued attires of the ladies, the pristine white attire of the men, all adorned with rich and exotic ornaments mixed with the attires of the visitors present a unique scene to every visitor’s eyes. The beautiful merger of ethnicity and modernity sprinkled with the divine sound of holy chants and conches truly prove to be a never seen experience for one and all.

So come November, treat yourself to this experience of a lifetime and soak in this enchanting spectacle called Pushkar Camel Fair. It is an unparalleled and unforgettable experience, capturing the vibrancy of Rajasthan and its people in all its grandeur.

-by Samriddhi Tanti