A low turnout at the famous Puskhar fair highlights the declining interest in the once-popular profession of camel herding
The Pushkar Fair, held annually in Rajasthan’s Ajmer, is known as one of the world’s largest cattle fairs. It also celebrates the age-old traditions of the pastoralist camel-herding Raika tribe. On November 4-12, more than 1,000 of the community’s camel herders arrived with their livestock at the fair. They came from Pali, Bikaner, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer districts.
After centuries of herding camels, the community’s livelihood is threatened today. Restrictive grazing laws have led to falling incomes. On top of that, camel sales have fallen drastically at the annual fair in recent years. The decline was the sharpest in 2017, when only 827 camels were sold compared to 3,349 in 2015.
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