Animals and humans in the numbers of a hundred thousand gathered under the scorching sun of the Thar desert in Rajasthan. That is the picture that comes to our minds when we think of the Pushkar fair. The annual livestock fair and cultural festival takes place during the month of ‘Kartik’ (around the last week of October to the first two weeks of November) and lasts till the ‘Kartik Purnima’ or the full moon.
The huddled-up, juxtaposed lives of men and animals living in the desert under the open sky for a fortnight transform the small town of Pushkar into a living fairground. During this time, the small town never sleeps. Thousands of pilgrim flock to the city temples while a thousand others gather to do business with livestock and cattle. Men and women sing in merriment in the pink dusk, while the Ferris wheels turn into the night. Young and old often jumble around fires keeping awake through the night with fables and stories to guard the animals, while the Ferris wheels keep turning all night. The desert surrounding the small town transits itself through a great gathering of life in all its form celebrating all of life’s splendour.