La foire aux chameaux de Pushkar

Je passe une fois encore par Pushkar car ce coup-ci il y a la foire aux chameaux qui attire milliers de bestiaux mais aussi de villageois venus de tout l’etat et bien sur, un nombre considerable de touristes. C’est surtout l’occasion de recroiser Henriette dite Ritonji et Pascal, rencontre brievement a Kuala Lumpur et Delhi, avec qui decidement je m’entends bien!

Le village saint est donc bien investit et les derniers jours de la foire, les ruelles bouchonneront de passants. C’est alors l’occasion de voir passer de superbes femmes aux saris parmi les plus colores de l’Inde Les homnes portent des turbans savamment enroules sur leur tete (ou parfois pas et alors la bande de tissue pendouille d’un cote, ca donne un certain charme aussi) et la encore les tons sont des plus vifs. Ils permettent de situer la caste.
Les gitanes sont superbes, maquillees, aguicheuses et demandant des roupies afin d’etre prises en photo. Je regrette presque de ne pas avoir un gros zoom qui vaille. Les portraits de certains personages sont a voir, tout comme leur degaine d’ailleurs : Enfroques de jodhpurs (pantalon de coton blanc souvent, serre aux mollets et bouffant aux cuisses) ou d’un simple dhoti (bande de tissu fixee de telle maniere a la taille qu’elle devient un fin pantalon fait de plis), chaussures remontant a l’avant et moustaches saillantes, il faut les voir fumer leur beedie en le serrant entre leur 2 poings. Les moustaches, revenons-y. Sur le site de la foire, il y a plein d’aninations organisees dont le concours de la plus belle moustache. Et certaines d’entre elles sont certes tres impressionnantes, par leur forme ou taille. C’est dans une ambiance bonne enfant que le public acclame les participants meme ce petit vieux qui, certes a une jolie moustache mais enfin, a cote de ses voisins, fait pale figure. Certains les ont en effet enroulees et retenues par des cictus ou derriere les oreilles. Ce n’est que lorsqu’ils les lachent que nous pouvons alors constater qu’elles leur tombent, en jolie boucle jusqu’aux genoux!


I go through Pushkar (Rajasthan) once more as this time there is the Camel fair, attracting thousands of beasts but also villagers coming from all over the state, and of course an impressive number of tourists. It is especially the occasion to meet again Henriette also called Ritonji and Pascal, briefly met in Kuala Lumpur and Delhi with whom I definitely go well along..

The holy village is pretty busy and during the last days of the fair, the tiny streets are going to be totally blocked by people. Well, it is a great occasion to see superb ladies with saris between the most colorful of India I reckon. Men are wearing complicated enrolled turbans on their head (or sometimes not and then the layer of fabric is just diggling down on one side, giving them a certain charm too though!) and again the tones are so bright. They allow you to situate their cast.

The gypsies are gorgeous, with make up on, sexy and asking money to be taken pictures of. I almost regret not to have a big good zoom. Portraits of some
Characters should be seen as well as their look. Dressed up with jodhpurs (trousers of coton, tight at the lower legs and puffed on the thighs) or a simple dhoti (piece of fabric knoted in such a way on the hipes that it becomes a thin trouser made of falling folds), shoes rising up at the front and obvious moustaches, you should see them, smoking their beedies, tight between their two fists.
But let’s go back to the moustaches. On the fair sites, there are many animations like the contest of the nicest moustache. And some of them are indeed really impressive according to their size or shape. It is in a nice atmosphere that all the participants are acclaimed joyfully by the audience, even that old wallah who s got, sure, a nice moustache but nothing to compare with the ones of his neighbours. Some got them enrolled and hold behing the ears. It’s only when they let them down that you can actually realize that they are falling down in nice curves, to their knees!

Just check the pictures, they will speak better than me.



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