The idea is to die young as late as possible. — Ashley Montagu — Monday June 23rd — —

“What art does — maybe what it does most completely — is tell us, make us feel that what we think we know, we don’t. There are whole worlds around us that we’ve never glimpsed.” Greil Marcus — Monday June 23rd — —

I love listening. It is one of the only spaces where you can be still and moved at the same time. — Nayyirah Waheed — Monday June 23rd — —

The Camel Herders of Rajasthan

The latest story by the always inspiring Jungles in Paris is once again of great beauty. It focusses on the the camel herders living in the largest Indian state by area, named Rajasthan, which translates to Land of Kingdoms. A large part of the state comprises of the Thar or Great Indian Desert, in which one still finds a significant group of people living of camel herding. The centre for these herders in terms of trade is the town named Pushkar and its fair which attracts herdsman from all over the desert. The images for this story were all taken in this town, located in the middle of the Rajasthan state and more importantly the Thar Desert, which explains why it attracts herdsman from all over, which prove to be the perfect subjects with their highly stylish appearance through colorful turbans and garments, beautiful accessories and faces showing the hardships of the desert.

Sadly, as is pointed out in the story, the tradition of camel herding is heavily in decline.

Camel trading has declined in recent years; whereas 30.000 animals might have changed hands at Pushkar in decades past, 5.000 is the present norm. Moreover, the majority of camels at Pushkar are now sold for meat, a transaction that herdsmen would have once considered disgraceful. But with pastureland getting scarce and their profession waning in prestige, they have little choice.

We can’t get enough of the aesthetic insightful stories by Jungles in Paris!

Photography by Pascal Mannaerts.

For the full story see here.