Chiiz Volume 1 : Pushkar Photography

Urshita Saini
urshita@chiiz.com
Photography
is her passion,
wedding shoots
is her forte. She
is a lawyer turned
photographer
t u r n e d
businesswoman. The transition was quick
as it was what the camera ordered.
After packing clothes for the
six day trip, we strapped our
cameras and laptops to our bikes,
put on our helmets and started
off our journey to one of the most
vibrant cities in the world, Pushkar.
On a bright November morning,
the ride to Pushkar was just the
beginning of an amazing road trip.
The highway from Delhi to Pushkar
via Jaipur and Ajmer is a well-laid
Kailash Soni
Indore, India
road and it took us about 8 hours
to get there. Once you reach the
town, you will be surprised to see
the number of colors that’ll hit
you. Despite the long ride, Pushkar
welcomed us with open arms.
Pushkar is considered to be one of
the holiest cities of India
because of the Brahma
Temple that is believed to
be built in the 14th century
AD. Also the lake (sarovar)
in Pushkar is believed to
have been created when
Lord Brahma dropped
a lotus flower on earth,
which turned into a lake
which can be dated with
certainty to at least the 4th
century BC.
It is famous for its
Camel Fair that is
organised annually by the
government.
The sprawling annual
festivities of the 100-yearold
Pushkar Mela(fair),
through its dramatic collage
of diversified pictures,
mirrors the vibrancy of the
gracious state of Rajasthan.
This iconic fair attracts
thousands of livestock
and almost a million
tourists, including many
from across the world. It
is celebrated for five days
from the Kartik Ekadashi
to Kartik Poornima, the
full moon day of Kartik
Vijay Nakum
Gujarat, India
(October–November) in
Hindu calendar. The full
moon day is the main day
and on that day, according
to a legend, the Hindu
god, Brahma sprung up
the Pushkar Lake, thus
numerous people swim in
its sacred waters.
The Eternal Happiness
Nikon D750 92mm F/8 1/200s ISO200 Pushkar is a photographer’s
delight. The colours, the
culture, the diversity and the
animals make for the perfect
backdrop. The portraits you find
here are probably the best. The
vivid colors of this place are hard
to miss and anyone who steps in
the city will automatically become
a photographer, simply because
one cannot resist the beauty of
Man In Red Turban
Canon EOS 550D 135mm F/11 1/125s ISO400
Pushkar. Right from dawn, you will
find photographers scourging for
the best location and shot.
We were there to help conduct
a photography competition
organized by “EFACTOR”, who was
also the organizer for this year’s
fair. We were fortunate to meet
photographers from all over the
world during this competition. Our
accommodation was one luxurious
camp in the middle of an orchard
about 4 kms from the main fair
ground. Pushkar is dotted with
many camping sites and hotels can
be easily found to fit every budget.
As it is right on the edge of the Thar
desert, it was a bit colder in the
evening. But as the sun rose in the
morning, it was so hot that I couldn’t
believe I was reaching out for my
jacket just 12 hours ago. Our day
began by rushing to the mela(fair)
ground where all the activities
were taking place. Pushkar mela
has a lot of fun activities for all the
tourists that land up to be a part of
this colorful festival.
The Pushkar fair is actually known
for camel trading. A century old
tradition where camel herders
come together to trade their
animals. Camel traders and
T
K
38 Vol.1