I never get tired of going to festivals. There’s something compelling about people gathering to celebrate something or other. 

Last November I attended a festival in a small town in the Thar Desert in the Rajthastan region of India on a Jim Cline Photo Tour.  To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure I know the name of the remote village near the Pakistani border and it doesn’t really matter.

India is a country where the people know how to party and they kick up their heels in fun frequently.  Yep.  Religious Festivals. Throw-powdered-paint-at-each-other Festivals.  Decorate Elephant Festivals.  Local Festivals.  Any excuse for a party will do. 

It was lovely to meander the narrow streets packed with revelers of all ages and the typical elements of most festivals—food stalls, trinkets for sale, amusement park, people smiling and enjoying themselves.  

In India, often the festivals involve a religious element of bathing in the river to remove all sins and this one was no exception.  I respectfully tried to keep my distance while attempting  to capture the activity. 

Another religious element was the presence of the Sikh’s.  I saw several Nihangs  in their trademark blue garb meandering this festival.  If you want to know more about these warrior monks, click here.  I went to their major festival called Hola Mohalla in Punjab a couple of years ago.  Nothing quite like it. 

I also saw a Sikh kitchen set up on the walkway by the water.  Part of the Sikh religion is to feed people.  For more about that, click here.

What I loved abut this gathering was that we saw no other foreigners.  We were remote and yet I felt very safe and welcomed.  This was different from the Pushkar Camel Festival where I saw a major increase in the number of tourists since I had attended the festival eight years prior. 

This was a much smaller festival than Pushkar as evidenced by the lone Ferris wheel.  At Pushkar there were four.  Here there was one and I found it amusing that it was hand operated. 

The Indian people smiled at us and nodded “yes” when we asked to take pictures with hand signals. Frequently we posed with them for selfies.  On a basic level, we were able to connect over image making.  I liked that. 

No festival is complete without an elephant.  And, of course, cows are everywhere.  

I was fascinated with an area filled with Sadhus. They are Hindu religious men who give up all material belongings and live a celibate life searching for enlightenment.  More about them on this blog post.  Click this link to read about the Sahus in India. 

But most compelling to me were the people with their weathered faces and expressive eyes evoking in me a desire to know their life stories.   

My favorite images from this experience are the ones of this little girl. She stole my heart.  

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