75prying open their mouths to inspect
their teeth, a telltale sign of good
(or bad) health. Negotiation on a price
can be a long, arduous process with
backwards and forwards haggling
over the course of weeks. The going
average price for a camel these days is
approximately 30,000 INR (USD500).
India has the world’s third-largest
camel population and camels tend to
differ according to the region in which
they’re found: Bikaneri camels sport
long hair and tufted ears, whereas
camels from Jaisalmer near the
Pakistani border are long-legged and
fast; those originating from Kutch are
well known for their high milk yields.
Wandering around the fair grounds
in the early morning and at dusk is
the ideal time for taking photos, and
for mingling with Rabari traders, all of
whom sport colourful turbans as theysit on the dunes around campfires,
sipping chai made frothy with camel
milk, often smoking tobacco using
traditional clay chillum pipes. Rabari
women adorned in ornate jewellery
and bright clothes circle the grounds
collecting camel dung, which is then
laid out to dry and later used as fueltop left Camel traders prepare
camel milk tea over a fire
bottom left A boy walks one
of his camels, caught in a
window reflection
right A trader counts his money
following a camel sale
below A portrait of a camel
trader, silhouetted against the
evening sky
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