A rare, dwindling breed.
I went to one of the best exhibitions of this year "Living Lightly" in January 2017. The organisers showed the music, food, jewellery, clothes, art and living of 15 pastoral communities in India: the sheep nomads from Kashmir and Andhra Pradesh, the camel herders of Gujarat and Rajasthan among them. In that one hour I learnt a great deal about the communities of people and animals that inhabit India. Did you know that there are black sheep in India and nine breeds of camel? The Banni buffalo, the Kankrej cow, the Kacchi goat and the Sindhi horse are simply unique. The government has done absolutely nothing to conserve these animals – in fact, each one of them is simply seen as meat. It is generations of these pastoral communities that have kept our heritage animals alive.
Let me tell you about the Kharai camel. It is almost extinct, as are most camels in India - because the camel communities are now stopping their gypsy way of life and settling down to other professions. They sell these camels to a gang of butchers from the Uttar Pradesh district of Baghpat – each of whom has over 90 cases on him and is a multimillionaire from killing. This gang comes from one village. They pose as agriculturists and go to camel haats like Pushkar where they flash fake cards, pay the local SDM or the haat magistrate and take away the camels. These are loaded into trucks, 16 at a time, and then taken to Bangladesh via Kishenganj in Bihar and Malda in West Bengal. I have rescued over 2000 so far, but that is out of 50,000 that are going every year.
Anyway, let me come back to the Kharai camels. They are reared by the Fakirani Jat and Rabari communities. While the Rabaris are still in Kachch, the Fakirani Jats are now on the move and have come to Ahmedabad, Bharuch and Bhavanagar in search of the ever-receding mangroves.
この記事は Woman's Era の May Second 2017 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Woman's Era の May Second 2017 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Slow Mornings Happy Days
Setting up for peaceful day by embracing the art.
Import
From nautical origins to medical innovations and beyond.
My Anniversary
The memories now cherished alone.
Touching Lives
A reflection on the impact of an educator.
Insightful Idioms And Idiocies
Revealing the wit and charm in the fascinating world of words.
Stress The Good Cop?
A little bit of stress can be good for life.
THE UNSUNG SUPER LADIES
The challenges faced and overcame by army wives.
Good Morning...Friends
So sacred a relationship friendship is that it flourishes sans any selfishness.
Lagan Nu Custard
Exploring the delights of parsi cuisine
Back To Nature
Rediscovering the serene joys of agriculture and rural living.