Thursday 24 December 2015

24 DEC 2015 RAJUR CATTLE FAIR

Exploring a rural Indian bazaar, a weekly market and a cattle fair

Sandeepa Chetan January 8, 2014 Festivals, Maharashtra No Comments
It was actually just the weekly village market, albeit the biggest of the year. But a rural Indian bazaar, with its explosion of colour and activity is never “just a market”. It takes a simple lifestyle to turn a weekly market into a carnival. We were lucky to have one such experience.
For us, it was a great time exploring rural tourism, interacting with the local people, being in middle of all their celebration.

The cattle fair was a fantastic icing on the cake

Weekly rural market, an Indian bazaar, the biggest of the year, a village fair with rides like the giant wheel and a cattle fair where farmers trade their cattle specially their bulls or bullocks in the market town of Rajur in rural Maharashtra, India.
We had the opportunity to visit this unique Indian bazaar, a cattle fair, in the small town of Rajur, in rural Maharashtra around 270 km from Mumbai, India.
This weekly village market is the biggest social event for all the people in this region, it really is their Christmas!
The small town of Rajur is the “market town” for this region. “Market town” because the weekly market for this region is held here on Mondays.
Every year around December, the first Monday after “Dutta Jayanti” (The birthday of Lord Dutta), is the biggest market day of the year. The biggest cattle fair of the year is hosted here.
Schools were shut and no one worked that day, because everybody- entire families, kids in tow, were at the market, dressed in their festive best!

All neighbourhood farmers attend the cattle fair

People from far away villages like this rural farmer couple dressed in traditional Maharashtrian clothes sitting next to a white and a black pair of bulls come to sell their cattle specially bulls or bullocks at the cattle fair in the market town of Rajur in rural Maharashtra, India.
Village folks from as far as a 40 km radius come here to trade their cattle. Some of them would have walked for over two days to get to the cattle fair.
They stay on the grounds for two straight days, hoping to get a fair deal for their prized cattle.
Many people at the weekly rural market, an Indian bazaar, a cattle fair, the biggest of the year where farmers trade their cattle specially their bulls or bullocks in the market town of Rajur in rural Maharashtra, India
It’s a big open ground, at the end of the village market where the cattle fair is set up. The ground feels like a mega congregation of the bulls, with thousands of them spread out all over.
Our guide, Balu Kondar of the nearby village of Purushwadi, arranged for us by Grassroutes helped us through the maze of the bulls. 
The whole ground is abuzz with activity. Some are still decorating their bulls, making sure they look just right. Prospective buyers go around inspecting the bulls, before they zero in on the one they would take home.
Some others are just feeling the pulse of the market and the deals!

The farmer and his cattle

 Love between a farmer and his bull, seen at a cattle fair in the market town of Rajur in rural Maharashtra, India.
Balu gave us a farmer’s perspective on all that was happening around.
The cattle is a part of the farmer’s family. They raise and rear them with as much love and care as their own children.
The importance of their cattle to rural India, is magnanimous. For small time farmers, who do not (and can not afford to) own tractors, the bulls are their only means to pursue farming and earn a livelihood.
This makes the bulls their best friends, their children, their Gods!
The connection between these farmers and their bullocks is endearing to watch and comprehend.
Farmers offer buckets of water to their cattle at the weekly rural market, an Indian bazaar, a cattle fair, the biggest of the year where farmers trade their cattle specially their bulls or bullocks in the market town of Rajur in rural Maharashtra, India.
The cattle are well fed and kept happy while waiting at the cattle fair.
Only after they have their meals and settle down for their mid day siesta do the farmers sit down for their lunch.
Lunch is sometimes even as simple as the local bread called bhakri (similar to it’s more popular variant, the roti) with some vegetable, chutney or sometimes just onion!

Bulls have to look attractive at the cattle fair

Farmer buys accessories like bells and colourful belts for his cattle at the cattle fair where farmers trade their cattle specially their bulls or bullocks in the market town of Rajur in rural Maharashtra, India.
Special accessories are bought to decorate the bulls and make them look their festive best.
Do not miss the colours of the Indian tricolour!
A black decorated bull sits with thousands of other bulls at a cattle fair in the market town of Rajur in rural Maharashtra, India.
Everybody wants their cattle to stand out. Colourful belts, bells and various trinkets are used to make the bulls stand out.
Every bull is decorated to the best of his farmer’s ability.
A tall young white bull stands with thousands of other bulls at a cattle fair in the market town of Rajur in rural Maharashtra, India
A young bull, ready for farming activities is priced the most.
The teeth, Balu told us, were the best indicators of the bull’s age.
The buyers would also carefully inspect the shine in the bulls’ eyes, their muscles, everything before making a decision.
A pair of young black and white bull at a cattle fair in the market town of Rajur in rural Maharashtra, India
We hadn’t seen black and white bulls before.
Balu, our guide, explained the reason.
Artificial insemination of the cows is now quite popular in rural India. Bulls born thus, are single coloured – white, brown or black.
Only the ones conceived naturally are black and white in colour. Which is why they are seen only closer to the villages where the cattle population is larger.

Keep it under the wraps!

A group of interested buyers do negotiations among the many people at the weekly rural market, an Indian bazaar, a cattle fair, the biggest of the year where farmers trade their cattle specially their bulls or bullocks in the market town of Rajur in rural Maharashtra, India
A group of men, like the one gathered here, especially when some had shawls around their necks, meant some intense negotiations happening.
What’s negotiation got to do with a shawl, we wondered. We would soon know!
A successful deal negotiation watched by many people at the weekly rural market, an Indian bazaar, a cattle fair, the biggest of the year where farmers trade their cattle specially their bulls or bullocks in the market town of Rajur in rural Maharashtra, India
We were lucky to a  witness a real deal at the cattle fair.
Balu explained to us it’s finer mechanisms.
Every farmer sets a price for their bulls, based mainly on their age. A young healthy bull, ready for farming activities goes for the highest price.
Nobody wants to reveal how low they are willing to negotiate. That’s when a shawl comes in. The farmers at the cattle fair have some fixed symbols representing certain numbers. The buyer and the seller put their hands under the shawl and non verbal, touch-and-feel negotiations start.
The onlookers are quite animatedly excited. If a deal seems likely to happen, they start urging the buyer to pat the bull.
The buyer’s pat on the bull is the sealing of the deal. It is the buyer saying he is now mine!
By Sandeepa Chetan (www.sandeepachetan.com)
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