Pushka

Photography and words by Helene Sandberg

In 2017, I fulfilled a long-held dream to photograph the Pushka Camel fair in Rajasthan. It’s one of the largest Camel fairs in the world and is held annually during the full moon of the Hindu month of Kartik in the holy desert city of Pushka.

The place has an overpowering magical and spiritual feeling with camels, horses, cows, and people spread across a huge site.I have always had a thing for camels and their majestic and characterful expressions and I love the unique connection that the shepherds have with them.

My favourite part of the day was the early mornings as the sun rose with the dusty golden colours and the serene atmosphere, the shepherds waking up and the hot air balloons slowly rising across the sky. As day turned to night the place took on a carnival atmosphere with a throng of people and the constant hum of music.

There were folk dancers, magicians, snake charmers, and bohemian celebrations everywhere you looked.

One of my favourite pictures is the proud man and his cow dressed in a red ribbon and a sash. Cows are sacred in India especially when they have deformities such as this one.

All images were shot on my Pentax 6×7 camera using Kodak Portra 400.

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