Jaisalmer Ayo!

Having left Varanasi and my Hindi student days behind me, I set out for Rajasthan to learn about the ghummaker (wandering people) of the Thar Desert. There are nomadic people found all in every region India, but the nomads of Western Rajasthan have the distinction of an added romantic image. They are considered by many to be the original gypsies. What this actually means, I still have no idea. People - especially those connected to the tourist business - love this word “gypsy”, and nowhere in India is it thrown around with greater zeal than in Rajasthan.



From Delhi, I headed straight to Jaisalmer, an old fort town and trading center in the heart of the Thar. I planned to spend one or two weeks in town talking to local contacts in order to settle in and get a firmer understanding of the different groups, their relations to each other and to Jaisalmer. Then, I would pick one of the groups and move with them, if possible. It was a good plan. It was a clear plan. I slept well on the train and dreamt of the desert that I was passing through. I had no idea that I would almost run away from Jaisalmer after my third day in town; nor that I would end up staying in Kalakar Colony for nearly two months with a bhopa family who rebuilt their home two or three times a year not because they were nomadic, but because most of the huts on that side of the slum dissolved or collapsed in the rains.

But that is another story. I know I tend to wander, but be patient, we'll get there. No one is in a hurry in India.
Please, have some more tea.



Jaisalmer is a fort city located in far Western Rajasthan the heart of the Thar Desert. The district is hugged on the north, north-west and west by Pakistan and bounded by desert on the east. The city was founded in the 12th century by traders from other regions of India and quickly became a rich trade center and stop on the silk route. Jaisalmer remained a vibrant and diverse center of culture, art and music for nearly 700 years until sea routes opened up and trade fell away. During British rule, port centers grew in importance and railroad tracks to Pakistan and Punjab decreased the importance of the camel caravans and gypsies that had passed through Jaisalmer for hundreds of years.

Due to the harshness of its climate and the richness of its trade, Jaisalmer has always been a town which has fascinated visitors and drawn strangers. There are said to be more than fifteen distinct nomadic groups in Jaisalmer District and surrounding areas. It is a rich location to work on this project, and on my quiet ride into town, I have no idea what I’m getting myself into.

Now, in Mongolia matters were fairly simple. Aside from slight regional differences, nomadic communities were easy to label and had no ambiguity about their own identity. Almost all of the population outside of Ulaan Baatar is nomadic or semi-nomadic. The only real divisions between groups were based on region, religion, animals herded and language - all clearly identifiable factors.

Now in Rajasthan the picture is completely different. I’m swimming (at times drowning) in a sea of people who are nomadic, semi-nomadic, historically nomadic and questionably nomadic. There are literally dozens of groups which have traditional held no land and moved from place to place with various means of sustenance. Each group has its own caste or sub-caste which signals its vocation, region of origin, history and genealogy. Caste remains a firm marker of communities in India, dictating and clarifying people’s status, position and relationships. Yet, caste distinctions and titles are constantly being changed and questioned - especially among the lower castes. Some groups hide or change their caste when they move to a new place. Some groups have multiple caste identities in different regions they pass through. For the most part, caste keeps communities separate and would provide a clear identity to stand upon if the ground weren’t constantly shifting.