Three days following the end of the Holi Festival is the Kwant Gair Fair held in the village of Kawant. The Rahtwa tribal fair is a wild and exhuberant celebration. Bhil and Koli tribes come together from the region to celebrate the harvest, and where matchmaking is sometimes formalized. The Rathwa Bhils are considered the most primitive tribal group in Gujarat, and one of the attractions of this fair is the dancers who come with painted faces adorned in peacock feathers. Some of the male dancers are painted with a paste of rice-ash to look like the big cats they once hunted. To get a better feel of the experience of what it was like, be sure to check out the video below.
Music, especially drumming, plays an integral part in festivals. The drummers and flute players energize the level of the crowds with the rhythmic beating of their drums, which act as its heart beat. You also see many groups performing traditional folk dances along the parade route. The performers dance with wild abandonment, and some appear to be in a trance, similar to our experience at the Holi Festival. Gujarat is a dry state, yet home brews are readily available.
The people kept coming from the surrounding areas to join the festivities the entire day. We saw many groups of single women joining the parade, either as participants or watching from the sidewalks throughout the morning and afternoon, with each tribe distinguished by their costumes. It was hot, dusty, crowded and loud, and the crowds became larger and more rowdy through the afternoon. Even the local politician came with body guards to participate (top left). Again, trash was common (bottom right).
These are many colorful characters in the crowd. Some of the single men come down to find single women, and it had been a tradition to kidnap some single women for marriage (although it may be just for fun these days).
The large dangling jewelry is quite common (bottom row) as part of the costumes in this region. Groups of beautiful single women join in the festivities, hoping to be noticed by a potential mate.
We saw many young kids and large families at this event, and the kids were as delightful as ever. We saw many more foreign tourists at this event compared to other parts of Gujarat, as this off-the-beaten-path region is still quite undeveloped for tourism.
The entire airport experience is a bureaucratic nightmare for photographers, as the Indian TSA officials are still using archaic 2-D X-rays, and required every passenger to take out every electronic item for a full inspection. And, some inspectors followed the rules without critical thinking and could not distinguish between lithium vs. alkaline batteries. For example, electric toothbrushes, and non-lithium batteries, which are generally allowed in checked luggage worldwide were not allowed here. For some reason, small Allen Wrenches used to adjust tripods were also disallowed in carry on luggage, and were confiscated.
This is the last stop of our exploratory tour with Fantastic Photo Tours. For photographers, India is a dream for those seeking adventure, color, exotic costumes, colorful characters, and one-of-a-kind photo ops. At the same time, the chaos, the heat, dust and pollution can be overwhelming and the dense crowds can be frightening, yet exhilarating.