Guest guest Posted November 22, 2006 Report Share Posted November 22, 2006 http://kobason.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!C873246EA6369396!7634.entry > > November 18 > India's Animal Fair ** > *Elephant mart* > > Asia's largest animal fair takes place in Sonepur, in the northern Indian > state of Bihar. Locals say more than 700,000 people visit each year. They > boast that at the fair, shoppers can buy " everything from a needle to a > sword, a dog to an elephant " . ** > *Elephant vs crocodile* > > The opening of the fair coincides with the Hindu religious festival of > Kartik Purnima, which occurs in October or November. Devotees bathe at the > point where two holy rivers, the Ganges and the Gandak, meet. > > Legend has it that here two brothers cast a spell on each other, turning > one into an elephant and the other into a crocodile. When the elephant went > to bathe in the river, the wily crocodile attacked. Their fight lasted until > Lord Vishnu intervened and saved the elephant. > *Journey of faith* > > " This is a very religious place for us, and we have come here to show our > faith in God, " says Sonelal Sahni, who has brought his grandsons to bathe in > the river and have their heads shaved in a ritual by priests. > > They have travelled from their village 100km (62 miles) away, but other > worshippers come from much further away. > *Status symbol* > > It is illegal to buy and sell elephants in India. But at the Sonepur Mela > the trade is only thinly disguised as an exchange of gifts, and there have > been about 60 at the market this year. > > Most owners and buyers are rich and powerful landowners. They keep the > animals as a status symbol, or hire them out at religious festivals or > family celebrations. " We treat the elephants like our own children, " one man > who refused to be named said. > *Horse rider* > > Horses are ridden through the crowds to demonstrate how fast they can run. > Every conceivable type is for sale - from tired-looking pack animals to > powerfully built stallions. Some of these are so valuable they have their > own tents and armed guards. > > Also on sale are buffaloes, oxen, goats, cows and camels, and dealers run > a separate enclosure for dogs, parrots and other pets. > *Few visitors* > > Restaurants and stalls serve the thousands of farmers, traders, > worshippers and holy men who visit Sonepur. There are very few foreigners > among the crowds, partly because of Bihar's reputation as India's poorest > and most lawless state. > > Officials reckon that fewer than 50 tourists attended the fair last year, > compared to the 14,000 said to have visited the Pushkar camel fair in > Rajasthan, which runs during the same period. > *Flute salesman* > > Everyone wants to buy a souvenir before returning to their villages. > Megaphones blast out advertisements for hair oil, plastic cricket bats, > swords and saddles. > > It is only the second day of the fair and Raman has already sold 200 > flutes. But he's not happy. " Business is not going at all well this year, " > he says. There is too much competition now, and he says he needs to sell > many more to break even. > *Magician's tricks* > > Kumar the Magician's favourite tricks include " elephant vanishing, ground > vanishing, building vanishing, self-cutting, cutting in half " . It is the > first time the Punjabi showman is performing at Sonepur and he is playing to > packed audiences three times a day. > > Other popular acts that run late into the night include a man who eats > animal fodder, a wall-of-death motorcycle show, and a risque song and dance > routine. > *Time for a bath* > > At dawn, the elephants put on the most popular show at the Sonepur Mela. > Their handlers, or mahouts, take them to bathe in the Ganges. > > It's quite a common sight here to see devotees bathing close to elephants > in the holy river. > *Painful parting* > > At bath time, the handlers rub and clean the elephants. Sometimes, the > elephants spray the handler with water from their trunk. > > The elephants and the mahouts share a close relationship, and it can be a > stressful experience for both of them when they are sold. > > Mark Dummet, BBC News, 18.11.06 > > http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/06/south_asia_animal_farm/\ html/1.stm > > > > <http://tkfiles.storage.msn.com/x1pN1mp8dKYgTFfONtpQLHLfhvxXMpPR4Emk7vi1yIPuDiqD\ qlSsbnRJ55gHjX4ChdAuFXSMcS2sDLBhhOuD2OesceSEEiKXWWgCSSI_R6AGXdCB2VJcNorjA> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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