RELEVANCE OF A CAMEL
LT COL NOEL ELLIS
03/VIII/2024
The ‘Ship of the Desert’ was the most versatile animal in Rajasthan. To rear it and care for it was a necessity in the days of yore. Every family had a few. I have seen herds of 200-300 wild camels during our forward area recce between 1985-90 in Jaisalmer sector.
An animal with minimum maintenance needs and could live without water for weeks. ‘Fodder’ was not required as such. Grasses, shrubs, leaves of the trees in the wild would suffice. It could carry one person comfortably and at times two. The weight and volume of load it could carry was far more than any animal found in Rajasthan.
If yoked to a cart, it could pull 8-10 people with ease, like they do in a ‘city bus’. It used to be a joy ride for kids and a slow and steady means of reaching your destination. Its sense of direction was unbeatable. At night while operating in the deserts, we used to find people sleeping comfortably on the cart while the camel lugged the cart with no guidance. It kept moving on its own as if it knew where to go on those loose sandy desert tracks.
The steering being the ‘nakail’ or a ‘wooden stick’ pierced in its nose. It could make it sit or stand as the need would arise. A nudge or a pull to the animal with ‘reins’ made of camel leather or ropes made of camel hair/leather was sufficient. A simple & effective way to control the camel.
Ploughing the sand dunes for Bajri and Chana just before the arrival of the monsoons was a common sight. Now our ship has been replaced by tractors. The traditional cart was replaced with modified Jongas and Jeeps. Dogs that took shelter and shade under the carts no longer accompany them.
We have seen camels in tandem being used to pull water from wells with brackish water during our patrols ahead of a BSF post called ‘Dharmi Khu’. Khu means well. The well used to be common for animals of India and Pakistan those days when there used to be no border fencing. Pulling water from a 400 feet deep well for the cattle was the job of camels. The bucket used was made of leather from a full camel carcass called a ‘Mashak’. Those were the days.
During our recent visit to Jaipur while moving in the old city and ‘Hawa Mahal’ area, it was after ages I saw the good old camel cart in motion. What surprised me was that the cart was with an extended body, like these days we have trucks with long trailers.
Moving around with an animal pulling loads in a congested city must be painful for both man and beast. The driver was at ease. His shouts, yelps and those crooked ka-ka-ka sounds told the animal to behave. Then in between the ‘horn’, which was a loud and shrill shout to pedestrians and passersby to move away as the ‘Unth Gada’ had no brakes.
The driver’s traditional ‘Mojari’ or footwear had been replaced by normal footwear. The fodder bag which used to be a jute gunny sack earlier, is now an old cement bag but still hanging below the cart. During long halts, that bag would be kept infront of the camel to enjoy its meal.
How does one press on the accelerator of a camel? It is simple. The twisted leather ropes become the ‘faanta’ no not the drink but the ‘chabuk’. Moment the driver would find the road clear, he would yell at the camel to speed up in his own camel vocabulary. If the animal won’t listen, then a ‘whack’ on his hind legs, especially near his balls would make the camel increase his pace. 0 to 10 in twenty seconds like a Ferrari firing on all cylinders.
Another thing which I saw after ages was a truck laden with fodder. We in the army were used to ‘Over Dimensional Consignment (ODC), for which one needed special permissions and trains would have speed restrictions. But this consignment was super ODC. Bulging from all directions it just blocked the whole road space. There was no chance of overtaking it.
We moved at its pace till we got that small window to overtake. About eight men were tightly packed in the driver’s cabin. They probably would be needed to unload this fodder truck meant for the Elephants. Guys were giggling and laughing, fighting for space, happy as happy could be. I folded my hands to convey my namaste to them.
It was fun recollecting the good old days. Sadly, the camel and camel carts have kind of disappeared. Has the camel lost its relevance? I wonder!!!!!!
JAI HIND
© ® NOEL ELLIS
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