Impressions of Bikaner

I made my first visit to Rajasthan last weekend to be part of a close friend’s wedding. The visit was not to one of those glamorous destinations like Jodhpur or Jaisalmer, but to the less frequented town of Bikaner – famous for its sweets and Namkeen. Being situated in the middle of the Thar Desert, the city is buffeted by sandy winds all around the year. Various palaces dot the city too, indicating its royal heritage. Bikaner is not a large city, rather more of a town. During summer, when temperatures rise up to 50 C, it can be an unforgiving place. Sand and heat are constant companions. However it can be just as extremely cold during the winter. It had rained the night I reached Bikaner; I could see the lightning at a distance from the train windows as the sand carried by the wind filled the compartment.

The journey to Bikaner from Jaipur was quite eventful in itself. We had for companions, two elderly gentlemen from the region who engaged in a spirited and sometimes acerbic discussion about any aspect of life they chanced upon. More than their talk, their manner interested me. It suggested a people who, despite their state’s relative lack of resources and backwardness, look towards a very different future, where their traditional ways of living may be endangered. They are also large-hearted, as was in evidence when after heated debates which never once resembled a scuffle, they parted with greetings, no rancour betrayed. This trait was especially endearing to me. The landscape changed from the dry lake bed of the Sambhar to the Marble quarries of Makrana – but parched land was a constant. When night fell, we had left just Makrana behind.

I could not visit the many palaces and temples due to a paucity of time and the heat. But I did notice a few things about the people of Bikaner. Resource scarcity, especially of water, has made them very conscious of wastefulness. They are also extremely generous and hospitable. They talk straight and avoid being conceited. I usually dislike marriages; they take too much time, are much too chaotic and involve too many rituals among Hindus. But it is a good opportunity to observe the status of women in a society. I could see that women here were not just accorded rightful respect but also were confident in their own position. Their education is also considered a must. A friend from Jodhpur remarked that women there were worse off socially there than in and around Bikaner.

As my train departed from Bikaner, I finally saw sand dunes interspersed within land as the Sun sank down on the horizon. They were not large ones, only agglomerations of sand blown over from the true desert. But that sight was a fitting end to the journey, reminding me of the main characteristic of this region, which has always defined its people and their traditions.