Swalpa Adjust Madkoli - 2

“Namma Bengaluru” has a tendency to become a home to anyone who finds their way to this place. This belief is probably receiving a confirmation for the umpteenth time when the residents of Bangalore realise that hundreds of camels that were walked down all the way from Madhya Pradesh last summer have chosen to stay back in the city to oblige their masters. Though pro animal rights activists were very concerned about the possible ill-effects of being displaced from the environment, the camels showed that they could adapt to the capital after overcoming some initial teething problems.

Mind you! They are not here without a purpose! They enliven the lives of the children and enterprising adults of Bangalore by their very presence. The farmers of Paansamal village evolved this idea on the lines of the famous “Jambu Savari” and finding that there were not many takers in their local area they decided to try their luck down south. Though they have traversed through the major cities in southern India, they have realized that Bangalore has been a lucrative bet within the very first week of their visit.

Chandan and Sunil who accompany two of the camels are a twosome among several other youngsters who are very happy with their innovative venture. They gratefully acknowledge that coming to the IT capital has spelt a great relief in their economically strained lives. They charge anywhere between ten to twenty rupees for a joyride of ten minutes and have found several spots in the city hotspots for their novel business. All the immigrants have come to a consensus not to trespass each others’ territory, so as to not upset the applecart of their lucrative arrangement. Soon they plan to be all over the city once they feel the pulse of the response of the metropolis.

They have camped along the outer ring road and enter the city at various points along with their extended family and friends and hope to reap a good profit by the end of June before they migrate to another place. The men are not alone in this undertaking, their women and children have accompanied them to help them with the cooking and housekeeping. In addition, the women spend their spare time crafting small dolls and puppets which invariably adds to their family kitty.

 A longer conversation revealed that all of them are not camel owners; some of them have borrowed or rented out camels from other farmers who were willing to spare them for the season. Hence it appears that some of the youngsters not only had initial hiccups in exploring places beyond their home front but also had to cope with the homesick animals. While some camels enjoyed themselves eating the green foliage from the trees of Bangalore and accepting the bananas and watermelons offered by the eager crowds of children, some others prefer to sulk and fuss as they are unable to experience their native flavour or see familiar faces or hear decipherable voices.

 On the contrary, the camel owners seemed to enjoy every moment in the town unanimously. When the camel owners were asked what they like best about Bangalore, they came out with the well worn out answer, the weather while native Bangaloreans are sweating it out literally! Besides, they appeared to be very surprised because just about everyone spoke Hindi which sounds similar to their native tongue, but it is the sound of the ringing cashbox which is the pleasantest jingle of them all. In fact, they are planning to come back here year after year after a brief outing to nearby places during the Bangalore winter!

Are we failing to read between the lines? Camels are able to adapt to Bangalore Climes, despite the intermittent showers in the recent past!!! Are they getting into the “Swalpa Adjust Madkoli Mode” because they feel more or less at home in this place which is balding on the green cover???