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Fun In Desert
Yesterday's royal pursuits are today's modes
of relaxation, leisure opportunities that are
as exotic as they are varied. Not that the people
of Rajasthan lacked for occasions where they
could practice their skills in the vast terrains
that lay at their command.
The land may appear, at first sight, unexciting
for the pursuit of sports, but the people clearly
though otherwise, and under the patronage of
the nobility, a well-entrenched system of skillful
outdoor activities was encouraged. Since the
people lived in close proximity to their land,
it was inevitable that they saw in it the ability
to transform the mundane into the exciting.
Skilled warriors and horsemen, for example,
the Rajputs were able to refine their riding
skills when it came to competitive sports, creating
among the finest polo teams in the world.
At a less privileged level, the villagers
too responded with races for camels and cattle,
unusual competitions that ranged from turban-tying
to racing horse carriages and carts. If polo
was nurtured in Rajasthan , safaris and safari
camps were an essential part of their defense
strategy. Later, the advent of the British resulted
in the formalisation of many of these activities,
and golf was introduced. In more recent years,
outdoor lovers have found the open countryside
with its undulating dunes ideal for recently
introduced sports opportunities such as ballooning
or gliding, while traditional pursuits have
been turned into a host of leisure activities
such as rallies and desert safaris. The extensive
waterbodies in Rajasthan are now seeing the
origin of water-related sporting activities.
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