By fair means alone

The Mahabharata is pretty well known to Indians. We are familiar with who Duryodhana was and we understand the role of Bhima. Arjuna won D...

The Mahabharata is pretty well known to Indians. We are familiar with who Duryodhana was and we understand the role of Bhima. Arjuna won Draupadi before he came home and was asked to share whatever he got with his brothers, thus Draupadi became the wife of the Pandavas. But do we know where Arjuna struck the fish8217;s eye in order to win the lady? We probably don8217;t and neither do we bother to dwell into those past details. Though along the details lies an interesting story.

The Matsyavedha the incredible feat of archery by Arjuna during Draupadi8217;s Swayamvara was performed in Bhadrapad Tarnetar, a tiny hamlet in Chotila taluka of Surendranagar. Days and nights unite in this part of the world, thus assuming a different meaning, for 72 hours when people forget all about sleep and comfort and retire to their beliefs and traditions. The first week of Bhadrapada which is in the first week of September is when the 250-year-old Tarnetar Fair comes about bringing hopes of the happily ever after.

The three-day fair that distinguishes neither night nor day has a Shiva temple, better known as Trineteshwar. There is a popular belief here. It is understood that Lord Shiva opened his third eye and killed Kama Devta and hence the name. But the essence of the fair is just one: Finding a soulmate. Traditionally meant for the Bharwada community, the fair is supposed to unite hearts. Otherwise strict parents of girls casually allow their daughters to dress in their very finest finery and look around for eyes that will love their daughters and hands that will look after them forever. Many matrimonial alliances have been struck amidst this burst of colour.

But the fast changing world hasn8217;t spared this small place. For it came as a surprise to meet a few girls from a nearby village, Gadhada, who spoke their heart out when asked about the shape their marriage plans were taking. quot;Yaha hum chahe apne dildar ko dhoodna par lagta nahin ke ho sakega I would love to meet my soulmate but wonder if it can happen,quot; was what Rama, an innocent teenager, had to say. Her friend Maina was a lot more careful in confiding: quot;My mother will slap me hard if I even mention to her that I would like to marry someone here.quot; This was a surprise, especially because the very essence of the fair lies in looking for a life partner.

Young men, however, looked handsome along with the Chatris umbrellas that are a delightful treat for a connoisseur of art, embellished with intricate mirror work. They were lucky, for their parents had gladly loosened their reins, to help them decide on their lady love.

What strikes you about the fair is not that it encourages tremendous match-making or that there are thousands of people coming to sell their goods or even the fact that taking a holy dip in the Kund next to the temple results in auspicious developments; it is that there are around 15 lakh people visiting the place in just 72 hours! Old and young eunuchs with over-powdered faces; sadhus with carelessly overgrown hair and knotted beards; families come in hoards only to be part of the numerous lakhs who often visit the fair aimlessly or probably only because they have learnt that Arjuna won Draupadi there.

Enthusiasm of the Tarnetar Fair is undiminished even in the middle of the night when the number of people walking in and out is as impressive as it is when the sun is bright and shining.

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Sadly enough, what lacks here is its old rustic charm. Youngsters are still decked up, the camel and bullock cart races as exciting and the hopes still young. But commercialisation is slowly killing the charm. The aerated drinks, the ice-creams, the electronic items for sale. They are slowly robbing the 250-year-old fair of its special charm. A charm that once lured thousands of hearts.