Milk could help keep the desert ship afloat

‘‘It’s low on fat, high on mineral content and no one can really tell the difference,’’ says Singh. ‘‘Our research proves that the milk is healthier and once you know how to deal with the marginally high salt content in the milk, it can be used in many recipes. In fact, our camel milk cheese pakoras are a big hit.’’

Singh’s trial recipes could mean a way out for the camel whose numbers in the desert are fast dwindling. Herd owners are finding it increasingly difficult to keep them and popularising camel milk could bring in the money for their upkeep.

‘‘We are starting with Bikaner city,’’ says Dr M.S. Sahani, director of NRCC. ‘‘The first step is to get rid of all the misconceptions regarding camel milk. Sustained research has shown that camel milk is beneficial for diabetics and also speeds up healing in cases of tuberculosis.’’

Miles away, in Pali district, Guneshram Raikar has already set up shop. ‘‘I have no choice really,’’ he says. ‘‘My family owned over 150 camels a few years ago. Now we have just 10. Their upkeep is expensive and selling milk is additional income.’’ Shrinking pastures and a long court case in which dairy owners objected to the open sale of camel’s milk almost made Guneshram give up.

The only reason he hasn’t is because Dr Hanumant Singh, director of the Lokhit Pashu Palak Samiti, won’t let him. And Dr Hanumant Singh won’t give up because his data shows the number of camels has gone down by 40 per cent in Pali district and he can’t just let the ship of the desert disappear.

‘‘Owners (the Raikar community) are finding it increasingly difficult to keep camels. We think this might be a way out, especially since the milk is cheaper,’’ says Singh. Pali is slowly getting the milk down its throat. Almost a quintal of milk is sold everyday in Sumerpur tehsil and over 50 kg in Bali.

‘‘Drastic steps like this are needed,’’ says Dr Ilfe Kohler, who has spent the past 10 years working on camels in Pali. ‘‘Camel owners are doing things they have never done before. This year, at Pushkar, hundreds of female camels were sold. Usually, owners sell only healthy male camels.’’

Sahani echoes Kohler’s concern. ‘‘The relevance of the camel is reducing. Fields are replacing sand dunes, tractors and motorcycles are making inroads into villages. But the camel is still the cheapest of them all. We need to save the animal,’’ he says.