Rajasthan is a place that conjures up images of tall, gaunt men with craggy, sun-burnt faces, walking in rhythm with their camels across the endless sands of The Thar. Compared to men from U.P., Bihar and Bengal (places where I've been), Rajasthan males are more angular in build. They are broad-boned and seem to have ingrained the ruggedness of the land into themselves. The endlessly hot climate and its harsh nuances have, perhaps, toughened them up and developed an in-built mechanism for survival in them. The womenfolk are the same.....the strength, the stamina envelops them like an unseen shield....and on their faces, glows a smile, as wide and infinite as the desert itself. In uttering the words 'Padharo mharo des'(Welcome to my country!), they reflect the warmth of the earth that sustains them.

We hear of the droughts that plague this part of the nation, year after year.....the eternal wait for the elusive monsoons and the scanty rains (when they do come) which are swallowed up by the parched earth...all a part of life!

Outsiders to Rajasthan can sometimes feel intimidated by the scorching summer heat and freezingly cold winters....the extreme weather conditions are rather baffling! But the hardy denizens of this land are inured to the inclemencies of their climate! They accept and embrace it with the same evenness of temper as they do all the hardships of life.