The sideshow at Alsisar

The Rajasthan village comes alive in more ways than one as it hosts its annual music festival

Feb 25, 2019, 14:07 IST5 min

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KishanAge: 20 Garbage collectorKishan is from Kade village in Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu district, and makes ₹600 per day for a 12-hour shift.“Raunak achhi lagti hai [I like that this place is so lively]. Being here breaks the monotony of life, but I don’t like the fact that I have to work here to be a part of this.”

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Raju and SamshuddhiAge: 22, 20Tender coconut sellerRaju sells tender coconut water in Jaipur all year long for ₹30-40. At the festival he sells it for ₹100-150 each, making ₹20,000-30,000 in three days. Usually, it would take him about a month to make the same amount in Jaipur. “Someone from the festival team lives in Jaipur and buys coconut water from me. He asked me if I would like to s

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Bhola and PappuAge: 25,47 Security guards Both are farmers from Bharatpur in Rajasthan. They work on their own land and grow wheat, pulses, mustard and other crops, and claim to have a comfortable life there. At the festival they work for a salary of ₹600 per day for a 24-hour shift.“This is so different from where we live. We come here for entertainment. Gaon mein kya dekhne ko milta hai

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RahulAge: 17Class 11 student in Haryana in-charge of renting out the parking space and rooms at his cousin’s house in AlsisarAlthough Rahul did not disclose the rent of the rooms, he said the parking space is for ₹1,000 per car for three days. Additional rooms were built in the house after the festival started taking place in Alsisar, with the objective of renting them out. Rahul’s cousin

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PriyankaAge: 23Manages a homestay, which her family ownsPriyanka lives in Gurugram where she’s studying French to fulfil her dream of living in France some day. She comes to Alsisar during the festival to help her family manage their homestay. A room here costs ₹4,000 per night, and their special home-cooked Rajasthani thali costs ₹300. “We end up earning more in these three days than we

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Raju ChauhanAge: 20Chauhan’s stall, Bikaner Food Stall, which is outside the official festival site, sells chocolates, chips, soft drinks and other packed snacks that are all priced higher than the MRP. His masala chai costs ₹20, while bread-omelette sells for ₹100. While this is expensive, it is much cheaper than the price of food within the festival site, Chauhan says.“I heard about thi

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Divyanshi Kanwar Age: 14A class 9 student, she sells water and Pepsi, for ₹50 each, outside one of the festival entrances. This helps her earn about ₹8,000-9,000 in three days. She manages the shop with the help of her family. At about 2.30 am, she was alone at her shop, dancing to the loud music coming from one of the stages inside the palace, and seemed happy. “Everyone in Alsisar looks

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Jitesh Parashar Sharma Age: 22MBA student from Jaipur, and owner of Sujit Kirana Store “I come here for these three days of the year. I really like the festival. It lifts the mood and vibe of Alsisar. We get to earn money by working for 24 hours in these three days. The amount we earn in three days is what we earn in a year. We have rooms to rent, too, for ₹4,000 a night. For the store, w

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