The Tribal World | Vanishing India

TRIBAL WORLDS OF RAJASTHAN travels deep into both the physical and cultural heart of this most fascinating state, bearing witness to vanishing tribal communities and forgotten places. It is a journey of contemplation and travel, a profound experience of living culture on the backroads of India where the way of life survives despite the brutal pressure of change.

Daily easy grade walks to villages and interpreted conversations with local people allows for meditations upon existence in another dimension - the tribal world. Starting and finishing in Delhi, the journey visits remarkable places and people secreted into remote locations, but still with superb boutique accomodation.

Over the two weeks we access the Bheel tribe in the Aravali Hills outside Udaipur, the Rabari tribal group of shepherds in Jawai Leopard Conservation Area, the Bhopa Gypsy people and Manganiyar Muslims of Jaisalmer. [ As an aside, the Bhopa proudly identify as 'gypsies'. They are distinct from Irish Travellers and Roma who sometimes reject the term ]

While the tribal people we meet enjoy the meaningful and respectful interactions, we are careful to be gentle in our contacts. This is a process of whispers and smiles rather than proclamations.

It is hard to describe the experience because it will reside deep in the individual traveler’s soul, in the personal processing of exposure to another world view, to another agricultural system, journeying into places of deep quiet and even deeper laughter, all conducted at the pace of a shepherd grazing his goats.

TRIBAL WORLDS OF RAJASTHAN travels deep into both the physical and cultural heart of this most fascinating state, bearing witness to vanishing tribal communities and forgotten places. It is a journey of contemplation and travel, a profound experience of living culture on the backroads of India where the way of life survives despite the brutal pressure of change.

Daily easy graded walks to villages and interpreted conversations with local people provides for a meditation upon existence in another dimension - the tribal world. Starting and finishing in Delhi, the journey visits remarkable places with communities existing in secluded locations.

Over the two weeks we access the Bheel tribe in the Aravalli Hills outside Udaipur, the Rabari tribal group of shepherds in Jawai Leopard Conservation Area, the Bhopa Gypsy people and Manganiyar Muslims of Jaisalmer. [As an aside, the Bhopa proudly identify as 'gypsies'. They are distinct from Irish Travellers and Roma who sometimes reject the term.]

While the tribal people we meet enjoy the meaningful and respectful interactions, we are careful to be gentle in our contacts. This is a process of whispers and smiles rather than proclamations.

It is hard to describe the experience because it will reside deep in the individual traveller’s soul, in the personal processing of exposure to another worldview, to another agricultural system, journeying into places of deep quiet and even deeper laughter, all conducted at the pace of a shepherd grazing his goats.

Delhi:
Delhi, our starting point, the complex, complex seat of government and home to millions.
Little Madar [Udaipur]:
A gem by a lake, surrounded by a vibrant and functioning Bheel tribal group who practice traditional farming much like they have for a thousand years.
Jawai:
A restful lodge set within the Leopard Conservation Area and surrounded by multiple tribal groups including the sheep herding Rabari people.
Jaisalmer:
Jaisalmer, set in the beautiful Thar Desert, its beautiful fort still standing after 700 years. This is the Golden City, home to fascinating tribal people and castes.

Each day we will enjoy superb conversations with local tribal people through translators. They can speak for themselves in an unhurried and relaxed manner. They will talk about their beliefs, their families, their aspirations and their tribal history. At other times, we will spend time visiting schools; small farms or joining women on daily herding with their flocks and Rabari as they tend their goats.

TRIBAL WORLDS still visits some remarkable architectural and religious places: the City Palace of Udaipur. the magnificent Ranakpur Jain Temple, the cenotaphs of Bada Bagh and the exquisite Gadisar Lake in Jaisalmer. But the visits to monuments are outweighed by the living embrace of culture and people.

Embedded into the journey is time to contemplate and absorb a different way of life. That contemplation is enhanced with daily yoga and meditation sessions so as to better absorb this unique world. We avoid intrusive mobile phones.

Gentle daily walks lead us into remarkable places: remote villages, hidden temples and shrines and into the powerful landscape of the Aravalli Hills. What is truly fascinating is the occasional interaction with tribal people who work the fields and graze their livestock. In a real way we view a world unchanged over a thousand years.

The process challenges the prevailing notion that travel is about seeing things, buying things, taking pictures of things. Rather, TRIBAL WORLDS suggests it can be about feeling things and making meaningful connections with people from a different world.

Walking with Bheels as they graze their livestock. Nice and slow with lots of laughter.
Experience the Gau dhuli - a word to describe the 'cow dust' of returning goats with Rabari herders and tinkering bells.
The power of translated conversations with people from other worlds.
Dancing with Manganiyar Moslem musicians and Bhopa Gypsies in Jaisalmer.
The magic of Indian architecture - the fabulous Jain Temple of Ranakpur - the deserted city of Kuldhara outside Jaisalmer - the Udaipur City Palace - the Royal Chhatri Cenotaphs of Bada Bagh - the beautiful Gadisar Lake.
Just when you thought Rajasthan couldn’t get any richer in culture we meet the Bhopa Gypsies.
A Day In Suraj Haveli: A day embedded in Suraj Haveli listening to the artisans from the Jaisalmer Fort.
Jaisalmer Fort at sunset.
The chance, just a chance, of a leopard sighting in Jawai.
Evening in the Thar Desert with Manganiyar Muslims.
Extraordinarily beautiful boutique hotels and havelis, all built with love and passion.
More ... so much more.

Manu Singh: Vanishing India Tour Director
Manu is a legendary guide who hails from a small village in Rajasthan. The journey from that remote desert environment has seen him complete a Masters degree in Tourism and degrees in History and Politics, acquire fluent English and French language skills, travel to every part of India and be invited as a guest speaker in Europe.

Dinesh Joshi:
Dinesh brings a deep cultural understanding of this fascinating area. His long experience in local agriculture, in communicating with tribal people and in studying Rajasthani history and culture make him a fascinating cultural resource for our time in Udaipur.

Ajay Singh: Our Host & Cultural Liason:

Ajay owns and operates Godwod Safari Camp in Jawai located in the heart of leopard country and the section of the Aravalli Hills inhabited by the Rabari tribal people. His deep understanding of this culture allows us to communicate with this vanishing world of people.

Sona Bhopa: Gypsy Dancer and leader
Sona and her family proudly identify as Bhopa Gypsy and are dancers, singers, jewellery makers and extremely hospitable hosts. Sona and her family are the heart and soul of Jaisalmer.

+ INCLUSIONS

- Programs accompanied by Tour Facilitator, Tour Director plus one other translator/ cultural guide plus local specialist guides and cultural interactions in Delhi, Udaipur, Jawai and Jaisalmer. ...

Who are the people we meet?

What is the process of hearing stories from the different subjects on Tribal Worlds?

Are the people paid?

Do we do other things as well on the Tribal Worlds event?

VANISHING INDIA is an imprint of the market-leading Fabulous Lifestyle Private Limited, part of the Fabulous Media group, one of India's leading marketing networks. It works in association with India Personal Tours [IPT Travel Private Limited] and Explore Himalaya Tours Pvt. Ltd {Explore Himalaya Tours}, two long standing travel companies. Bookings are made through Stripe, one of the world's most secure payment gateways.

Legacy travel companies are working with one of India's leading entrepreneurial entities to deliver on VANISHING INDIA’s simple objective - to revolutionise the way travel is experienced on the subcontinent.

TRIBAL WORLDS OF RAJASTHAN

A journey into the backroads & tribal communities of Rajasthan

TRIBAL WORLDS of RAJASTHAN

TRIBAL WORLDS of RAJASTHAN

This journey should be viewed as a privilege ... a rare opportunity

to touch another world and to experience travel at its most poignant!

YOUR PLACES

YOUR PROCESS

YOUR HIGHLIGHTS

YOUR GURUS

YOUR INNS & LODGES

Maidens Hotel

The Hunting Lodge

Jawai, Godwod Safari Camp

Gulaal Haveli

DETAILS

FAQs

Gallery

Who are the people we meet?

What is the process of hearing stories from the different subjects on Tribal Worlds?

Are the people paid?

Do we do other things as well on the Tribal Worlds event?

It must get quite emotional listening to these stories?

How would you characterise the The Tribal World experience?

Can we film the events?

Can you arrange flights to India or Nepal?

Should I arrive early for the trip to acclimatise?

OUR STORY

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