Raikas in migration

Raikas in migration. A caravan of Raika herders settle-down at an open tract . They are on their way back to Godwar(a geographical area in Rajasthan they call home) at the onset of monsoons.Raikas are a indigenous community of nomadic pastoralists from the colorful state of Rajasthan in India. For centuries, mobility and resilience have been pivotal to their subsistence as they traverse uncertainty in search for pastures and food in a region of India that is prone to extreme temperatures and drought.
The camels and other livestock majorly browse on rangelands and village commons which ironically were categorised as ‘wastelands’ during the British rule in India as they could not support monocultures and plantations.In that sense Raikas have raised a complex and valuable bio-cultural heritage by converting ‘waste’ to worth without dissipating water or fossil-fuels. This is in line with the universal heritage of pastoralists - resilience and ecological-wisdom in some of the most demanding areas on the planet. This image is a part of long-term project "Among Raikas". My endeavour has been to visually document the challenges that Raikas navigate as their culture, lifestyle and wisdom loses out to an increasingly urban India that largely looks down at nomadic herding as an atavistic way of life.