Kharai Camels are a breed of camel bread by the Jat Maldhari people of Kutch. This breed is the only camel breed that feeds on mangrove forests. The camels spend 3 days feeding in the mangroves and then one day back on main land for fresh water and then the cycle repeats. They wade arcoss the back waters to and fro. Occasionally they get stuck in the mangroves and need to be rescued.
News arrives that a camel is stuck and needs manpower to be rescued.
The mangroves are not reachable by land. I am offered a seat on the boat while the Maldhari men that accompany me squat. It is a half an hour journey to the other bank.
The other bank has a hostile terrain. Every step one takes is painful for a while as shells are suspended in the mud. With every step one sinks a bit into the ground. Soon the shells vanish and a two kilometer trek in the slush awaits us. This distance is reduced by Hassan, who is the person in the group that knows Hindi talks to me. He tells me about the first time he looked through binoculars that an border security personal handed him and how he could see people on the horizon that he couldn't see with his naked eye. I ask him how he finds his way in this kind of landscape and he gives me the most bizzar expression.
A disheartened camel.
The good news is sent back to the main land
