Nature and people stories from India

'Padharo mhare desh' - We have been exposed to various glimpses of Rajasthan tourism through the media. The forts, palaces, sand dunes, the ghumar dance, sweets, rich tradtitonal crafts and costumes etc. How about looking at a different perspective? Rural Rajasthan. Haven't we all heard, 'India lives in villages' ? Rajasthan is my native state but like most Mumbaiites or should I say urbanites, I have been exposed to Rajasthan only as a tourist or wildlife enthusiast and have seen the popular glimpses as depicted in the media. This time my journey to Rajasthan in search of the elusive and magnificient bird, the Lesser florican, took me to rural Rajasthan. I have often written on my wildlife sojourns across India, but this time I feel like sharing the story of the rural life that I saw, as we travelled through fields in search of our bird. This is a critically endangered bird and only a few hundred are alive. It is usually seen during the breeding season in the