We left to go to the heart of the desert of Thar to discover the association Malenbai. At about twenty kilometres from Jaisalmer, the jeep left the road to take a trail that meandered through areas of sand and black stones where a few bushes braved the wind and the sun. This huge plateau stopped abruptly to dive in a big expanse of light sand, similar to a piece of the Moon lost on Earth: it was a drained lake. We stopped at the threshold of a big lonely building that seemed to contemplate the horizon.

The founders of Malenbai, Capucine and Pabu, welcomed us with some tea and told us their story. During a trip in India, this young French woman went with her family on a camel safari accompanied by Pabu. They fell for each other and decided to unite their destinies in this desert where they both felt more at home than anywhere else. They settled there despite all the difficulties of financial order, but above all cultural and social order. The mix of their couple is not accepted within the Indian society, all the more since Pabu comes from one of the lowest castes: the Bilhs, who are traditionally hunters.
                      Capucine and Pabu

After three years of perseverance, the house they built became a welcoming place, following the tradition of the inhabitants of the desert. The farmers of the neighbouring lands, the shepherds passing through... all the people who wish for it can break their journey there. They come on their own or with their families, share their meals and the big terrace where they fall asleep under the stars after the evening gathering.
 
Pabu is proud to be Bilh, but a lot of others have lost this feeling. Originally from the Gujarat region, Bilhs were moved near Jaisalmer to put their gift of being hunters to the service of Maharajas. During this migration, they lost a lot of their customs and craft. Nowadays, most of them survive by breaking stones for building sites, which is a demeaning slavery work.

Capucine and Pabu want to make of their difference a strength to help the Bilhs get back on their feet. They turned first towards agriculture: they invested in a tractor. They could lend it to families in order to encourage them to cultivate their land and train the youth to drive it. The year after, they took advantage of the water from the lake and of the loan of an electric generator to make a culture of irrigated mustard. Numerous families participated to the crop sowing and then the harvest. Around this new activity, exchanges and sharing developed to the rhythm of songs accompanying the work. However, the operation was in deficit and, with the uncertain character of the harvest, they had to find new ideas.
 
Following the enthusiastic advice of a friend, they created the association Malenbai in August 2007. Malenbai is the name of the goddess of the desert that the Bilhs venerate. Capucine and Pabu’s objective was to bring back to life the local craft, which is a vehicle of the culture and the roots the Bilhs needed to find again. The knowledge was so lost that Capucine and Pabu worked hard to find again the few people who were still in possession of it. It was a true treasure hunt.

They discovered a weaver. This elderly man did not have the strength to break stones anymore and struggled to make his family live well. The unexpected possibility to take back his original job thrilled him. With the help of Malenbai, he renovated his father’s old weaving loom and went back to work. After a few years without practicing, he needed several tries before mastering the technic again. The carpets are woven from goats hairs tied up as a rope, which only a few elderly persons can still do; Pabu sometimes had to go as far as 80 kilometres to find the precious balls. The life of the weaver was transformed: the sale of the carpets in Malenbai provided him with an income, and above all he found again his pride and the respect of his peers. When we went to visit him, the whole family and the children welcomed us with joy and curiosity. Apart from Capucine, we were the first foreign people coming to their place.
                   The weaver and his daughter

This year, Malenbai renewed the experiment with a family of potters in a nearby village. In order to earn a living, the latter neglected their wheel progressively and left for quarries to break stones. Pottery was becoming an extra activity and could have been abandoned on the long term. Motivated by the opportunity to live again of his art, the potter showed us the numerous models he can do. Capucine and Pabu gave him the idea of objects inspired by Rajasthanese traditions and susceptible to be liked by tourists. We were amazed when his 15-year old son replaced him at the wheel, showing already a great expertise. The transmission of knowledge is provided.
                   The potter’s son

When visiting the families, Capucine meets women who make magnificent pieces of embroidery for their personal uses. With a few new ideas drawn from the markets or their traditions, they could use their craft and join the craft workers of Malenbai.
                   The huts

At the same time as the activities of the association, Capucine and Pabu want to develop an activity that would allow them to live in this desert, which is an essential condition to continue the action of Malenbai. Bit by bit, they formed the idea of welcoming tourists who are desirous of discovering and living the desert. When we were there, Pabu had just finished building five beautiful traditional huts. They were harmoniously situated in front of the immensity of the drained lake. He also wishes to take advantage of his experience as a guide to offer camel safaris to the visitors.
                                A cameleer

Their approach is tinged with morals and solidarity in the continuity of Malenbai. They are very keen to integrate in their project the craftsmen they support by organising visits in their villages so that tourists could discover their work. They see this new activity as a chance to share their passion and knowledge of this mysterious, tough and generous environment. It would be for the visitors an occasion to immerse themselves in the life of the desert: sharing meals with the shepherds passing through, listening to their songs while admiring the Milky Way at sunset, sleeping in huts rocked by the wind blowing, etc.



How to help

This touristic project will help the action of Malenbai. And with the help of the goddess of the desert, it will give hope back to the caste of Bilhs. Capucine and Pabu invite people to come and visit them, which is a nice idea for ‘discovery’ holidays. They are located at 24 kilometres from Jaisalmer, or a 30-minute drive. They are looking for contacts with agencies of solidarity tourism in order to make themselves known.

During her yearly visits in France, Capucine collects clothes and medicine in order to distribute them to people who need it. Financial donations are also welcome.


Contact

Website: http://malenbai.canalblog.com
Email: capucine@hotmail.fr
Capucine’s phone number: +91 9829 5522 78
Pabu’s phone number: +91 9602 5343 44


Gabrielle
(Translation: Yolène Dabreteau)