As October grows and leaves fall, anticipating the arrival of a bone shattering winter, the Thaar rejoices in welcoming the migratory bird Kurjaan (demoiselle crane). The birds migrate from Siberia and enter India via Iran and Afghanistan, to rest at Bharatpur in Rajasthan. They stop in Jodhpur and Bikaner wherever they find water in the midst of the sandy-rocky desert. Kheechan village in Phalodi tehsil has about 25000 of them every year until late November. Rajasthani folk music, tales and paintings cannot be imagined without the mention of the Kurjaan. It has forever piqued the interests of bird watchers for their aerial intelligence. When these birds stop near a rippping small water body in the midst of a largely yellow landscape, one is forced to pause and gape at these guests. By February, they would fly back to their home.
Anandpur is welcoming Kurjaan with an evening of folk music coming Sunday. In local literature, the bird is believed to be a partner in carrying or sharing messages of love between partners who are away for months together. That is so because few nomadic tribes here would cross the desert to find some work and return back to their families later. So, Kurjaan is a partner in tales of love and longing, the agony of wait and the powerful anticipation of an ecstatic reunion. Most nomads are known to travel together as clusters and that has its own special contribution to the culture of Rajasthan including dresses and cuisines.
कुरजां ऐ राण्यो संदेशो म्हारे पिया ने पुगाद्यो ऐ
Anhad/अनहद 