THIMMENGARH (Rajasthan): An ancient fort which evokes fear and suspicion thanks to its past association with idol smugglers, a muddy lake the locals reverentially call Sagar (the sea) and a mela at the Sagar devata temple in the vicinity in which incense sticks seemed to be the main offering formed the backdrop for a unique water convention held in dacoit-infested "Dang" badlands in east Rajasthan's Karauli district on Tuesday.

Water symbols abounded, as it was "Ganga Dusshera" day and villagers, men and women, despite the odour and the suspicious colour of water, took a dip. Perhaps thousands of lotus flowers in bloom in the lake were a sort of assurance on the sacredness of the lake and the quality of its water. And then the much talked about "Waterman" Rajendra Singh and Om Prakash Bharati, a poet of rivers and water, were there to tell the Dang "niwasis" (people of the Dang) how to become "paanidars" (respectable people).

A major attraction at the convention was the non-stop presentation of "Gujjar Geet", a traditional song form of the Gujjar community. The Dang and the Chambal areas claim to be the last preserves of the Gujjar Geet in its original form. Claimed to be part of the preparations for war by the Gujjar warriors of yore, the "Geet" is sung by groups of 200-250 men with considerable physical involvement of the body as well.

The convention, organised by the Gujjar community's Bharatiya Gujjar Parishad, Rajasthan, Patel Lok Sanskritik Sansathan, Delhi, and Dang Vikas Samiti, Karauli, was a cautious effort to shake off the stigma attached to the area where rest of Rajasthan normally do not dare to go. The activities on the occasion included cleaning and de-silting of Sagar as part of the "Amritam Jhalam" programme of the Hindi daily "Rajasthan Patrika" and tree plantation.

The Gujjar elders, who had come in from Delhi and Haryana, talked about the gross injustice being done to the community— which does not have a single person in the Indian Civil Services yet, they say— talked about Gujjars, now an OBC, deserving a place in the Scheduled Tribe list but the convention was not a partisan affair.

Even Suresh Meena, the Bahujan Samaj Party MLA from Karauli, turned up, took a seat on the stage set on a hillock overlooking the Thimmengarh Fort and the mela grounds where devotees teemed and children, wearing cheap goggles ate endless sticks of ice candy. The ST Meenas and the OBC Gujjars are mostly at loggerheads and the demand for an entry into the ST category has alienated the two communities further. Local children surely have taken a fancy to black glasses.

The two Army colonels the community has produced so far--Attar Singh and Bainsla, both retired— appealed to the people to come out of their old habits and get involved in water harvesting. A major emphasis was on educating children. Roop Singh Gujjar, the main organiser of the programme, extolled the glorious past of the Gujjar community, which had fought the British and the Mughals and was forced to retreat to the hills to protect their lifestyle and culture.

Rajendra Singh had a few years ago initiated a mission to convert hardcore dacoits into water harvesters in the Chambal and the Dang areas. "Some of the villages in the area have already become paanidars. Once you know your own water you know everything. Water can help you live with self-respect," he told them.

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