The project idea came to me from a childhood memory that I had about Asia’s largest animal fair, Sonepur Mela, or Harihar-Kchetra Mela. I still remember that when I was a kid, my father used to take me to this mela along with my siblings. It used to be one of the most fascinating and anticipated times of the whole year. Crowds and lots and lots of toys, giant rotating swings, magic shows, the well of death, and the most attracting, the animal and bird market. I used to insist that my father buy a rabbit from there. Although he never bought it. Apart from all these attractions, there were so many other things that I still remember as beautiful experiences.

Having this opportunity to study visual ethnography, I thought it would be a great experience for me to again go back to the place where my beautiful memories lie, i.e., the Sonepur cattle fair. Through this study, an in-depth sense of cultural and social behaviour could be developed.