15 Funny Misconceptions that People have about Rajasthanis
Most people picture Rajasthan as the land of magnificent forts and palaces, camels all over, men in turbans and women in ‘ghoonghat’ and a vast expense of desert land. But not everything that is believed is true. Here is a list of the top funny misconceptions that you face all the time as a Rajasthani.
1. Rajasthan = Registan
The Thar Desert of Rajasthan is the 17th largest desert in the world. The desert marks the boundary between India and Pakistan and runs along the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana and Punjab. Though the two cities of Jaisalmer and Bikaner fall exactly in the desert area, not all of Rajasthan is a desert. Other parts have descent greenery.
2. “Tu pakka Marwari hai!” Everyone from Rajasthan is a Marwari by default.
Listen, Marwaris are an Indian ethnic group of traders from Marwar region. Only those belonging to the Marwar region (Barmer, Jalore, Lakshman Nagar, Nagaur, Jodhpur and Pali area) can be addressed as Marwaris.
3. Daal-baati-churma in every meal
Yes, daal-baati-churma is the specialty of Rajasthan but it is not something that we eat daily. The basic food is similar to yours – normal chapatis, rice, vegetables and yes, fast food too.
4. Rajasthan has no water
Not all of Rajasthanis are blessed with camel-like water storage system. So yes, Rajasthan does have water. In fact, we have the City of Lakes, Udaipur in Rajasthan, which is known for its beautiful lakes and watercourses.
5. In Rajasthan every woman must be seen in ghaghra choli and every man in dhoti and turban.
Again, that’s not true. The old age people in rural backward villages of Rajasthan can be seen wearing the traditional ghaghra cholis, dhotis and turbans. In rest of the areas, people wear normal attires like jeans.
6. It rains here AS WELL!
Rajasthan is not only about being super-hot. We experience all three seasons here including the days when we have to deal with scorching heat, the monsoon time when we enjoy rain showers and the chilling winters when we prefer sneaking into our blankets.
7. Everyone in Rajasthan is not a Rajput and does not belong to a royal family.
Rajasthan is the land of valiant Rajput rulers but not everyone is a Rajput and not everyone is a descendant of some royal family.
8. How big is your haveli?
Not all Rajputs living in Rajasthan own havelis and live as royals. Most of them live in regular-sized homes and not in beautifully-decorated havelis.
9. Rajasthan women are the traditional ‘sanskari bahu’ materials only
No, they are not only proficient in home science but also make some of the best engineers, scientists, officers, chartered accountants, writers and even prominent bike riders like Veenu Paliwal. Rajasthani ladies can be as multi-talented as women from any other state of India.
10. All that Rajasthanis eat is red chillies!
Yes, we Rajasthanis love spicy food but we do have a sweet tooth too, which makes us equally yearn for sweet delicacies like ghewar, phini, rasgullas, gujia and jalebis.
11. Since you’re a Rajasthani, your family must marry you off just too soon…
No, not every Rajasthani home has a ‘Baalika Vadhu’! We also take our time to complete our education, get settled in our respective careers and then think of marriage.
12. Camels, Camels everywhere.
You must be used to travelling by camels, aren’t you? No, we don’t. Camel rides are only available at sightseeing places like Amer Fort or at the actual desert camel safaris in Jaisalmer and other desert regions.
13. You must be so fluent in Marwari.
All Rajasthanis can’t speak Marwari. In fact, many of them can’t even understand the Marwari language properly and speak normal Hindi. Also, there are several other regional languages spoken in Rajasthan such as Mewari in Mewar and Shekhawati in Shekhawati region. ‘Khamma Ghani’ is one word that known to all but it’s still not used commonly as Hindi is the language of day-to-day communication.
14. Your dad must have a big moustache!
That’s again a ‘NO’. Neither does he have a big moustache, nor does he wear a turban or carry a sword with him at all times.
15. Not every Rajasthani has seen the Desert.
How cool does it look to rush to those sand dunes around? With the Rajasthan shown in movies, people expect the desert is something that every Rajasthani would have seen. But desert is mainly in the districts of Barmer, Jaisalmer and Bikaner. Only people living nearby would have seen the desert.
Despite all the stereotypical funny comments on them, Rajasthanis are a vibrant bunch of people. And this state is a colourful state, offering diverse experiences with the change in regions. Share any funny misconceptions about Rajasthanis you may have faced.
