Joy in full color

"The picture was taken during the Desert Festival in Jaisalmer. It's held in the Hindu month of Magh (February), three days prior to the full moon. Once a year during winters, the sands around Jaisalmer come alive with brilliant colors, music and laughter of the Desert Festival. Dressed in brilliantly hued costumes, the people of the desert dance and sing haunting ballads of valor, romance and tragedy. The fair has snake charmers, puppeteers, acrobats and folk performers. Camels, of course, play a stellar role in this festival, where the rich and colorful folk culture of Rajasthan is on show. It continues for about three days in the middle of historical forts, ancient Havelis, Jain temples and majestic palaces. The grand finale is a trip to the Sam sand dunes on the moonlight night, where one can also experience the pleasure of a camel ride. It's a perfect breakout from the Modern age, which falls into the collage of colorful art and old-fashioned grandeur from the diorama of Implausible India. The little girl was enjoying the day out with her father and younger brother and I couldn't resist her beautiful smile of pure joy (it looked as she was exposing her soul with that smile."