It wasn't just the latest Nouveau Beaujolais that arrived on the open market this November. At the Sonepur cattle fair in Bihar State, India, camel urine was attracting interest and a good number of rupees as well. A litre of the stuff could be had for US$2, while camel milk was fetching twice that amount.
The fair is an annual event, one of the largest cattle fairs in Asia, but it features much more than just cattle trading. It coincides with a particularly auspicious religious occasion and so is of interest to a wider group than just farmers.
And who would buy bottled camel pee? And more importantly, why?
The substance is reputed to have effective medicinal properties, especially for the healing of water-borne infections, and local users swear by it. The camel's milk is supposed to be good for diabetics and for the building up of young children.
Also on sale was elephant dung which people burn as an insect repellent.
Being a person of impeccable breeding, being sound in body and mind, with thriving on a diet of only the purest of produce, and suffering intensely from the global economic downturn, I set myself to wondering how much my urine would fetch?
