Story link: http://www.goodnewsindia.com/index.php/Supplement/article/boom-time-ahead-for-rajasthan

It can’t have happened to a nicer people. Rajasthanis --ahead of others in India-- evoke the classical, fairy tale image of this country. They are a hardy stock living soulfully in very challenging climes, served by little water. They are valourous, handsome, thrifty, colourful, creative and also, great conservationists. And, living as they do, at the crossroads of where much of India’s turbulent history has been played out, these majestic people have not been able to develop their economy commensurate with their genius.

Therefore, news of huge oil reserves having been discovered in Rajasthan’s sands will gladden Indian hearts in general and make them wish it well for Rajasthan. A few days ago, Cairn Energy of UK announced its strike near Fatehgarh in Barmer district, close to the international border. Initial estimates are that the recoverable stock is about 200 million barrels of oil. Worldwide, there have been only ten or so discoveries of this scale, in the last two years. In Edinburgh, where Cairn Energy is located, the news has made its employees and shareholders vastly rich in the course of a day. It is said the news triggered off a day long party. They must have enjoyed a satisfying irony: Shell Oil Company held the original exploratory licence but gave up on Rajasthan, and sold its rights to Cairn only a few months ago. India’s ONGC however is well off: it has a right to buy 30% into any strike made in India.

In Nov.,2002 Reliance had made a comparable discovery off-shore of Andhra Pradesh. But there are significant differences with the Cairn strike. Barmer reserves are in oil and Reliance’s is mostly gas. It is on-shore. It is where the big consumers are. And as with most such discoveries, it is believed that when you have made one big strike, you may reasonably expect a few more nearby. So are we looking at a prosperous future for Rajasthan similar to that of the Gulf states, which are not far off as a bird flies? Well, not entirely implausible.

For romantics, here’s a delicious aspect to savour. For centuries, Rajasthanis have proclaimed that once upon a time, theirs had been a great riverine economy. They talked of a river called the Sarasvati that flowed across their land, and supported vast tracts of agriculture. A modern traveller across arid Rajasthan may be forgiven for reacting with scepticism. Some even heaped derision. But the believers trusted their collective memory and held on to their claim. A year or so ago, satellite imaging revealed that a river had indeed flowed where the simple folk had pointed.

It turns out that the Cairn discovery was made precisely on what according to satellites, would have been Sarasvati’s banks. Is she backing her loyalists and promising she will make the land bountiful again?

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