After dispatching my lovely tour party in Delhi in March 2023, I took a flight to Udaipur, the ‘white city’. I had arranged for lodgings in the guesthouse (Girnar Villa) of my friends Satyapal Singh Dodia and his wife Jhyotsna Jhala in Ambamata, and was very excited to see them again. They gave me their most romantic room with a privileged view over the old city and Lake Pichola and treated me like a member of the family. One night we had dinner together over a few beers, accompanied by animated conversations and plenty of laughter.
I also spent a couple of mornings visiting and volunteering at Animal Aid Unlimited, a very inspirational rescue organization and shelter on the outskirts of Udaipur. It was great to talk with Jim and Claire of the founder family, Neha, Rachel and Kamla, who told me about the hardships the organization had passed during the times of COVID. Fortunately, it had managed to survive and international volunteers were arriving once again. Most of the long-term staff that I had met four years before was also still there which was very encouraging to see.
I arrived in the middle of the Holi festivities (the Indian spring festival of colors) where it is the custom to sprinkle colored paint powder on one another. I had naively believed that I would escape this tradition at Animal Aid, but not so… Holi is Holi, and absolutely everyone celebrates this in India!
Next I took a train from Udaipur to Bundi, which I consider to be one of the most romantic places in India. The old part of this city has a distinct fairy-tale like atmosphere, surrounded by ancient hills, with a couple of impressive (abandoned) fortresses overlooking a water tank. One of the castles boasts some splendid blue-green miniature paintings on the walls.
The inner sanctum of the city boasts old havelis with beautiful murals depicting traditional motifs such as elephants, peacocks, tiger hunting scenes, and others with Hindu deities such as Durga or Ganesha amongst them. It is rumored that Rudyard Kipling was enamored by the charm of Bundi and briefly stayed in one of the palaces on the outskirts, whilst working on his novel ‘Kim’. The place still felt unspoilt by tourism and reminded me of the India I had encountered over 40 years ago.
I also revisited some of the Baoris (stepwells) of Bundi. These were impressive huge cisterns which were also significant social constructions in medieval times since they doubled up as assembly areas for the townsfolk.
Although more than ten years had passed since my last visit in Bundi, it was remarkable that fate (or rather synchronicity) brought me together with the very same people I had befriended then. One of them was my Thukthuk driver, Antrim, who laughed out loud in delight when I showed him a photo of himself as a young man. Another old friend, Manish, now the owner of an antique shop, had sold me some miniature paintings at his humble stall in the past. I had a delightful stay in the Katkoun Haveli where I occupied a gorgeous room with views of the palace up the hill. Even the friendly family who runs this guesthouse were old friends from the past. I was sad to leave Bundi behind.
My next stop was the famous Hindu pilgrimage site of Pushkar near Ajmer. I settled into my comfortable rooftop room with fabulous lake views and soaked up the ambience of intense Puja sounds day and night. There was a constant coming and going of devout Hindu pilgrims. There was a major festival going on during my stay and there were processions of people dressed as Hindu deities being carried on litters. I guess I was lucky to receive Lord Shiva’s blessing this way! I found an amazing vegan rooftop restaurant on the main road, run by two delightful sisters who had spent a lot of time in my former haunt, Rishikesh. I spent my days visiting temples and going for walks, having gaudy garments tailored, talking to people sipping tea and reading Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni novels.
Next, I went to the ‘blue city’ of Jodhpur, where my friend Khete Khan from Jaisalmer met me at the train station, as he was passing an hour there on his way to Delhi where he was going to perform with the famous Manganiyar Seduction by Abel Royston. This is surely a uniquely creative as well as visually and acoustically mesmerising super production of traditional Manganiyar folk and sufi music, which has successfully toured the globe several times over. Khete introduced me to some of the other musicians (altogether there are around 45), including the ingenious Devu Khan, a reknown Khartal player and the charismatic conductor of the Manganiyar Seduction.
After helping me settle into my guesthouse in the old part of the city, Khete went on his way leaving me to enjoy the great views of the fort from the rooftop lounge. I spent a couple of days roaming the narrow alleyways and the colorful Sadar Bazar, visiting artisan workshops and just hanging out talking to people over a cup of coffee, and resting.
Then I boarded a train to the ‘golden city’ of Jaisalmer in the heart of the Thar desert where I arrived late at night and checked in at the Mudmirror Guesthouse, my favorite lodging inside the Fort next to the Jain temple, run by old friends of mine, the brothers Surya and Lala.
Jaisalmer feels like home to me. I have been there many times in the past and have a number of friends there, especially within the community of Manganiyar musicians at Kalakar colony. The Manganiyars are a caste of hereditary bards who seem to literally have music in their DNA – you would need to see them performing in order to believe me! They learn the art of music from early childhood, the knowledge is passed on from one generation to another. (Watch the video ‘Manganiyar Childhood‘ for further information). Their repertoire is incredibly varied, from traditional Rajasthani folk, Kalbeliya (gypsy) dance music, traditional Hindu Bhajans (Hindu devotional songs), to Sufi music, and even their own compositions!
I spent time visiting my Manganiyar musician friends of many years at their homes, sharing meals, music and laughter, especially with the legendary Chugge Khan from Rajasthan Josh , the brilliant Khete Khan from Jaisalmer Boys, and their younger brother, the prodigy Salim Khan from Jaisalmer Beats. It had been Salim who had first introduced me to the family and the community of the Kalakar Colony musicians, which was a life changing experience for me.
I also went to a couple of desert performances where some of my friends and their relatives were playing.
One day I borrowed Chugge’s car, and a bunch of us went on a desert outing, visiting Khaba Fort, the abandoned city of Kuldara and some magnificent Jain temples.
Another time I ventured out with Jonas and Anna, my German friends, to the outskirts of Jaisalmer to buy morchangs (Jewish harps) that have become an important instrument for the Manganiyar musicians.
My last stop on this journey was in the ‘pink city’ of Jaipur, a place that, personally, I have a love-hate relationship with. Admittedly, it has many really fascinating sights inside the city and in the nearby surroundings. However, it is also a place that can stress me out easily, because of the noise levels, the pollution, the crowds and the touts. Whilst I stopped outside of the famous Amber Fort, where I posed for a classic photo, I chose not to visit it because of overtourism and elephant abuse.
As usual, I had a phantastic time in India, and am looking forward to our next trip! We still have spaces on our 2024 group ventures to India. Please feel free to join us!
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