Through the corridors of Rajasthan

 

By Siddhanjan Ray Chaudhuri 

Rajasthan has always been a favourite destination for the tourists for its beautiful palaces, forts, memorials, museums, majestic desert, rocky landscapes and forests. This makes Rajasthan the land of the Royals. Known for its hospitality, the princely states has always had tourists who want to return to the land. However, I did not have the privilege of travelling to this land, though I had the good intention of visiting the land since my childhood after seeing the magnificence of Satyajit and the Sonar Kella on screen. Last year I got the opportunity, a good few days of holiday and I planned a trip to the western part of Rajasthan. As a true Bengali my first tryst with Rajasthan was Satyajit Ray’s iconic film- Sonar Kella. Seeing the deserts, palaces, forts, camels on screen as a wide eyed kid had made me decide that I shall visit this magical place someday

 

I was wondering where to go? The websites were full of information with packages, details of hotel. But it did not attract the explorer mind of mine. I was looking for something more meaningful –to  have an experience of a lifetime. Meet the musicians who played in Sonar Kella, the oasis, meet locals with their colourful turbans, the herd of camels walking for miles, colourful dresses with beads, the bangles, the architecture, the paintings –were what I was looking for and wanted to travel along the length and breadth of the desert land. One evening a friend of mine working in the deserts played for me a tune of the Sarangi. The tune seemed so energetic, it was played by Asin Khan Langa. I wanted to listen to his music in his home. As conversations moved on he narrated the amazing stories of the music villages, the chords of the instruments, the amazing cuisine, the dunes and the sunset, the borders and the never ending highways. I was thrilled with the passion in which he narrated  the stories and I wanted to feel the same. I looked at the Rajasthani Ghagra and Choli bought by me from Delhi for my daughter and the colours were so vibrant, wanted to buy more of those  in the desert heartland.

 

I could have landed in Jaipur, but decided to head straight to Jodhpur. There are flights connecting Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Bikaner. My friend chalked out the entire plan for me and gave details of places to stay, a mix of hotels, tents and artist houses. I was obviously excited about my stay at artists’ houses. The first day in Jodhpur was spent moving around the city, getting a glimpse of the Mehrangarh fort from Ghanta Ghar. Ghanta Ghar has a feel of the oldcity precinct, Sardar market tempts  to buysome ethnic artistic things. Could not stop from buying Dabu printed shirts – they were really affordable  and colourful. Took an auto to look around the city – the Tripolia market, Ranisar Lake, Sardar Samand lake.I took a stop at the Toorji ka Jhalra – a stepwell built keeping the spirit of the royal architecture prevalent across the state of Rajasthan. Locally called Bawdi, the excavations went down over two hundred feet to expose hand carved treasures in Jodhpur’s famous red stone, including intricate carvings of dancing elephants, medieval lions and cow water spouts, as well as niches housing deities long gone. Travelling without a taste of the local food would be a sin – thus had a feel of the local Lassi and Kachori. Did not want to make it too hectic, thus went back to the hotel.

 

Early morning the next day I started my tour of looking around different ICH of Jodhpur and the communities residing around the area. The road that goes from Jodhpur to Udaipur was  under

renovation and thus we took a diverted route and travelled through the Bishnoi villages. The Bishnois are nature worshippers. In sparse the landscape is beautiful as monsoon has just left, with lot of green. Babooltrees lined  along the road . The driver said that Haruth Singh the Maharaja of Jodhpur bought the seeds of this plant from Africa and had thrown them through his personal helicopter. The Bishnoi villages are green as they embrace nature and they do not cut trees, save the flora and fauna around. Some small water bodies give a relief in this sparse water areas. Rajputs wanted to cut down trees in the area of Khejarli but 365 people of the community embraced 365 trees to save nature and

some peoples head was even chopped off. The driver pointed out that the Bishnoisare also known to cultivate Afin. Guda Bishnoi is one of the villages of Bishnois with largest population. Our first visit was at Khejadli. Khejadli is one of the famous villages as the incident of saving trees in lieu of their life happened there. Infact the trees they wanted to cut off were Khejar trees, which are used as a fuel source and burns for long duration. In Khejarli, a parkis developed by the Bishnois to pay respect to the ones who gave their lives protecting the nature. Amrita Devi is known to be the first woman to give her life protecting the nature. One can see hundred of peacocks at the area and sound of peacock with serenity may give you peace you are looking for. The famous Blackbuck killing case of Salman Khan is still being heard at the Court and the other party to the case are the Bishnois that we were talking of.

Khejarli to Sangasani, the potters village, is hardly few kms away. The community of the potters is

called Molla Kumar and more than 100 artists practice the tradition. They represent a very small population of Muslim potters in the country. The interesting aspect of the tradition is making of large earthen pots by a tradition of beating a smaller pot and enlarging it. These pots are mostly sold in the arid regions of Rajasthan and Gujarat where water scarcity is an issue. Each house has a wonderful planning of having a working space, a private space and a beautiful courtyard. The structures are mostly built of sandstones. Few of the buildings are also made under various Government schemes. The village looks a little unclean, plastics scattered all around the village. Just at the backyard of the village is a large agricultural field and the vast canvas of millets all over is very pleasing to the eyes. The interior roads looked bumpy after the rains.

 

After Sangasani my destination was Salawas – the Durrie village. I came across a small square called Kakani. Kakani is on the highway from Jodhpur to Udaipur and taking the advantage of the location shops of Dabu Print, Pottery, Durrie have opened. These potters sell diversified pottery products. They mostly procure from Pokhran, Jaisalmer. The Durries are mostly made in powerlooms, though the sellers  may claim it to be handmade. The Dabu Print artist will take the pleasure of describing you the process and you would be tempted to buy a few mts of cloth. But I have already purchased the same at Jodhpur and thus kept my temptations away. You may have a cup of tea at Kakani and move to next destination.

 

It was almost 12 noon and I reached Salawas. I had seen many blogs, articles on the village of Salawas.

I knew that the village had some exciting home stay facility as I have seen their photos but this time I could make it happen. I liked the name Salawas but could not decipher the meaning of the word. We stopped at the house RameshMundal. A young and bright fellow was weaving durrie with his brother in the courtyard. I could see the eco-cottages, I had  seen in the website. It is run by Ramesh. Ramesh mentioned a bigger facility with 9 rooms is managed by Chote Ram. Salawas has a regular visitor flow as many tour operators now know of the village. Ramesh exhibited his works, some geometric patterns, some animal and human figures, others talk of flora and fauna. Durrie as we call locally is a carpet made through traditional method of handloom. In old days durries were called ‘Jhat ka Ganda’ and were used on camel back and exported to the Middle Eastern Countries to douse fire in oil wells. Two persons seat on opposite sides and the cotton threads and intertwined between the horizontal lines. One can see the creativity in each one. Presently most carpets are made with cotton, however previously they used to make it with goat and camel wool. Some products of camel wool are still with the artists. Some of the works are testimony of their skill. Ramesh showed us one of his exquisite work of Maharana Pratap which he wants to submit for national award. He narrated the story of durrie artists settling at Salawas. Durrie weaving was started by KirtaramPrajapat in the Phalodi Tehsil of Jodhpur 60-70 years ago with just 5 artists. But there was no market for the products and he shifted to Salawas with the team after identifying the potential market of Durrie in Jaipur and Jodhpur. Then he trained 100 villagers and established the Prajapat community as Durrie weavers.As you move around the village you can feel a sense of peace. Deserted roads, not much of sound until you open the door of the artist’s house and enter inside. One can see the work of the artists, interact at ease at their courtyards and buy a work of art. Some have also made diversified products like bag, coaster, files and folders. I had lunch at Ramesh’s house with local Rajasthani cuisine like Bajreki Roti, SangrikiSabji, Dal, Lasonki achar. I felt like staying back at the village for few more hours and get to know more, but I had a long way  to go .

 

The sun stays back for long in this  part of  the country . You feel like you are done for the day but still you have many more hours till the sun sets beyond the hillocks at Chopasani. Chopasani is a small hamlet of the Kalbelia dancers. A lot of Havelis turned into hotels were visible as I entered the area. After twists and turns the car entered a small bylane I saw a banner mentioning Kalbelia dance and it

was the house of KalunathKalbelia. His stature, attire, turban, jewellery made him a man to stare  at and listening to his journey is quite remarkable. He travelled as a gypsy from village to village in the 1970’s with his community-the Kalbelias. The Kalbelias used to catch snakes with ease, played been and made snake dance to their music. That is how the community got its name – Kal meaning snake and belia meaning friendship. With forest regulations act the Kalbelias were not allowed to catch snakes at ease and thus the female members of the community adopted the style of movements of a snake and started dancing to the tunes of the Been. Kalunath shared his immense traditional knowledge as he went to explain which plants are meant for which diseases. He said they use Kaliper for fever and cough, lankimula for insect bite, murchiakand for respiratory problem, sokanti for insect bite and kersangri for gas and digestive

problem.During his journey through the desert terrains he came across Padma Shri Late Komal Kothari, who made him travel to different parts of the world. This scintillating dance form got appreciation from UNESCO in 2010 and was inscribed in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. SamdaKalbelia, Kalunath’s daughter and Gita Kalbelia- daughter in law amazed us with their dazzling performance. The dancers wear huge, colourful and elaborative costumes. The upper body cloth is called Angrakhi, a piece of cloth worn on the head is called Chunari and the lower body cloth is called Ghaghro. The women make ethnic tribal jewelries with small mirrors, silver thread, sequins, coins and other intricate designs. There are around 100 such wonderful musician and dancers in this small hamlet. As I traveled back from Chopasani to Jodhpur city, hardly a 30 minutes drive, I could still feel the movements of the Kalbelia dancers. Story of Suva Devi, Latcho Drome and her village Dhola.

 

It was just the second day that was about to start, but it felt I have been travelling for a few days now. But, I could sense that the road that I had taken is worthy and would give me something more than just the forts and the palaces. I could have gone to Phalodi, a mix of music and built heritage, 2 hrs from Jodhpur but as my route details, I would catch Phalodi during my travel from Jaisalmer to Bikaner. So I opted out of Phalodi and travelled to Barmer. During my planning phase I read of Barmer sites, but could not find much except for the Kiradu temples and its splendid architectural remains. I started early in the morning and I had to travel to Patodi – a jutti village. I have seen colourfulJuttis in Delhi, Kolkata, Punjab but I have never been to a village of Jutti makers.

 

In Western Part of India morning starts late compared to the eastern part. The roads look empty, except for the municipality guys trying to make the city clean, rush at the bus terminus. While travelling on the highway one can see big handicraft factories on both side. The broad pathway is a delight for a drive.

The green on both sides of NH25 made me wonder how come a desert land has so much green. The driver says it has rained  well, the fields are filled with joy. We reached Pachpadhra, one of the important junctions, known for its oil refinery. My friend instructed me to have  breakfast at Pachpadhra and Maa Naganarayrestaurant provided a perfect breakfast menu with pakora , poha and a cup of tea in an earthen pot. A few kms from Pachpadhra, I reached Patodi. A small town, having a feel of an old settlement, one enters into the village through a market area. One can feel the smell of the leather, men engaged in cutting the leather and women making intricate designs on the leather. The women delightfully showcased their wonderful handwork called Kasidakari. We met ChaganlalJeengar, who told that they are from the Jeengar community – they used to make saddles (jeen) for the horses of the Zamindar and thus got the title of Jeengar. The design of these embroideries is diverse. Some are kalyanpuri, others marwari, langa, dulhanjora, musalmani, wadgaon cut. The soles are hard as the villagers has to walk through a hard and sandy terrain. The beauty of the place lies in the village layout, the dingy lanes, the beauty of the work. The houses portray a sense of happiness. Doors are kept open, and one can see men and women work in unison. The architecture of the houses give a feel of a old city with intricate relief work on the exteriors, the doors give a feel of the royal heritage which may have once been integral part of the village. The sense of embroidery of the women has also made  them to work on embroidery in sarees, stoles. A Jain temple at the centre of the village is an added attraction for  visitors. I was looking out for any  such old temples and Kishore one of the young Jutti makers guided me to Arambhaya Mata Mandir- a lake by the side of the temple, pride of peacocks, migratory birdsand the local deity. The peaceful settings may make you seat for a while beside the lake as the temple bell rings continuously. I could stay here for long but decided to move on to my next destination.

Just few kms from Patodi is the village of the Langas. In the western districts of Rajasthan, amidst the intense heat and difficult terrain, the Langas and the Manganiyars over centuries have left an imprint, with their soulful music. In half an hour  drive  I reached Barnawa Jageer. I could feel, the melody, the

music, the tunes of the Sarangi. I saw a boy playing Sarangi under a neem tree. He was Anwar, son of one of the Gurus of Langa music Askar Khan. I met Nek Mohammad as I moved through the lanes and by-lanes hearing the symphony, the heart- touching tunes of Sindhi Sarangi, vibrating from each and every household. Nek ji narrated his childhood memories, how he used to travel from one village to other with his grandfather, singing bhajans during the daytime at Hindu houses and in the evening performing at the Majhars. He explained that the Langas for generations have performed for their patrons, the Jajmans, and it is integral to their lifestyle and living. They are regarded as genealogists as they can sing songs praising the members of the family of their Jajmans, which is called Shubhraj. As I talked with Nek ji at his house, met his sons, other artists also joined in his courtyard. We heard songs of rain, love stories of Dhola Maru, songs of marriage,’Hallaria’ the song of child birth – I only remember a few. While I was entering Barnawa Jageer I saw the name of the road is

Samsu road and from Nek Mohammad’s house I saw a board mentioning Samsu Ki Dhani. Enthusiastically I asked Nek ji that “Who is samsu? I saw a road with his name”. He explained and took me to Samsu Khan’s house. The practice space of Samsulocaly called ‘Jhopa’, a small shade covered with leafs and grasses was surrounded with sand dunes.Brothers Asin and Samsu, played Sarangi – their heartfelt music touched the soul. Asin sang a song ‘Bayeriya’ only with his Sarangi. Children learning at the courtyard from their fathers, making music that soothes the mind and tunes with the season. You feel like sitting in every house for hours, sometimes it is the striking chords of Meherddin’s Sarangi, while at other times, it is the rich baritone of Bacchu Khan. The Surnaiya Langas make you move with their sound of Shehnai, Been, Algoza-the double flute. The vast repertoire of songs, unique instruments, voices of the masters, all make you wander along and wonder about the horizon of life and vastness. As I spent time, went back to this village of warmth, I rediscovered the world in them. They said ‘Yahanbacchebhi sur main rote hain’.Bacchu advised me to visit the other part of the village called Lakhe Ki Dhani. Its about 1km up towards the

sand dunes and in the western part of Barnawa Jageer. While entering to the village a group of young boys greeted me by saying ‘Khamaghani’. A face in that croud was very known to me, but I couldn’t recall  where I had seen  him. I was escorted to the courtyard of Sardar Khan where the other Langagurus Bundu Khan, Sadiq Khan were  practicing music with some other musicians. I sat there on a rustic bed locally called ‘Takia’  listening to their  music. Sardar introduced all the artists and also the face which had seemed familiar  to me That young boy was Sattar Khan,  I had seen him on Youtube with the famous Bollywood music directors Salim & Sulaiman’s roup. I was surprised and couldn’tresist  myself  from requesting  him for a song. Sattar presented a traditional song ‘Mohan Murli Jo Le Gayo’. His voice, presentation, body language mesmerized me. I returned back to Barnawa and met some of the women of the village – they make exquisite quilts and place them on the floor for the guests to seat.

Barnawa made me a sarangi fanatic . The tune of that instrument started haunting my emotions, my joys, and my sorrows. Especially the playing of Asin Khan Langa took  my heart away. Sindhi Sarangi is the signature musical instrument of Langa music. The solo voice of Asin as he sang 'Bayeriya' along with playing of Sarangi still gives  me goosebumps.

My soul was drenched with a sense of peace as I travelled out of the village. The emptiness of the vast desert, khejar trees, the colour of Rohida, the sinusoidal curves of the dunes and a long walk of the Revaris with their herd of camels were all etched  deep in my heart. I started travelling from Barnawa Jageer to Sheo though the villages. As we went from one place to the other, the colour of turbans changed. In the evening we could see women in veils with their pots, travelling  long distance. They sang  the songs of ‘Panihari’, moving in groups, tattling tales of their lives, families and children. In some villages we would also see women washing utensils with sand. While in others we saw people sitting on string beds under the neem tree, smoking the local cigar, much to their leisure. Further, the exquisite range of food on offer in each of these villages is unique to their region and culture. I reached Sheo in the evening, and the day was over, as I settled myself at Uday Palace Hotel in Sheo.

Next morning I started my travel early towards Kiradu temple. I wanted to have a look at the intricate carvings of the Kiradu temple. Seeing the temple for the first time I got the feel of Khajuraha temple. The temple is of Satyamata Devi located at the foothills of the Aravalli range. It is a 11^th century temple and Kiradu town was a prosperous town during 11^th and 12^th century AD ruled by the Solanki dynasty of Gujarat. The town got ruined due to foreign invasion. Many magnificent temples were built during the time and it is reminiscent of the past. Presently, remnants of 5 Shaiva Vishnava temples of Maru Gurjar style are in existence. The Someshwar temple is a unique example of the style of architecture. I felt like listening to the Manganiyar music at the temple premises. Just 2 kms from Kiradu is the Manganiyar village of Siyani. I had the opportunity of listening to Jamil Khan. He plays harmonium and with his open melodious voice presented a Meera Bhajan. The song speaks of how Radha while playing Dandiya with Krishna lost his Nath, ‘nosepin’ and after searching for a while lost hope. Radha would pray to Krishna and would ask him to give time for her father to make a new one. He also presented us with the Bollywood number in which he rendered his voice in the movie Highway. In the village one could see the traditional well but which is presently not in use and is without water.

From Siyani, we travelled along the desert lanes to many other villages, meeting artists of repute, listening to the tunes of the Kamaicha and having a taste of the local cuisine. As you move along the deserted terrain you see people waiting at the bus stop for hours for a bus to come and take them to their destinations. I could pen down some lines as I travelled along…

 

“I wake up

to the sounds of the azan..

The sun is yet to peep out,

The herd of camel,

Looking out to pluck leaves,

from the sisam tree..

Loitered around desert fields,

Still, the sound of Azan,

whispered in my ears..

In my city,.

eyes do not open to such sound..

All were sleeping below the sky,

It was 5 in the morning..

The sound of azan had more to say,

it stopped without saying,

something, to rise in consciousness..

May be to rise in love,.

In power of loving,

In power of giving and forgiving,

In the power of searching..

I could see far away,

A wind mill, the giant blades,

rotate in high speed, the

wind blows harder..

The lady wakes up suddenly,

I was standing very close,

still watching the last,

of the few stars, to disappear,

as the body warms..

She stared at me and the stars,

Today stars are less in number..

She knows these stars..

She has spoken to them

in agony, in happiness..

She has lost a child,

in the uterus, few days before..

She smiled, put back the veil..

went inside, 'tea for you'

The voice of the azan was

still hovering in the ears..

i was staring at the last

of the remaining stars..”

 

 

 

 

A man was travelling with a pack of peacock feathers. Wanted to stop and take one but the car was travelling at such a high speed that even before I thought of the same I had travelled a few kms. I was

travelling to Dedariya, the driver pointed out that a few kms is Radana, a kutch area. Radana is said to be one of the beautiful places to spend a few hrs amidst nature. Dedariya houses around 30 Manganiyars. Dada Khan, his father Luna Khan greeted us with lively music. We listened to  some Bhajans as Dada sung with his Tandura.Dada forced us to have a little bit of brunch, but the platter was too heavy with Simai, Roti and Sabji. We had very little time and quickly left the village to Kotra. Kotra has a dilapidated fort. I took the stairs up and saw a small temple. The city look from the top of the fort is very exciting and interesting. The Kotra village also is house of around 30 Manganiyars, among them there are few children with extraordinary voice. We travelled to Jhaphli Kala and met Gafoor Khan.Jhaphli Kala is believed to be the village where Khartal was born. Late Sadiq Khan uncle of Gafoor Khan is believed to have started this wonderful castanet made of 4 pieces of Seesham wood. The last of the Manganiyar village was Taloka ka Gaon. Leading artists of the village is Bhunger Khan and Luna Khan.Bhunger’s brother Bhutte Khan is a community leader who have taken the initiative to built a community centre for the practice and promotion of folk music of the

Manganiyars at Sheo. We met Gazi Khan of Harwa village at the centre and heard one of his signature songs, ‘Radha RadhaRadha’. It felt like he was having a conversation with Radha as his presentation had a theatrical flavor. I left Sheo and started for Barmer city to meet with Padma Shri Anwar Khan Manganiyar. Anwar ji is from Baiya village of Jaisalmer but now lives in Barmer city with his family. He is the finest vocalist of the Manganiyarcommunity and well respected among the community. Anwar ji told many things about their traditional practice and rituals and sang ‘Gangour’, the song based on a local deity. I didn’t  have much time sobid  him goodbye andtook the national highway 68 to Jaisalmer. One can feel while entering a desert zone as you move on the highway. Vast lands of emptiness, sun baked sand, thorny bushes characterize the place. There is no habitation for miles until you see two to three houses. No shops or petrol pump. Camels, sheeps graze on the fields. After 100 kms of journey we came across a dhaba at Devikot. We crossed army tanks on our way and in the dhaba could see all tankers taking a stop . Tea, samosa and then again a drive to reach Khuri crossing the windmills and sandy roads. Sun has set by then and we took a stop at Barna. Gazi Khan one of the renowned Khartal player, a name in himself greeted us and made us comfortable in one his houses. Had a sumptuous dinner with meat, sabji, roti, kabab all home cooked. A bottle of beer after the long journey was heart warming.

Did not had a great sleep. Wanted to wake up early enough before the sun hits the land and walk along the desert dunes. At the backside of the village, landscape of the dunes made me wonder of the life and love of the people living in this delightful land. I could not stop but penned down my feelings.

Winds were blowing high

as we slept in the terrace..

The stars twinkled as we,

slowly closed our eyes..

Morning sun was about to peep out,

heavy clouds hovered around,

we knew it will go soon..

The clouds floated...

It seemed the stars were moving,

Shaked myself to see the static stars..

The grazing camels walked out,

out of the village to the vast desert.

Its morning 6, they must be back,

in few hours before it touches 40 Deg..

There is silence, only chirping in the ears,

Women in their veils,

started working at the kitchen,

My tea arrived,

as I looked at the shadows,

along the desert dunes...

A normal day starts in Barna...

 

I had the privilege of meeting Kachra Khan at Barna.  An old looking man with glittering eyes had a zest of his own. He is a master of Sufi musicin the region. Kachra Khan stays in a far off village of Barmer at the borders of Pakistan named Khaniyani. He expressed the desire of me travelling to his village but there  was not enough time to do so. He sang a Sufi number in Saraiki language. Saraiki is an Indo Aryan language spoken in the south western half of the province of Punjab in Pakistan and also in some parts of western Rajasthan.

The village Barna is just a few kms from Khuri a popular tourist destination known for its sanddunes. Two popular tourist resorts are Khuri resort and Mama resort. Mama’s resort was the first of its kind. Mama is the local name of Bhagwan Singh and we were  sure that it is some Bengalis who may have given him the title of Mama. After breakfast we left for a desert safari ride. It was a bumpy ride, I was just holding the rods tight, felt like I can just falloffas the jeep turned and twisted,  innumerable times. Alas I could come back safe and happy, seeing the  gazelle  running past the jeep. Sawai Khan, son of Gazi Khan pointed out that some of the visitors also take the pleasure of taking a camel safari at the night. They spend the night on the sands relieving the beauty of the sky, bounty of stars and the galaxy. The camel rider makes the food and tells stories of this desert land as the night brings a new world to the visitor. A few kms from Barna is the village Janra. Located on the highway with a mix of Manganiyar and Meghwal community the village is a perfect setting for promotion of cultural tourism. Young and old artists both stay in the village. Non-uniform pattern of building placement with no proper interconnected roads inside the village make it interesting. Mud walls and stone structures both are visible in the village. A small community centre is also built inside the village. Artists from Meghwal community, Prajapat community and the Manganiyars came to meet us at the center. The Meghwals and the Prajapats are Bhajan singers. Teja Ram sang Meera Bhajan depicting eternal love between Radha and Lord Krishna. Bhagwana Ram is a local saint, a wonderful singer and the main Purahit of the temple of Malan Devi. Janra is believed to be one of the oldest settlements, older than the Jaisalmer city itself. Thane Khan a young Manganiyar artist is from the village and his singing prowess is something to be admired. Misri Khan, Thane’s father is very aged, he is a masterinKamaicha playingand his knowledge on the Ragas is remarkable. He explained different ragas on which songs of the Mangniyarare based. He explained how ragas differ with respect to time of the day, how different ragas cater to different directions like North (Maru), South (Sorath), East (Dhani) and West (Suhab). Jalal Ram a young Bhajan singer with his baritone voice also presented a Kabir Bhajan. He is the niece of famous Bhajan singer Mahisharam of Jaisalmer. One of the Bhajan songs spoke of searching for roads all along until receiving the blessings of the Guru the master who guidsthe traveler through the road  to eternal peace and belongingness. We could have spent hours listening to the cry of the desert soil but we had to experience the life of the other villagers. As I would travel to the city of Jaisalmer from here, I asked the driver whether  something more that can be witnessed as I had some time. The driver took me to Sam which was orchestrated with hotels, tent accommodations, cottages. It looked too much touristy with lots of jeeps parked and the tour operators trying to grab each single tourist towards themselves. Thus, I did not hault at the place and moved along to two  interesting places before reaching Jaisalmer. The first of such place was Kuldhara, an absolute deserted place, dilapidated houses, broken walls is testimony of people not  residing there for years. A local person narrated the story of Kuldhara. Palliwal Brahmins have a history that goes back around 6000 years back. They were traditionally a Brahmin community from Pali. There was a tragic incident that happened about 200

years ago that scattered them all over India. A powerful chief treasury official wanted to take a beautiful 16-year-old Palliwal girl as his bride against the will of the Brahmin community. Rather than face the wrath of the powerful Muslims, Palliwal Brahmins from 84 villages left all at once, and scattered throughout India. According to legend, there is a curse on anyone who tries to re-inhabit these villages. We left Kuldhara and reached another interesting site Khaba fort. The ancient fort of Khaba dates back to the 13th century set amid a barren desert village was once populated by the PaliwalBhramins. This fort was once an important part of Kuldhara administration and was the first point of entry for the traders who came from the Middle East and China. Today, most part of the fort  in ruin and abandoned.I explored the ruins of the fort- century-old artefacts, pots etc. The view of the barren desert village atop the fort is breathtaking. There is also a geological museum exhibiting fossils inside the fort. I had this eerie feeling as I wandered on the dusty streets of the barren village picturing the past life of its inhabitants.

Every night I unpacked the bags and packed it for the next day’s  journey. Along the desert waves, I moved to the city of Jaisalmer. I had goosebumps as I was entering the city. The tune of Sonar Kella was reverberating in my heart . Since childhood I have seen this city, I had seen ‘Mukul’ walk along the path, Dr Hazra disappearing, the cups and bowls made of stone, the bylanes of the city. Still today, the memories are so fresh. I moved around the city – Gadisar Lake, Desert Cultural Centre and around the city. There was a small shop at Gadisar Lake of Kurties, Panjabis. The material was so soft – I purchased some at a reasonable cost. I came across a puppeteer performing atDesert Cultural Centre. He stays at the Puppeteer’s Colony in the city. I went to his house and saw many puppeteers making wonderful handcrafted puppets.Bought some of the puppets for décor. He said that they have all settled here from Nagaur and all are from the Bhatt community. The puppeteers told stories of bygone days of medieval kings, queens and war-heroes, playing traditional instruments.They also cover contemporary events, as they  showed me a puppet dance based on KalunathKalbelia, it was  funny. I was having an experience of a lifetime. I spent the night  at Swan hotel. The terrace of the hotel, a glass of beer and the wonderful sight of the lit up Jaisalmer fort made my day. Few more days of travel and I wanted to enjoy it to the fullest.

The city roads paved to the highway as I travelled in the morning to a village named Hamira. Hamira to my knowledge is name of a raga and truly the name has got its meaning as was evident after entering the village. I met Ghewar Khan, Dare Khan and Firoz Khan the three brothers whose music has mesmerized the world. As we sat in their room, the strings of the Kamaicha, reverberated in the air. The

synchronous stokes of the Kamaicha by Ghewar Ji and Dare Ji accompanied by the beats of Dhol by Firoz Ji was a treat in itself. They narrated the story of his legendary father Padma Shri Late Sakar Khan Manganiyar. He was the first among the Langa and Manganiyar community to be awarded with Padma Shri in the year 2012. Ghewar Ji played a number named First train at Hamira. It was the composition of Late Sakar Ji when first train line reached Jaisalmer and the first honk of the steam engine was heard. We felt like we were travelling on a train as the chords of Dare Ji and Ghewar Ji played in tandem. We looked at the walls with different pictures of the maestro playing at different festivals. Ghewar’s son Latif took me to Pempe Khan’s house. Pempe is the brother of Late Sakar Ji and plays Shenai and Murli. Pempa ji has a horse and still now his grandsons ride on it. Pempa’s son Kheta Khan is also a famous Khartal player and has worked with Ustad Zakir Hussain. He mesmerized me by playing Khartal with his father.

We left Hamira and headed our way to Pokhran, a village of the potters.  I knew that it spelt Pokhran until I saw a milestone written Pokaran. The villagers say it spells both ways. Pokhran from my childhood has been known as the place for nuclear testing. But it is also the place of one of the finest potters of India. Pokhran has more than 100 potter families,  each making different products used for

storing grains, dahi preparation and storage of water. Tandoori chulas are also made by the artists as per order. Durgaram ji one of the oldest of the potters showed a large pot which he made 30 years ago. The pot can hold 2 quintals of grain.  The town architecture of Pokhran gives a feeling of an old settlement. The villagers pointed out that they are staying in this village for the last 12 generations. They came to this place from Bagri. Some pointed out that 2 potters came to this place from Chandsamar in lieu of two brahmins who travelled to Chandsamar. The skill of these artists is appreciable and they can make any product after seeing the design. Pokhran fort is not a popular tourist destination but is one of the most beautiful forts. Rathore kings constructed this place and Bhawani Singh was the last of the Jagirdars. Presently, it also has rooms for stay of tourists. One of the friends saw piles of shoes at one of the houses of the artists in Pokhran. He was quite bemused to see it and asked what was it kept for and where did he get these. They said it is used as a fuel and helps in slow burning process of the furnace. The shoes come from Ramdeora one of the famous temples in this part of the world. Visitors come from all over India to this holy place and a festival also takes place in September. There is a tradition of walking on bare foot to the temple and they keep their old shoes at the temple and leave the temple or buy a new one. These shoes are then brought to Pokhran and used in the  furnace.

Pokhran to Phalodi is around 65 kms an hour and a half drive. My destination was a little furtherup north, to Ghator, where one of the young Langa musicians Kasam Khan Langa reside. I had  met him

earlier at Sufi Sutra festival at Kolkata. He waited at Bap for me and showed the path to his village. We reached Ghator at almost 9 in the evening. Kasam recently had put an AC in his room and the room was ready for a pleasant sleep. We hardly had dinner as the tired body looked for a corner in the bed.

A small village with around 15 families with agricultural fields makes it a perfect destination if someone is interested to live in solitude. A woodpecker would move around as we sat under the woodrose tree.Kasam’s house have a small garden courtyard where we sat down to hear some melodies. It was early in the morning, some of the singers around the area also gathered at Kasam’s place. Kasam sang some numbers, Rashid also joined in. One of the aged artist of that village was telling the history of their origin. In Phalodi, 12 families settled in 12 villages like Dedasari, Bengtikala, Kalra, Bengti Khurd, Bhuraj, Kushlawa, Tekra, Ghator, Hindalgol and others about 10 generations back. Around 50 years back few of the Langas from both Barnawa and Phalodi region migrated to Jodhpur city. The Langa community are tight-knit, and have a habit of living together. Today, there are more than 500 Langa artists in Barmer and Jodhpur.  I wanted to see the making of Sarangi and thus we headed towards Kalra one of the villages of Phalodi. At Kalra, we met Ibrahim Khan. He was preparing a Sarangi for his grandson. He explained the making of this chordophonic instrument with 4 main strings and 20 or more vibrating strings. Ibrahim Khan aged around 65 is one of the very few Sindhi Sarangi makers. He played a solo number which was so soothing to the ears.

I have heard about Phalodi being a heritage place and wanted to visit the temples of the region. The Jain temple of Parshawanth made of glass work is 250 years old and the people of the temple commented that the glass came from Belgium. Khichan Bird Sanctuary is another exiting place to visit in Phalodi. Though there were very few numbers of Siberian cranes but the driver commented that the entire waterbody gets filled with different migratory birds in winter and is  a perfect photography site in the winters. I wanted to visit Rin – salt production centre but could not do so due to time constraints.       

We travelled from Jodhpur to Bikaner. A long 3 hrs drive through the vast desert terrains and we reached  Bikaner at night. We checked in at Harasar Haveli. Next day early morning we headed towards Pugal. The Mirsfrom Pugal performed at the first year of Sufi Sutra festival in Kolkata and I had loving memories of meeting Mir Vasu Khan. As we were travelling to Pugal we could see roads constructed by Border Roads Organisation. I would open my GPRS and would see the car travelling towards the border. Another, 20 kms almost the last big village Khajuwala before the border. The name of the roads read RD 628, RD 428. I was not able to figure what RD meant and the GPRS showed just on the border

villages named as BD and then a number. Some Mir Musicians who are from the Mirasi clan came to meet us at RD 628 and would take us to other Mirasi villages. Vasu, Guruji, Anwar Khan travelled with us to Bhinpura and then to another village. Mirs do not have a composite village based settlement, two or three families stay in one village and villages are far away from one another. As we travelled to Bhinpura we could see green we had  not seen before in Rajasthan. Tall trees with little or no leaves and smaller ones are fully green. Indira Gandhi Canal goes by the r oad and thus making the area green is what the artists say. We could see women in veils travelling kilometers to fetch water. Women walk in queue to collect water from a nearby waterbody. In the house of one of the Mir artist’s we could see a newly wed lady washing utensils with sand. Yes, washing utensils with water is a dream in the desert. Boys and girls complete Class VIII. More than that is expensive for these artists to afford. The highschool is at a distance of 30 kms and the travel cost if Rs 40. The houses have a water tank, water tanker comes and fills it up at Rs 1000 which runs for 20 days  a month. Nearest hospital is 50 kms away. Truly, it’s a struggle for existence. But, they would sing in peace, ‘Ki Jana main kaunbuleya, kijana main kaun’. As you go back from the villages one could see herd of camels going back home, some run down in front of the car, almost hitting the car. The driver being agile uses his steering to accuracy. When camel runs it seems they have no balance, they are better off trotting. We came back home. Have travelled 600 kms in a day and was tired but somehow did not get a  sound sleep.

Next morning I took an auto to see the local tourist places. Vaishno Dham made in resemblance to Vaishnodevi temple, Nagnechi temple, Junagarh fort was what we could manage in an hour. There were potters selling different utensil products in front of Nagnechi temple. They said there is a potter’s

village at Gangasahar. I went to the colony of the Usta artists. The precision in which the artists make this Naqqashi and Mannati art works is appreciable. Usta art is derived from the term Ustad, executed on hard bases. Hanif Usta one of the finest of Usta artists mentioned that the ancestors of the Usta artisans were called from Multan and Iran during the reign of Raja Rai Singh to decorate the walls and ceilings of the Junagadh fort of Bikaner. Previously, it was practised on hard stone-bases using gold plated intricate motifs. But then, to enhance portability, it began to be executed on camel leather and wood. As I was about to go back to the hotel, I could see the gigantic Junagarh fort.

This magnificent structure was earlier named as‘Chintamani’ and was then renamed as the Junagarh or Old fort in the 20th century. The foundations of the Junagarh fort were built in 1478 by Rao Bika. However, it existed just as a stone fort then. The present grand structure was inaugurated on 17th February 1589. Besides having a rich history, the Junagarh Fort is a feat of architecture. The palaces inside the fort, the gardens, balconies, kiosks, etc. depict a composite architectural style which is influenced by the cultural differences of the different

rulers and also foreign inspirations. The impressive Junagarh Fort stands with all its regal glory as an epitome of architectural brilliance. The dazzling and exquisite structures of this fort attract thousands of tourists from all over every year. The unique monuments which are on display in the fort represent 16 generations of rulers in Bikaner starting from the late 16th century.

My holidays got over, it was time for coming back to home. I took the flight in the evening from Bikaner to Delhi and then to Kolkata. I had the treasure of Rajasthan an experience to share with everyone. In the flight I was listening the music I recordedin my phone, watching the videos and the picture I took. I had travelled back 2000 kms to reach Kolkata but had left a piece of my vagabond soul in the deserts of western Rajasthan. One journey is never enough to know a place, I hope to travel back soon collecting memories and experiences.