Dhrupad etc.

Jaipur Turbans

2011-12-30T00:55:00.000-08:00

Turbans are still very important in Jaipur the capital of Rajasthan - again one of my favourite places.

One of the most unusual turbans I ever saw was this colourful one in Johri Bazar - the gemstone market of Jaipur.

On close inspection it turned out to be just a colourful towel wrapped around the head in this stylish way.

Among the few reasons I could think of was that this gentleman was a turban addict who just used a towel when nothing else was available or that he could have just grabbed a towel by mistake and wrapped it around his head thinking it was a turban.

Whatever the reason for his choice, he looked grand and stylish with his dark glasses, long coat and turban and was completely unperturbed by my picture taking. Again one of the most endearing features of travel in India. People just don't mind being photographed!

This open air Turban Shop in a Jaipur street corner adds to the colour and flavour of the city and seemed to be mostly patronized by locals.

The most celebrated Dhrupad singers of India pose wearing an assortment of turbans, probably representing the styles of the regions to which their royal patrons belonged, in this picture from around 1920. Ustad Zakiruddin Khan on rear left is certainly wearing the Mewari turban of his native Udaipur. May the various turbans of India ever endure!

- Ashish Sankrityayan - www.dhrupad.info

Mukteshwara Temple Bhubaneshwar

2011-12-27T03:19:00.000-08:00

One of the most beautiful temples I have ever seen was the small but perfectly proportioned Mukteshvara temple in Bhubaneshwar.

The young priest had beautifully decorated the thousand year old Shiva Lingam and it was a delight talking to him, hearing about the mythology and making an offering.

- Ashish Sankrityayan - www.dhrupad.info

Bhopal Vignettes

2011-12-15T07:15:00.000-08:00

Bhopal the capital of Madhya Pradesh has been my home for many years, first as a student and now as a teacher of Dhrupad. One of the things I love about Bhopal is its very creative sense for 'Jugaad' - the great Indian art of improvising and managing with whatever is available under all circumstances.

A few days ago I visited the District Collectorate - the main administrative office of the city - with a friend, and was offered these amazing chairs to sit on.

What struck me the most about these chairs were of course the virtues of modesty and frugality they embodied and above all the complete absence of any desire to appear posh or sophisticated!

The chairs were quite comfortable and the service was excellent. I got the document I wanted immediately, along with a cup of tea and of course a random conversation about life and times.

Another great instance of "Jugaad" I saw was of this Bhopal autorickshaw driver helping a fellow driver whose vehicle had got stalled, by planting his foot firmly behind the stalled auto and revving up - in complete disregard to the risk it might pose to himself!! The picture taken with my mobile camera is a bit blurred, but one can see the foot firmly planted on the rear of the stalled autorickshaw.

This Bhopal computer institute has found a most creative way of advertising using an old mannequin, a table and a junked computer. The owner told me that he has to change the clothes and the mannequin from time to time. I had seen it more than 12 years ago when I lived nearby as an aspiring Dhrupad singer, so obviously the low cost advertising strategy using junked materials has worked very well!

Bhopal attracts many colourfully attired mendicants of all kinds. Perhaps the free meals offered at the many public functions and religious ceremonies works as an incentive. Seeking alms with cows and bulls that have deformities is common. The most striking I ever saw was this group of Sikh Nihangs - monks of the Sikh martial order near Bhopal station - and also this gentle looking sadhu with his bull going around the lanes of the old city.

This handsome young couple belong to the Kadak Laxmi tradition that is common in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh - he flagellates himself with a whip for the sins of others while his wife plays on the drum and the two go about seeking alms. I am sure there is a trick in using the whip so that it doesn't hurt but makes a huge cracking sound. The drum is played in a peculiar way by rubbing with a stick. The expression on the face of the young man seemed incredibly beautiful and unaffected to me.

One of the most beautiful and poignant pictures I ever took was of this woman sleeping on the pavement outside the Bata Shoe Store in New Market with her little pup. When I walked by a little while later the pup had got out of the bag and was lying outside the window with its expensive international "Hush Puppies" range on display.

The pitfalls of writing in the non phonetic Roman script for those who are used to the phonetic Devanagiri are obvious in this Bhopal pharmacy. There could however be no ambiguity in the mind of the shop owner about medicines manufactured by Rhone-Poulenc.

One of the many places for early morning socializing in Bhopal over chai is the Bhadoria tea stall in New Market which serves great Poha and Jalebi - the breakfast staple of Central India, albeit in gloveless hand delivery.

The old gentleman in white Kurta and Dhoti on the left turned out to be a politician and teacher from Bhind Morena - legendary for the bandit infested ravines of the Chambal river - seen here near Morena in a glimpse I got from the window of the Shatabdi Express to Bhopal from Delhi.

- Ashish Sankrityayan - www.dhrupad.info

Varanasi Bull, Sattu Dumplings and the Pillar of Heliodorus

2011-11-04T10:34:00.000-07:00

After a few days in Varanasi learning with my Veda teacher and some wonderful adventures with missed trains, I saw off a dear friend and finally boarded the Kamayani express for Bhopal. One little thing that had made me a bit sad on this visit to Varanasi was that my favourite giant Varanasi bull, who always stands in the middle of the bustling traffic on the road from Gadhowlia to Assi Ghat, had become a bit thinner. He has the ability to strike a motionless pose for hours while the Kashi traffic swirls around him, with a look of peace, contentment and detachment that comes from years of being fed, venerated and worshipped by the devotees of Lord Shiva, who come here on pilgrimage for a dip in the Ganges and a visit to the Vishwanath Temple.

Varanasi has been described as timeless or even older than time. It is the one place where I feel in my elements. This scene of women coming back from the Ganges ghats with lamps in little pots after offering evening puja, could easily have been from ages ago. They were remarkably unselfconscious when I requested them for a photo.

Kamayani Express didn't have a dining car so tried out this farmer's and working man's staple from eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar at Allahabad station - roasted balls of Sattu with dal and green chillies. Two balls and plenty of water were enough for my dinner. I guess roasted sattu which is made from seven grains, swells up tremendously when taken with water!!

Before reaching Bhopal got off on an impulse at Vidisha to see something that has always fascinated me since I read about it in school - The votive pillar of Heliodorus.

The Garuda bird capital of this slender and finely proportioned pillar has long since gone, but it was wonderful to stand there and think of this wandering Greek who came to this part of India in the second century B.C. as an ambassador, became a devotee of Lord Vishnu and erected this pillar surmounted by the Garuda bird as an offering. His succinct words, written on the pillar in the Brahmi script, resonated deeply within me.

"Three immortal precepts when practiced lead to heaven: self-restraint, charity, consciousness."

On the way back to Vidisha station took a small detour and had a look again at the magnificient boar incarnation of Vishnu rescuing the earth Goddess Prithvi at the Udaygiri caves. To me this massive monolithic statue of Varaha Avatar carrying the Goddess on his shoulder represents the epitome of Veer Rasa - of masculinity and heroism.

Not far from Vidisha Station is the Paramara style Bija Mandal temple. It must have been truly massive like Orissa's Sun temple at Konark going by the sheer size of the plinth, which is all that remains of it now. It was demolished by emperor Aurangzeb when he passed by on one of his military campaigns.

Arriving in Delhi a few days later on Chhath puja was served another eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar dish - the sweet Thekua or Khajuria, by my CD manufacturer who hails from Bihar. Made of wheat, ghee, sugar and a touch of fennel, it would be the right thing to have after standing the night in the river for the Chhath ritual, to make sure the puja lamp does not get extinguished!

My autoricksha stopped at a traffic light and I saw this wonderful celebration of Shringar Rasa. Didn't see the face of this stylish and graceful Delhi woman and she soon sped away. The gorgeous colours of her clothes and the poise with which she wore her bangles and anklets was remarkable.

On a cycle ricksha ride through Old Delhi managed to catch this monkey at the right moment as it navigated through the maze of lanes of Shahjehanabad riding on television and power cables. Somehow the presence of all these animals lends such harmony to the complex, flowing blend of chaos and order that India is. Hope and pray that things remain that way! There are worrying signs that straight line order and sterility would soon be here.

In recent times and especially after the Commonwealth games, Delhi has started acquiring a horrible sterilized, global look. There are of course still many pockets - mostly the downmarket urban villages, where I can be in Delhi and still feel that I am in India. Hope they all survive the next big Globalization bulldozer - the Olympic Games!

Walking around in Adhchini, a Jat village in South Delhi, I came across this roadside temple with a dog sleeping comfortably in it. Probably got disturbed by my flash and turned around to go to sleep again. Just remembered that Lord Dattatreya's companions are four dogs each representing one of the vedas!!

Arriving by Rajdhani Express at Howrah station in Calcutta, took my favourite boat ride across the river to Fairly Place and was pleasantly surprised to find myself in the middle of Jagaddhatri puja - the favourite puja of my childhood, since that is when I got to see the most phantasmasgoric images of Gods and Goddesses going past our house for immersion in the Hoogly river - a branch of the Ganges.

The best Jagaddhatri celebration I saw this time was this rural puja near Lauhati, with scenes from the life of Krishna arranged in and around a pond. Could identify Krishna slaying demon Bakasura, subduing the serpent Kalia and drinking the poisoned milk of Demoness Putana.

Couldn't figure out what the two prostrate figures were about, one apparently about to be devoured by a dog! Need to read the Mahabharata again I guess.

The one in the center of the pond probably represented the death of Krishna at the hands of a hunter who mistook him for a Deer.

Mythology is rich in India and every story has a deeper significance behind it. These pujas serve such a deep social function and keep the lore alive among the people. What a blessing it is to grow up seeing these things and living these customs.

Another Jagatdhatri puja on the way to Dum Dum airport was in a replica of an ancient temple complete with rather tame Maithuna figures on the facade!

One of the joys of the puja season in Bengal is the sound of the Dhak drum. The player makes little dance like steps while playing. The Dhaki or Dhak drum player at this puja was taking a break!

For sheer visual delight there is nothing like travelling through Bengal in the festive season. The best images are of course the very traditional ones, with white Shola plant decorations and the huge elongated stylized eyes of the Goddess, bringing out the divine character of what the image represents. Traditional image makers always paint the eyes last!

After a day in Calcutta took a flight to Bhopal via Mumbai. Outside the Chatrapati Shivaji airport in Mumbai looked for my favourite local snack - Vada Pao the quintessential Bombay burger.

The first one was a very unsatisfactory, sanitized Vada Pao with the wrong kind of bun and not enough green chutney, served in this ridiculous red box . The next one from the neighbouring Shiv Sagar stall turned out to be nearly perfect.

In the end all the Ghaati Masala -that fiery red powder in the Vada Pao- made the hot chai burn deliciously in my mouth.

Sobering to think that after all this have to again start packing my heavy winter clothing for another long journey this week.

Am looking forward to coming home soon to another favourite little corner of mine – Kreuzberg/Neukölln– Berlin's Turkish quarter - to meet my friends and taste again my favourite Turkish delight – The rice and milk pudding Sütlaç with thick brown caramelization at the top and of course my favourite German dark rye bread!!

Caution! Rattrap Available Under the Seat!!

2011-08-13T00:52:00.000-07:00

India must be the only country in the world where some long distance trains were equipped with rat traps.

Boarding Kerala Express for Bhopal, I found this sign which cautions passengers to be careful while poking their hands or feet under the seat. I searched below the seat and failed to find it however. Has probably long been removed or perhaps even stolen, but the sign still remains. The use of the word "Available" lends the sign a delightful ambiguity. Perhaps the trap was meant to be set up by the passenger himself! - a bit of a samosa or pakora would have worked perfectly as bait!

It is mindboggling to think of the great Indian railway rats travelling across the length and breadth of the country tasting all the regional cuisines - perhaps spending their entire lives on trains. I caught sight of one of them just after dinner when I had put my food tray down below the seat.

- Ashish Sankrityayan - www.dhrupad.info

Lucky Chai, M. F. Hussain and the Twelve Pots of Ahmedabad

2011-05-21T03:56:00.001-07:00

Lucky restaurant at Lal Darwaza Ahmedabad, is probably the only chai shop in the world with an original M. F. Hussain on its wall. What makes it a popular Ahmedabad landmark is its famous strong chai with plenty of milk and sugar - the rich, creamy consistency making it almost a dessert! Lucky chai is usually consumed with a bun maska jam (pronounced jaaam) - a soft bun with a huge layer of white, unsalted fresh butter and sweet, red jam in the middle. I prefer it of course without the" jaam".

The best part of Lucky chai is the last few sips with the melted butter from bun dippings floating on the top. Just the right boost of caffein and calories for the busy Ahmedabadi in a hurry to expand his business and make more money. Most people probably don't even notice the Hussain.

I have wondered what made M. F. Hussain donate his painting to this veritable Ahmedabad institution. One explanation could be the sufi graves around which the restaurant is built. Lucky restaurant is also perhaps the only restaurant in the world built literally on a graveyard.

It started off as a little chai stall under a tree surrounded by graves of Sufi Fakirs and gradually as business grew it expanded and engulfed them. The tree is still there shooting up through a hole in the roof in the family section of the restaurant, and the graves between the tables are lovingly taken care of, since the success of the chai shop is attributed by its Keralite founder to their blessings. Orthodox Islamists regard sufis as pagan grave worshippers but as can be seen at Lucky restaurant - the practice is hugely popular in the subcontinent.

Another motivation for Hussain could have been the desire to have his art seen by the masses, and what better place to choose for that than Lucky, where thousands pass through from early morning till nearly midnight when the shutters go down.

Just outside Lucky restaurant is the famous Sidi Sayyed mosque with the stone trellis work that is perhaps synonymous with Ahmedabad. The stone carving skills and motifs from Hindu temple architecture remained alive in the mosques of Gujrat, though of course human and animal representations were strictly avoided . The vine pattern from the trellis or jali of this mosque was used a few years ago, in the poster of a concert of mine in a little chapel - St. Remy La Varenne near Angers in France.

Not far from Lal Darwaza in old Ahmedabad is the famous Bhatiyar Gulli - "the cook's street" where one can savour the "Baap" or father of all non vegetarian dishes - the twelve pots or "Bara Handi" where various parts of a buffalo - like tongue, guts etc. are slow cooked overnight into a potent stew - old timers swear by its invigorating qualities. I have however never had the guts to try it! - Ashish Sankrityayan - www.dhrupad.info

Eulenspiegel, Mozart and Lufthansa Biryani

2011-05-02T22:33:00.000-07:00

Sunday 10th April, on my last evening in Salzburg had a very fine Austrian meal with my friends at the "Till Eulenspiegel" opposite Mozart's Birth House". In this daylight view from inside the restaurant, one can see through the window the distinct ochre walls of the house where the Mozart family lived on the third floor.
(photo taken from the restaurant's website)

After the meal, perhaps taking inspiration from Eulenspiegel -the eternal prankster, the waiter in traditional Austrian Lederhosen took us around the house, and said in mock seriousness with a barely noticeable twinkle in his eye that the tables with a view of the "Mozart Gebursthaus" are "of coure much more expensive to dine on". Even Salzburgers cannot help but laugh at the way everything in Salzburg is centered around the great composer. I even heard of a music project called "Mozart in India" and another about doing Kathak dance to his music. But with his interest in Freemasonry, Mozart must have had some exposure to the vague ideas about Indian philosophy reaching Europe then, so the projects are perhaps not as far fetched as they might sound. In any case I have been told that "Mozart Projects" stand a better chance of being funded. I got this photoshopped Mozart with sitar and bindi from one such project site.

Mozart and Dhrupad? who knows what could come my way from a "crazy enough" festival director. Have already sung Dhrupad with a string quartet playing "Ainsi La Nuit" by Henri Dutilleux. It was a difficult concert especially because it was with just one short last minute rehearsal - from the flight straight to the concert. The festival director wanted it to be impromptu and spontaneous - but it inspired some ideas for the future. Now when I hear the piece again I see so many possibilities. I would have tuned the tanpura differently and used different ragas - even combinations of ragas, there are so many implicit fleeting raga-like relations in the work. It is beautiful! Hope to have a go at it again someday with better preparation.
Although restaurant service in Europe has sometimes disappointed me and I have had a few not-so-nice experiences with surly, boorish and sometimes xenophobic waiters, I have always loved the humour of restaurant waiters of the old school in Austria - like the chap at the Eulenspiegel.

Once, reaching Vienna ravenously hungry after a long train ride, I ordered two huge main course dishes one after the other at my favourite Viennese restaurant Cafe Diglas near Stephansplatz- a Tafelspitz and then one more - The waiter while clearing up said with a little smile and mock seriousness- and would you perhaps now like a Schnitzel? I could not help but burst out laughing. That would have been a whale rather than a straw on the proverbial camel's back. I could just about make room for a tiny dessert of which Diglas always has such wonderful offerings.

On the way back to Delhi this time was pleasantly surprised once again to find an Indian dish -a well made curry with rice mistakenly labelled 'Biryani" at the Lufthansa Lounge in Munich. On the way to Germany it had been Navratan Korma and Palak with a hint of European herbs (thyme?) addding a whole new dimension to the taste.

Despite my best efforts at being mostly vegetarian during the last few years for health reasons, I could not help take a small bite of Bavarian Leberkase with sweet Bavarian homemade mustard, especially since I won't be back in Germany for sometime.

Hope to be in India for a few months and enjoy the mangoes and litchies. The progression of mangoes through the season- starting with Badam and Hapus and ending with my favourite green Langda - is almost like the progression of ragas through the day- each variety has its own unique rasa. Saw this luscious litchi mountain the last time I was in Varanasi. Hope to be there soon. What a place!

Coming back to Till Eulenspiegel, although he probably never existed, he is very necessary!

Here are still photos of the great ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinsky as Till in his last choreographed ballet before he went insane (1916), set to Richard Strauss's music. Strauss's tone poem captures wonderfully the spirit of Eulenspiegel and even gives him a tragic end at the gallows- may the tribe of irreverent wanderers like Till ever increase. - Ashish Sankrityayan - www.dhrupad.info

Dream Train Ride - Salzburg - Bischofshofen

2010-08-24T20:37:00.000-07:00

On 12th August 2010 had one of the most beautiful train rides of my life. The lovely thing about it was that it was entirely unexpected, and coming after several long and tiring train journeys, it put me in just the right mood for the concert that evening.

Arrived late afternoon at Salzburg from Munich and then changed train for Bischofshofen. With 13 mins for the change in Salzburg, had been a bit worried because that was the last train that would have got me in time to the venue - a little church in a small ski resort called Flachau. Settled down in the train expecting nothing spectacular - just another train ride to the next engagement - but soon after the train was out of Salzburg, the rapidly changing view as it meandered along the river Salzach, flowing through a valley with little hills on both sides, made it impossible to do anything except look out wide eyed and take pictures with my mobile camera. The line zig zagged its way past the hills and the Salzach that flows in the opposite direction towards Salzburg and eventually into the Danube - mostly keeping the river to the right, but also crossing it and its branches a few times.

As hill after hill appeared in the distance around river bends, on one of them almost at the end of the journey stood a castle. Its appearance was like the finale of this little dream ride.

Later seeing the map I realized that a few miles to the west of the train route across the river lay Berghof, Berchtesgaden - Hitler's retreat in the Bavarian Alps - from where he had a spectacular view of the the valley of the Salzach. Sobering to think that he and his cronies plotted so much murder and mayhem looking at these beautiful hills and the river flowing past them!

I have travelled on many occasions on the famed train route along the Rhine between Cologne and Mainz with many castles on the way, but the hilly terrain on both sides and the sharp bends in the route as it follows the Salzach, made this ride much more dramatic and spectacular.

Reached Flachau - with its typical Austrian houses with flower boxes in the balcony - and sang later in the evening in this church with marvellous accoustics - just one raga - Lalita Gauri for about 90 mins.

The crazy thing was that I had to get up early next morning drive back to Salzburg and take another long train ride to Århus in Denmark.

The next two days sang in and around Århus at two lovely little places - The philosophical bookshop - Filosofisk Boghandel - with its very impressive collection of philosophical and spiritual books and a little church in Silkeborg and then returned again by train to Austria.

Saw these lovely clouds on the way back between Augsburg and Munich. My "new" second hand mobile with 12 megapixel camera made a huge difference to the quality of the pictures I took.

RASAMILAN - A Journey Through Contrasts

2009-04-04T07:30:00.000-07:00

Rasa - Flavour of Life
Milan - Union

Rasamilan - Union in the flavour of life...what a nice name for this journey from Rasa to Milan.

Had a remarkable journey the other day ( 30th March 2009) ..started early in the morning from Rasa, a little mountain village near Locarno in the Swiss Alps..don't know how it got this name.. don't suppose it comes from the Sanskrit Rasa which means the flavour of life..

Rasa was all mist and snow during the three days I had been there conducting an intensive residential Dhrupad workshop, yet bad weather in the mountains can be spectacular and aweinspiring. The snow was melting with the approach of spring, but there was lots of it still to go. The view from the cable car as we descended to the little station of Verdasio in the valley was breathtaking ,with the stream below full of swirling green water from the melting snow.

Below in the valley in Bellinzona it was already spring with the trees sprouting their first leaves and the first dandelions appearing between pavement stones.

Had more than an hour there so treated myself to cutlets with Roesti -the Swiss staple with grated potatoes, cheese and onions, and a coffee. It was not quite the best Roesti I have tasted, but was good for the price. The service was wonderful and in French. The bill was 17 Swiss francs. I wanted to give 18.50 but suddenly couln't remember what that is in French so said 'S'il vous plait, prenez vingt francs' The waitress was delighted with the 3 franc tip and complimented me on my excellent French :)).

The stylish train of the Italian railways took me past the Lago Majore, the beautiful lake on the Swiss Italian border to Milano. The only thing that this train had in common with trains back home in India was an intermittent overpowering stink of indeterminate origin. On the way the Italian customs were very friendly and insisted on opening my instrument case. I was too distracted to take a picture.

My two fellow passengers seemed very raw men "from Sicily" -they said...could have easily appeared as gun toting extras with Marlon Brando. On the other side was a very stylish old Italian woman wearing pearls, with a huge stylish crocodile leather bag with gold plated embellishments and a huge handle that protruded out into every picture I took from the window. She seemed very distracted and annoyed with my picture taking and gave me icy looks :). I guess she realised I was as much interested in her as in the view outside and also sneaked a few shots of her :)). She was unbelievably stylish, icy and aloof. When the Sicilians came in she said something curtly to them which sent them running to sit next to me instead of her!!!

When the train finally reached Milano I walked out into an amazing Roman nightmare of eagles, winged beasts and stern looking helmeted antiquarian images - all terribly oversized in the midst of huge rows of pillars and gigantic halls. I dragged my tanpura and bag for half an hour through this impossibly impractical station called Milano Centrale trying to find the information counter and then just gave up. The gigantic columned halls reminded me of pictures of the now demolished Reich Chancellery in Berlin and Lutyen's imperialistic bombast in Delhi.

I went out and asked a group of Carabineri ( Italian Police) 'when was this built' .."1931" ..That confirmed my feeling . I said "oh so it was built by Mussolini" - yes! said one of them and added "Great Man!!" I burst out laughing thinking this was Italian humour and then realised he was dead serious, but being a policeman I guess he didn't have the kind of options with me that a Neo Fascist in Berlusconi's Italy would have had :).

Boarding the bus to get to the airport I caught sight of what must be a very rare species in Europe.. a porter with a trolley trying to get a group of Korean tourists into entrusting him with their wheeled!! luggage. he had no success, but tourists must be his main customers. From his demeanour and appearance he could have been from one of the post war Neo Realist Italian classics like Bicycle Thieves. It warmed my heart to see him outside Mussolini's Monsterpiece.

I reached the airport to see a group of Irish soccer? fans doing a boistrous imitation of Pavarotti to the amusement of all the Italians. People were filming and clicking away furiously and I gladly joined.

There was more in store for me at the airport. Ryanair ( recommended strictly as the last option) wanted to charge me 40 Euros more for my instrument but would accept only credit or debit card. A final rush to find a coin operated internet booth to generate a virtual credit card from my bank account completed the experiences of the evening. I wanted one more souvenir from Milan for my blog - the incredible assortment of stylish Italian bracelets and other accessories on the hands of the girl at the check in counter ... but was not quick and sneaky enough with my mobile camera and she took back her hands and refused to be photographed when I requested her!!! Ashish Sankrityayan - www.dhrupad.info

Zunka Bhakar and the play of light and shade at the Taj and Ellora

2009-02-09T01:32:00.001-08:00

The most remarkable thing about seeing the Taj was the first sight of this perfectly proportioned building through the arched gateway, and the way its colour changed from a pearly white to glowing amber, as the sun came out of the clouds.It was one of the most memorable walks of my life, as the building slowly grew in size and the fine details revealed themselves on the facade.

That's me before the red sandstone gate, just before I started on that short dreamwalk. The Taj is partly visible here through the archway.

Later we saw the building from Agra fort as it would have appeared to Shah Jehan in his last years, incarcerated there by his usurper son - the zealot Aurangzeb. It was perhaps as a reaction to Shahjehan's lavish expense on the Taj that Aurangzeb ordered that he himself be buried in a modest grave.

He was buried at Khuldabad in Maharashtra, where he died on 3rd March 1707 on one of his countless military campaigns to quell rebellions he had himself fuelled with his bigotry. I saw Aurangzeb's grave too a few months later near Aurangabad, Maharashtra, on the way back to the city from the Ellora caves. It seemed somewhat ironic that an iconoclast like him came to be buried so near Ellora which is a celebration of the opposite.

The play of light and shade also creates amazing effects at Ellora with just a shaft of light sometimes coming in and setting a whole image ablaze.

As happened while I was there with this statue of Shiva with a raised sword slaying demon Andhakasura.

These women from Andhra Pradesh lent such a lovely spalsh of colour with their sarees, completely unmindful of the giant dramatic image behind of Ravana shaking mount Kailasha.

A concert in Maharashtra is always an opportunity for me to taste one of my perennial favourites- Zunka Bhakar the humble farmer's staple - roasted gram flour cooked with onion and fiery green chillies and thick rotis of jowar. -Ashish Sankrityayan - www.dhrupad.info