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But to our surprise, our tickets were not confirmed. And this despite the umpteen calls we made to the railway office. Two hours before the departure of Tamil Nadu Express at the Central station in Madras, we were thrown up and down from the reservation counter, to the train to the TT's office on a second floor and finally at the mercy of the T T who travelled with us, we got our tickets upgraded (thanks to some vacancies) and finally managed to be at peace in an AC coach, close to midnight.

The journey
The journey to Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh is an interesting one, especially if you're travelling by train from the south of India. The train takes you longitudinally across India and you get to see parts of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh before you reach the destination. You get to meet people speaking different languages - Tamizh, Telugu, Hindi, Marathi and English besides the local dialects. And different food products from hot tomato soup to puri and vada keep you eating all the time.

Listening to good music, could add some spice. We did. 'Celtic Ragas' from Music Today, proved just the right audio to watch those doves flying in groups across the green lush fields... It takes you a whole day and a night and-a-half to reach Jhansi, where the closest railway station near Khajuraho is. The train arrives here at 12.50 am and you have to make sure you're awake at this time, coz the train stops just for five minutes, else you would land up in Delhi in the morning.

Stopping at Jhansi

Folk Festival Called 'Lok Ranjan', the folk festival organised by the Adivasi Lok Kala Parishad, is said to attract more than 50 times the audience turn out for the classical dance fest. In the fest held between 8 and 12 December 2002, at the Mela Grounds in Khajuraho, 750 folk artistes from all over India took part. It also featured a crafts fest, exhibition of musical instruments, masks, tribal jewellery and the tradition of textile printing. This year, it is to be held at Orchha, a medieval town near Jhansi that houses 15th.-16th.C temples. At the 'Bhopal Utsav' held in the last week of January, about 45 events were held including folk dances, food fest, parasailing, kite-flying, vintage car rides, cycling, Kavi Sammelan, Mussaira, rangoli contests, tonga rides and classical dances besides a boating fest at the Bhopal lake.

Joining us at the Jhansi station were four musicians travelling from Madras - vocalist Deepu Nair, mridangist Vishwanathan, violinist Vinod Kumar and nattuvangam artiste Mohanakrishnan. They were going to accompany dancer Priyadarsini Govind who was to perform on the inaugural day of the festival.

After a two-hour wait at the retiring room, the hosts met us at the MP Tourism Counter at about 3 am. From Jhansi it's a four-hour drive to Khajuraho. Huddled in a small van, we were being transported on roads surrounded by forests. It was pitck dark. Just out of curiosity, we checked with our driver if the Bandit Queen Phoolan Devi's gangs were still around! And he informed us that we were in a safe zone and that the group still lived on the other side of Madhya Pradesh. Wherever that was, we had our fingers crossed. At about 4.30 am, we stopped for some hot masala tea at a roadside dhaba. It was so good and it usually is in this part of the country.

We stopped again at Chattarpur when the tyre got punctured and this gave us time to call home and keep our folks informed. As we neared Khajuraho we clicked some pictures of the sunrise and got a glimpse of those special temples on the way before we reached Hotel Payal. The performing artistes, the organisers who come from Bhopal (the capital of M.P.), fest-coordinators and media-reps are all put up at this hotel, and this allows easy interaction at the lobby, dining hall or at the lawns in the frontyard.

History of the Khajuraho fest
The G.M. Marketing, M.P. Tourism, Namdeo told us, "The fest was started by the M.P. Govt. in 1975. Earlier, performances were held inside the temple premises untill recently when the Archaelogical Survey of India has taken over. Now, performances are held at a stage built just outside the western group of temples. It is a prestigious fest and the best dancers have performed here. Initially, the local people formed a major part of the audience. But, over the years, the participation of the local people who didn't understand the classical styles has been less. So now, we organise a separate folk festival in December.

As for the dance festival, in the last ten years, the craze has gone, since dance is available everywhere.

Earlier, people used to book their tickets months before the festival. The crowd would be unmanageable. Now it's comparatively less. But, the dancers like to perform here with the background of the temple."

How are dancers selected to perform here?
Says Namdeo, "There is a jury appointed every year by the Govt. of M.P. They select the artistes. We are also interested in encouraging young and talented dancers who apply to us."

Doesn't the festival need to be promoted more?
"Khajuraho doesn't need publicity. But unfortunately, it has become a single visit destination for those visiting the temples. We want Khajuraho to be an activity centre. Thanks to our Chief Minister, Digvijay Singh who has now started restoration of roads in M.P, Khajuraho will be more accessible than before. The festival will attract more tourists."

Inauguration
Organised by the Madhya Pradesh Kala Parishad, this year's edition of the 'Khajuraho Festival of Dances' was inaugurated on the evening of 25 February, by the state Art and Culture Minister, Ajay Singh. At about 7 pm, the stage was set for the performances to begin. Starting from this year, the fest is telecast live on the DD Bharathi T.V. channel. So the DD folks made sure that their cameras were positioned at the right places to capture the best frames.

The compere Sunil, a newsreader from Doordarshan, Bhopal made the announcements in Hindi and English. Kathak dancer Prerana Shrimali from Delhi gave the inaugural performance followed by Bharatanatyam dancer Priyadarsini Govind from Madras.

It is the Chitragupta temple dedicated to lord Surya that forms the background for the dancers. Though the stage is well lit, the temple could be highlighted as well.

In the open-air atmposphere with a seating arrangement for about 1000, the place was almost full on the inaugural day. Foreign tourists form about 30% of the audience. Towards the end of the three-hour programme at about 9.30 pm, the chill weather does disturb you. Makes you realise warm clothing is a must.

All the way from Sagar
And this fest has some regulars attending it over the last so many years. One of them is Pt. Ram Sharan Goutam. This man with huge whiskers (who calls himself 'The Great Sangeet Rasik' on his visiting card) travels all the way from Sagar to be at this fest, and he has been doing this the last 27 years. When the dancer or the musicians give those special punches, you can hear Ram Sharan Goutam say loudly "Kya Baath Hai"...words of appreciation boosting the performers.

A special photo session
What makes the visit to Khajuraho special for a dancer is the photo session arranged at the temple during sunrise. Though it means waking up at 3 am to get the make-up done, (after a strenous performance the previous evening) it's worth it. At 6.30 in the morning it's a nice walk through the lawns at the temple premises. The lighting is just perfect for a photo shoot.

The dancers Prerna Shrimali and Priyadarsini Govind in their gorgeous costumes take sculpturesque poses at the Kandariya Mahadeva temple. The first rays of the sun fall straight on them and the photographer keeps clicking...

This temple built between 1025-1050 A.D. is the largest monument in Khajuraho dedicated to lord Shiva. Made of sandstone, the walls adorn freezes of dancers, musicians, acrobats, warriors, Gods and Goddesses, elephants and horses. And it is these sculptures that form the background for the dancer at the photo shoot. Wouldn't it be wonderful to perform here too? These pictures are a good keepsake for the dancers and they also form the promo material for the fest.

If you wish to go around the campus and explore the 14 odd temples constituting the Western Group, it may take you a well four-hours time.

Built by the Chandela kings, these temples in the midst of ample greenery are popularly known for their erotic sculptures. What is striking is also the temple architecture.

Shopping at Khajuraho
On the way out, you can't miss the marketplace. Colourful shops displaying handbags with embroidery and mirror work, antique art objects, jewellery made from beads and metal and attractive cottonwear simply lure you. Will do you good if you know some Hindi. Prices are comfortable though. So... And for a hardcore south Indian, the Madras Cafe near the shops is another temptation. After two days of roti and sabji at the big hotel, the idli-chutney here is indeed satisfying.

Interestingly, at the Madras Cafe, a Canadian couple was enjoying the coffee. The husband Jim says, "Its wonderful to be here at Khajuraho and we loved the performances yesterday. The visit here is part of our north-Indian tour this time." After this, the wife Cynthia walked along with us and why? She wanted to see how an Indian woman shops!

A rickshaw ride back to the hotel lets you see a little bit of the town. This for Rs.10.

Evening performances
Evening performances on the second day featured Anandi Ramachandran from Bombay (Odissi) and Vyjayanthi Kashi from Bangalore (Kuchipudi). Vyjayanthi's performance that had an element of drama with dialogues interspersed and a special piece from the Kuchipudi repertoire where she danced on a plate, kept the audience smiling.

The other dancers featured at the fest were Vani Bhalla and Jayaprabha Menon (Mohiniyattam Duet), Shila Mehta (Kathak), Vasanthi Sridhar (Bharatanatyam), Pooja Shrivastava (Kathak), Prajakta Raj & Sharvari Jamenis (Kathak Duet), Ammannur Chachu Chakyar Smaraka Gurukulam (Kutiyattam), Ramli Ibrahim (Odissi) and Astad Deboo & troupe (Manipuri Thangta).

But why isn't a national festival of this magnitude drawing more audience?
Says Kamalaprasad Pandey, Deputy Secretary, Madhya Pradesh Kalaparishad, "The tourists are less these days. The T.V. culture has stolen the festivity. And there is a change in people's taste for arts."

Do the performers make a difference too?
"While the market value is more for senior artistes, we're also interested in promoting young talented dancers. Though their name and fame is less, their performance is good."

What the dancers say:
Priyadarsini, "This is the second time I'm performing here. You feel so connected to the past, dancing before the temples and the sculptures. This festival is prestigious and it needs to be projected more."

Vyjayanthi, "I've landed straight from Spain to perform here. Makes me feel proud. Wish the town is better maintained, especially since visiting tourists are many."

G. Venu, "I remember giving a Kathakali performance, when the fest was started 27 years ago. It was part of the 'Heart of India' project of the Govt. of M.P. Khajuraho was like a forest then."

Parts of the forest are still there and it is said that the wild animals do give you a wink if you check out the Gangau sanctuary before sunrise.

We opted to visit the Raneh Falls, about 20 kms from Khajuraho. A scenic place, with the water comparitively less at this part of the season, however boasts of acres of granite. A tourist guide takes you along, but his anglicised Bundelkhandi (the local dialect) doesn't help anyways!

And thus comes the end of this story.

After the four-hour comfortable drive to Jhansi (thanks to chauffeur Ustad Khan), we still had twenty minutes left at 12.15 midnight, before the Grand Trunk Express arrived. As we waited, Omprakash Patak of M.P. Tourism explains the story of Lakshmi Bai or rather 'Jhansi Ki Rani', ".....and this happened in 1857..."

The train comes in and we leave for Madras...with great memories...

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