On December 27, at 7 p.m., we finally arrived at Jabalpur station after an extremely exhausting and dull train ride. On December 26, we set out on our excursion in the afternoon. The Mahakoshal Express had a scheduled departure time of 12:55 for Jabalpur. The train would depart at 3.45, according to the initial information received, but it would eventually depart at 6.35. and at approximately 8:30 p.m., finally departed for Jabalpur from Nizamuddin Station. I started to feel hopeful that, despite being a little late, I would be able to make it to the event. But regardless of the rail department’s generosity or coercion, we arrived at seven o’clock at night. As the final section of that day’s concert concluded, Ninad Adhikari, a young santoor player, stood onstage. I got to catch up with a few of my fellow artists over supper after the session. “The colors of the villages moving away from modern contemporary painting, literature, and cinema” was the subject of the dialogue session in which I had to take part. Ashutosh Kumar, Vinay Ambar, Arvind Ojha, Dharmendra Nath Ojha, and Dr. Jyotish Joshi were among the speakers invited to discuss this subject. The organizers of the session had planned it because, other from Arvind Ojha and myself, all the other presenters arrived on time.
I had a return ticket for the evening train on the 27th, but it was canceled, and I was given a new one for the afternoon train on the 28th. Even while it was clear that this presented additional challenges for the event planners, I regretted that the time off I had taken from work could not have been better used. The artist couple Vinay and Supriya Amber, together with a few of their friends, have been organizing the “Jabalpur Art Literature and Music Festival” annually for the past eight years. Events pertaining to literature and the arts are also planned during a period of partial freedom of expression. Unfortunately, there are less and fewer venues each year for individuals involved in music, theater, literature, and other artistic fields to get together and interact. In this case, Vinay, Supriya, and their small group of eager young people—whose commitment and passion are evident—are quite helpful. My favorite aspect of the year-end experience was catching up with friends and everyone involved, even though I was only able to stay for a short while during my brief visit. Warmest regards…hoping that this caravan would continue in the same manner every year…
Photo: Rajesh Kumar