Folk Dances from MP

In spite of saying again and again that I am not a dance person I end up posting more and more dance videos! I guess it is fair to conclude that I do enjoy watching dances. On my trip to Bandhavgarh with Pugdundee Safaris I saw folk dances from MP. This was at their Kings Lodge at Bandhavgarh. They had arranged for the evening drinks outside along with the dances by the local.

When I am on my solo trips on invitation it is a struggle for the lodge to keep me company. They cannot leave me alone and then the manager can spend only so much time with me. I am actually fine by myself. But I can’t say this as well. So after spending a lot of time with me Varun left me in the company of a young naturalist. I asked him about the people doing the show. He said they were from the local village. The resort had an arrangement with them but they struggled when it came to time management. He said they were farmers and would come for such shows only after their day at the field was over. For them farming comes first, it was their livelihood.

Dances from MP

Of late, all the dance performances I have witnessed have been at a cultural show for tourists or at a resort. I would love to see some of these dances in their natural settings but I can’t see that happening anytime soon. In the meanwhile I wonder if the resorts are the new patrons of arts and traditional dances? Is there a downside to it? Is there an upside to it? What do you think?

PS. At night time my cell phone was useless for making the camera. I only had my 50 mm on my SLR so I took this video with that. On reflection my kit lens works better for videos. So next time I am going to carry it around as well.

I recently visited Panna and Bandhavgarh in MP India with Pugdundee Safari. For this sky watch I present sunsets from jungles in Mp, India.

At Panna I stayed at Ken River Lodge and at Bandhavgarh the King’s Lodge of Pugdundee Safari. The Ken River Lodge’s dining deck is right by the Ken River. When I got back from the evening safari it was dusk. If I would have gone to the room to fetch my tripod I knew even the last light would have faded. Thankfully the deck had a wide ledge on which I placed my camera to capture the fading light over the Ken River. It was a beautiful sunset that day but when it was actually happening I was inside the Panna National Park.

Sunset, Ken River Lodge, Panna, MP, India

Panna National Park as of now is not too commercialized. It is a beautiful park. As of now there are fewer vehicles so there is no zone system, you can go anywhere in the park. Whether you see the tigers or not is immaterial. If you like jungles I would say go to Panna National Park, before it becomes too commercialized.

Sunset, Bandhavgarh National Park, MP, India

The second national park I visited was the Bandhavgarh National Park. I had two safaris there one in the evening and the other in the morning in the Magadhi Zone. Bandhavgarh is known for its tiger sightings!  But not one came out for me! It is very popular with tourists.

I got to hear a lot of stories about the Supreme Court rulings for the National parks in India. The park guide on the evening safari was of the view that there were too many jeeps in Bandhavgarh and the courts decision to reduce the numbers was a good one even though it impacted his earning potential.

Everyone was unanimous that the parks could be more tourist friendly. As of now the closing times are 5.30 even though the sunlight remains for about 45 minutes more. People felt that the evening safari timings could be increased so that the tourists got a better experience.

What do you think? Could Indian National parks be made more tourist friendly?

This post is part of Sky Watch Friday. Do check it out. It is addictive.

I recently visited Panna and Bandhavgarh in MP. These days as soon as I sit in a car I fall asleep. But the previous night I retired early (read no internet in the room) and I woke up quite fresh. Hence I was not falling asleep in the car. It was difficult to pass time, within 20 minutes I was wondering how to pass those long hours? But after a while we were we were mobbed by cows on the road. It happens sometimes in the city too but this was really a big herd.

It took us some time to get out of this cow jam. If the school bus would not have come, I think it would have taken us much longer to get out! The school bus driver and the helper were the pros, they must be doing it daily! They got out within no time leaving the cow herd behind!

After 25 minutes I asked the diver if he had music. That is the song you here while we were trying to clear the cow obstacle. When we reached the driver thanked me for letting him play music! I was surprised as I had equally enjoyed it!

Mobbed by the Cows in MP, India

We were actually stuck in this jam for much longer than what you see in the video. It was after a minute or two that it dawned on me to make a video of being stuck with the cows. It is so much fun when you are on a vacation.

Panna to Bandhavgarh is about five and a half hours drive. It is a single lane road with traffic coming from both sides. My diver was a careful one and I was very thankful for it. At no point he indulged in rash driving. In the end it was fun being mobbed by the cows.