I met and immediately locked with the amazingly powerful and soulful singer Raghu Dixit in Bengaluru, India. We played a piece of poetry by Dr. Da. Ra. Bendre that he had set to music — a traveling song of of leaving your home to search for what may be better, only to return to your home and find that it has been the true place for you all along.
A week after arriving to Bengaluru, we took a 1wk side trip to Panjim, in the western coastal state of Goa. The Sur Jahan festival was taking place, and we went to hang out. It's run by my Kolkata friends at Banglanatak dot com, and I would meet, hear, and hang with musicians from Sweden, South Korea, Denmark, Reunion, Hungary, and India.
After spending 4 weeks in northeastern India, we headed to the southern city of Benglauru, capital of the state of Karnataka. We would make this our home base for two weeks, with side trips to Goa, Chennai, and Mysuru (photo albums on their way).
For one day and one night, I took a trip to the village of Paruldanga, near Shantiniketan, a few hours outside of Kolkata. There I stayed at the home of Rina and Dibakar Das Baul, spending the evening playing music with them and other members of their community.
One of my most memorable days in Kolkata was a Saturday walk I took on my own, wandering freely for 10 hours and covering 12 miles. At 7am, I started at the Howrah Bridge flower market, explored neighborhoods via major streets and alleys, and witnessed life unfold throughout the day.
Video of the flower market is used in my Otherlands collaboration video with Dipannita Acharya. Video of other daily life can be seen in my Otherlands collaboration video with Arko Mukhaerjee.
