Around six o’clock, I got the call. I was enjoying a cold Kingfisher beer on the roof terrace of the Pal Haveli hotel. The panoramic vista made it a great spot to take in Jodhpur’s sunset, a mellow backdrop to the bustling streets below. It was a delightful evening, with calming blue skies. The orange sun was making its final descent behind the imposing Mehrangarh Fort, spreading a beautiful array of warm colours across the city’s sprawling, arid terrain. Soon, the brightest full moon in the Hindu Vedic calendar would hang in the sky, highlighting the opening night of the first Rajasthan International Folk Festival.
‘You are invited to join the maharaja at his private drinks party tonight,’ said the voice on the other end of the phone, snapping me out my reverie. Bewildered, I replied cautiously, assuming it was an elaborate wind-up from one of the Brits I had befriended. It wasn’t. It was, in fact, Manvendra Singh, private secretary to the Maharaja of Jodhpur, delivering a genuine request. I finished my beer, lapped up the last of the day’s sedative sunshine and made my way to what was to be a night I will never forget: an evening of kings, rock legends and some very fine music.
Since my days in Toploader, I’ve acquired a love of travel and a penchant for world music (now that I’m free from the confines of a tour bus). A four-day extravaganza of folk music, arts and crafts in Rajasthan at the magnificent Mehrangarh Fort sounded captivating – especially as I hadn’t had the pleasure of visiting India before (apart from a fleeting stopover in Mumbai). Jodhpur is a delightful city and a great introduction to this sensuously rich country. The constant honking of hundreds of rickshaw horns, delicious Indian cuisine, cows wandering the dusty streets and strange scents filling the air make it a unique and raw experience.
With a population of a mere one million, Jodhpur is far more manageable than some of India’s bigger cities. And there’s no doubt that it’s also a staggering beauty. Situated on the eastern fringe of the Thar Desert and known as ‘the blue city’ after the bright indigo wash of the houses, Jodhpur is the second largest city in the northern state of Rajasthan. Despite the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it has a distinctly rural feel, with the local people, the Marwaris, offering a warm welcome to the tourists and other visitors who pass through.
The centrepiece of the city and setting of the festival, the Mehrangarh Fort sits high on the sheer-sided sandstone outcrop. The fort ceased to be the royal residence back in 1947 when the maharajas moved to the Umaid Bhawan Palace, situated southeast of Jodhpur, an edifice almost as grand as that of the Mehrangarh. Umaid Bhawan, one of the largest, most opulent palaces in Asia, also functions as a hotel and, fortuitously, this is where I am staying during the folk festival. The moment I arrived, the doormen with their Jodhpur moustaches (the curly sergeant major type) made me feel stately. The rooms are large, with gorgeous king-sized beds and modern touches, but it’s the views of the city that steal the show.
The Oxford-educated maharaja, or Babji as he is affectionately known, still lives in the west wing of the palace. I’d heard he is a bit of a character, highly respected among the community with friends in high places. (He hosted Liz Hurley’s wedding at his palace.) For the past two days, rumours had been gathering apace that Mick Jagger (my all-time hero) had flown into Jodhpur for the event.
