THE SCRATCH® MUSIC OF THE GANGES DECEMBER 29 2020-JANUARY 7 2021

You are invited to join Tony and Annie Hastings and our guest lecturer Manvinder Rattan on a unique voyage - a musical journey on the holiest river in India and its tributaries, the Hooghly and Bhagirathi rivers. THE BOAT RV Bengal Ganga is a classic river boat in the grand style, family owned and managed. Although it was only built in 1979, its teak, mahogany, brass and rattan fittings give it an elegant, old-fashioned sense of style, which is complemented by its friendly and attentive crew. The cabins are all twin-bedded, and have en-suite facilities. All cabins are air-conditioned.

A typical cabin

En-suite bathroom

The saloon

The upper deck

THE MUSIC We are very lucky to have with us Manvinder Rattan, a distinguished conductor and choral trainer who has family roots in the Punjab, but is based in the UK. He was our guest conductor on the Scratch® Rendezvous with Rajasthan in 2015. He will be giving us, through a series of short lectures and interactive vocal workshops, a gentle introduction to Indian music, which will then be illustrated at various points in the voyage by local performers who will be invited on board. I’ll let him speak for himself: From the courtly elegance of Mogul ragas, to the sensuous tones of the Carnatic tradition, via the impassioned ecstasy of Sufi Qawwal, to the earthy tones of Bengali folk music, India's music reflects its almost immeasurable diversity. On this trip, I will endeavour to be a bridge between our western culture and its musical heritage and that of some of India's. We'll talk about the cultural setting of each musical idiom, why does it exist, how has it flourished, how does it survive now, what does it reflect, what does it serve, what is played and sung and how, and, perhaps most importantly of all, allow it to touch our souls.

THE VOYAGE Tuesday December 29 ON BOARD Arrive in Kolkata after midday and transfer to the jetty to board the RV Bengal Ganga. Kolkata, formerly Calcutta, is the capital of India's state. Founded as an East India Company trading post, it was India's capital under the from 1773-1911. Today it’s known for its grand colonial architecture, art galleries and cultural festivals. 18h00 Welcome, safety briefing, introductions 19h00 Dinner 20h30 Bengali classical dance performance on board (Gaudiya Nritya Bharati, given by Dr. Mahua Mukherjee).

Wednesday December 30 ON BOARD 07h00 – 08h00 Breakfast 08h15 Depart for orientation tour of Kolkata by coach, which will take us to Dalhousie Square that houses several colonial heritage monuments such as the Writer’s Building, General Post Office, High Court, Raj Bhawan (Governor’s ), Town Hall, Council House, Treasury Building and the Reserve Bank of India. We then visit St. John’s Church and the Victoria Memorial for a photo stop and walk in the gardens. St. John’s Church, originally a cathedral, was among the first public buildings erected by the East India Company after Kolkata became the effective capital of British India. It was modelled on St. Martin-in-the- Fields in London. The Victoria Memorial is a grand marble building built between 1906 and 1921 in memory of Queen Victoria. 11h30 Return to the ship to start our upstream journey cruising through the areas where the different European settlers established their respective East India Companies. 12h30 Lunch 18h00 Next day’s briefing in the Saloon Bar 19h00 Dinner 20h30 A talk on Kalna’s Tantric temples, given by our guide Sumit Battacharyya. Overnight moored in Kalna

Thursday December 31 ON BOARD 06h00 Tea and coffee served on the sundeck 06h30 Yoga session on the sundeck 07h00 – 08h00 Breakfast Post breakfast visit to Kalna – we’ll take rickshaws to visit the enchanting Rajbari temple complex, which contains a unique mixture of Bengal’s temple architecture. On one side of the road lie the Nabakailas Temples. Built in 1809 by the Bardhaman Maharaja, the complex contains 108 'aat-chala' or “eight slope-roofed” Shiva temples arranged in two concentric circles. The outer circle consists of 74 temples of alternate black and white lingams; while the 34 temples of the inner circle have only white lingams. On the other side of the road lies a walled complex, containing the most diversified form of Bengal’s temple architecture. The Pratapeshwar Temple, built in 1849 contains terra cotta plaques depicting themes of Hindu epics, mythical life of Sree Chaitanya, images of Durga and various aspects of day-to-day life. The other temples are the Lalji temple built in 1739; the oldest in the complex, Krishnachandra temple built in 1751 is similar to the Lalji temple. The complex also houses a flat roofed temple to Giri Govardhan. 11h00 Return to the ship and continue to sail towards Matiari, a shore-side village. 12h30 Lunch 18h00 Next day’s briefing in the Saloon Bar 19h00 Dinner 20h30 Evening performance of Baol music by local artists of the region. Baol music is sung by wandering minstrels who perform with a one stringed Ektara. The songs reflect the Tantric, Sufi and Vaishnav orientation of their mysticism. Overnight moored in Matiari

Friday January 1 ON BOARD 06h00 Tea and coffee served on the sundeck 06h30 Yoga session on the sundeck 07h00 – 08h00 Breakfast 08h15 Post breakfast excursion to the village of Matiari, which is known for the manufacture of handcrafted brass and copper items utilizing traditional methods. The unique character of the area is evident as we start walking towards the village, hearing the sound of metal beating coming from all the houses. We’ll stroll in the village and visit some homes to see and experience the different brass working processes. 10h30 Return to the ship, and cruise towards Khushbagh, a charming shore-side village. 12h30 Lunch 18h00 Next day’s briefing in the Saloon Bar 19h00 Dinner Overnight moored at Khushbagh

Saturday January 2 ON BOARD 06h00 Tea and coffee served on the sundeck 06h45 We visit the charming village of Khushbagh, walking through fields and visiting the well preserved mosque complex built by Ali Wardi Khan, housing his family’s private mosque and tombs. His grandson Siraj-ud-daulah was defeated by the British East India Company at the famous in 1757. 08h15 – 09h15 Breakfast 09h30 Excursion to Baranagar as well as nearby Azimganj, which have many temples and heritage merchants’ houses. In the mid-17th century, the royal family of Natore (now in ) built a riverside palace in a village and called it Baranagar (meaning big town). Walk through the village and visit the Char Bangla Temple complex, which was built by the famous Queen of Natore, Rani Bhavani during 1714-1793. The word “Char” means four and the complex is a quadrilateral configuration of four temples. Scenes from the Hindu epics are depicted on the walls of the temple in terracotta. We will also visit the nearby Jain Temples in Azimganj and enjoy a Jain lunch in a fascinating heritage mansion, which has undergone a major restoration by its owners.

14h00 Return to the ship and sail downstream to , a hidden architectural gem with dramatic whitewashed colonial era structures that warmly greet you to this historic city. 15h30 Ride on local tongas (horse carts) to visit the Katra Mosque built by the first Nawab of Murshidabad, Nawab in the year 1724-25. Ride the tongas back to the ship. 18h00 Next day’s briefing in the Saloon Bar 19h00 Dinner Evening performance of Qawwali, a form of Sufi devotional music popular in the Punjab and Sindh regions of Pakistan, parts of north India including Hyderabad and Delhi, and parts of Bangladesh. It is part of a musical tradition that stretches back more than 700 years.

Sunday January 3 ON BOARD 06h00 Tea and coffee served on the sundeck 06h30 Yoga session on the sundeck 07h00 – 08h00 Breakfast 09h30 After breakfast we walk to visit the Museum. Built during the reign of Nawab Nazim Humayun Jah (1824-1838 AD) by an English architect, Duncan McLeod, following the Greek “Doric” style. The palace has more than a thousand real and false doors in the vast corridors. Inside the palace museum one can observe a wide collection of antiquities including various kinds of weapons, oil paintings by Dutch, French and Italian artists, marble, porcelain & stucco statues, as well as manuscripts and palanquins mostly belonging to the 18th and 19th centuries. Opposite the Palace is the vast Imambara, open only during religious ceremonies. 11h00 We walk back to the ship 12h30 Lunch 18h00 Next day’s briefing in the Saloon Bar 19h00 Dinner 20h30 Lecture by Sumit Battacharyya on the history, religious significance and wildlife of the “Mother Ganges”. Overnight anchored near Kalna

Monday January 4 ON BOARD 06h00 Tea and coffee served on the sundeck 06h30 Yoga session on the sundeck 07h00 – 08h00 Breakfast 10h30 Cooking demonstration by our Chef 12h30 Lunch 15h00 Excursion to Bandel, a trading port founded by Portuguese settlers in 1579. It was later occupied by the Dutch and was used as a base for the Dutch intra-Asian opium trade. The Dutch were routed in 1759 by the British who occupied it until India’s independence. This region played an important role in the Bengal Renaissance and the Indian Independence Movement. We’ll also visit the shore side Hooghly Imambara at Bandel, one of the famous Shiya pilgrimage centres in West Bengal built in 1841 by Haji Mohannad Mahasin. The two-storey building and surrounding rooms provide housing for pilgrims as well as school classrooms (Madrasa) for teaching the Koran. The structure contains a Victorian clock with a winding key weighing 20 kg. Large Persian chandeliers and lamps light the Imambara’s stunning hallways and passages. Ride on Totos (electric rickshaws) to Chandernagore, established as a French colony in 1673, when the French obtained permission from the Nawab of Bengal, Ibrahim Khan. Chandernagore emerged as a trading post on the bank of the Hooghly River. Bengal was then a province of the Mughal Empire and Chandernagore became a permanent French settlement in 1688. We will explore the French colonial buildings along the promenade including the former French governor’s residence now converted to a museum and the Sacred Heart Church. 17h45 Return to the ship and sail back to Kolkata. 18h30 Evening performance of Rabindra Sangeet, a colonial art form. The music incorporates western melodies and Bengali poetry. Most of the songs were composed by the poet Rabindranath Tagore. 19h45 Farewell dinner followed by presentation of the crew

Tuesday January 5 TAJ GATEWAY HOTEL 6.00am Transfer to the airport with packed breakfast for the flight to Varanasi. 8.25am Depart on flight 6E-713 to Varanasi. 10.15am Arrive in Varanasi – the holiest town for Hindus - and drive to Sarnath, famous as the place where Lord Buddha gave his first sermon after attaining enlightenment in Bodhgaya. The Archeological Museum at Sarnath contains a large collection of sculptures that stand testimony to the fervent artistic and religious activity of more than a thousand years. 13h30 Continue to the hotel for lunch and check-in 17h00 We will experience the street life of Varanasi by riding cycle rickshaws through the old part of the city 18h00 We continue on foot to the Ghats (riverbank) and witness the evening “Aarti” ritual on the Ganges by boat 20h00 Dinner in the hotel

Wednesday January 6 TAJ GATEWAY HOTEL 05h15 Boat tour on the Ganges to experience the rituals performed at sunrise 08h00 Return to the hotel for breakfast Optional walking tour along the Ghats 12h30 Return to hotel for lunch. 15h00 After lunch we will visit the house of a music family, traditionally known as “gharana”. The word gharana comes from the Hindi word 'ghar', which means 'family' or 'house'. In Hindustani music, a gharana is also a system of social organization linking musicians or dancers by lineage or apprenticeship, and by adherence to a particular musical style. This ideology sometimes changes substantially from one gharana to another and it directly affects the thinking, teaching, performance and appreciation of music. We will be treated to a classical Raga performance by teachers and students at the gharana

19h00 Transfer by boat to the Peshwa Haveli mansion located on the bank of Ganges River, the venue for our farewell dinner. At the mansion witness a cultural show where you will be given a lecture-demonstration on various forms of Indian Classical dances along with a performance of Bharatnatyam, a pre-eminent Indian classical dance form presumed to be the oldest classical dance heritage of India. It is regarded as the mother of many other Indian classical dance forms. Conventionally a solo dance performed only by women, it initiated in the Hindu temples of Tamil Nadu and eventually flourished in South India. A form of illustrative anecdote of Hindu religious themes and spiritual ideas emoted by dancers with excellent footwork and impressive gestures, its performance repertoire includes Nrita, Nritya and Natya. Accompanists include a singer, instrumental music and in particular the guru who directs and conducts the performance.

Thursday January 7 DEPART Breakfast and lunch provided at the hotel Individual departures

PLEASE NOTE THAT ACCESS TO THE SHORE EXCURSIONS IS BY LAUNCH OR NARROW GANGWAYS, WHICH REQUIRE A CERTAIN DEGREE OF AGILITY. THIS CRUISE IS THEREFORE NOT SUITABLE FOR PEOPLE WITH REDUCED MOBILITY OR BALANCE PROBLEMS. IF YOU ARE UNSURE, WE WOULD BE HAPPY TO PROVIDE MORE DETAILED ADVICE.

THE COST The cost of the total land package (NOT INCLUDING INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS OR INDIAN VISAS) is £3,350 per person, based on two people sharing a cabin and a hotel room Single cabin/room supplement : £1,625 This includes the following: 7 nights’ full board accommodation on board RV Bengal Ganga Complimentary tea and coffee served all day. Bottled mineral water provided in the cabins daily On board - complimentary Indian soft drinks, one pint of local beer at lunch and two glasses of local wine at dinner 2 nights full board hotel accommodation in Varanasi, sharing a twin or double room in the Taj Gateway Hotel In the hotel – local mineral water served at meals

All shore excursions, entrances, lectures and performances as listed in the itinerary One-way economy class airfare Kolkata/Varanasi

Not included:

Any additional drinks to those provided on a complimentary basis above Personal laundry Tips and gratuities (see below for suggested amount) Health or travel insurance Indian tourist visa charge International flights

General information on board

Heat. Temperatures are likely to be between 25° and 30° during the day and 15° to 20° at night. All the cabins are air-conditioned, with individual controls.

Smoking. All enclosed areas onboard are strictly smoke free. If you wish to smoke, please do so in the open area of the sundeck, with due consideration for other non-smoking guests.

Yoga. You can start the day, if you like, with a gentle yoga routine at 6.30am on the sundeck before breakfast. Or not!

Massage. There is a small spa suite on board , with two massage tables. You will need to book in advance, and any treatments will be charged at the end of the cruise.

Water. The ship’s water supply comes from the river after passing through a reverse osmosis sterilization plant. It is suitable for washing, but should never be drunk. Bottled water is provided in your cabin for drinking (and for brushing teeth). All cooking on board is done with sterilized water, and ice for drinks made with bottled water.

Complimentary tea and coffee is served all day on the sundeck, starting at 6.00am

Internet and wifi on board. Away from Kolkata, connectivity is sporadic and bandwidth is limited. Forget Netflix…

Drinks. On board, complimentary Indian soft drinks, one pint of local beer at lunch and two glasses of local wine at dinner are included. Any further drinks can be signed for and will be charged at the end of the cruise.

Electricity. There is a 220v supply on board, and each cabin has a universal socket, which will take UK, US, European and Indian plugs.

Cabin amenities. All cabins have mini-safe, luggage storage, wardrobe and writing desk. Hair dryers, bathrobes and slippers are also provided, as well as toiletries.

Laundry. There is a laundry service available on board, if required. You will be charged at the end of the cruise.

Clothing. The dress code on board is casual and comfortable. When visiting Temples and Mosques, we request that shorts not be worn and that ladies wear long-sleeved shirts or tops and carry a stole or scarf to cover their heads.

Gratuities. Should you wish to leave a gratuity for the crew, our suggestion is £7 per passenger per day for the crew and £40 per passenger for the on-board guide.

Payment of extras can be made by cash or credit card at the end of the cruise.

Tour operated by

Craven House 40-44 Uxbridge Road London W5 2BS [email protected] 020 8799 8350

Event organised by Scratch Concerts Ltd, PO Box 4211, Bath BA1 0HJ