Haan, maine Gujarat ka Namak Khaya hai..

This is a story of Kutch and its people. One of the most striking features of this district in Western Gujarat is the Rann of Kutch, a salt desert that is wet and dry intermittently. On full moon nights when the silver rays of the moon fall on the white salt of the desert, making it look like a demure bride dressed in flowing wedding gown.

Sunset at the White Sands

The Rann is barren, but even in this stark barrenness, one can see a cascade of colors , costumes, rituals, its people, their way of life and undying spirit. Ever since its inception , I have been fascinated by the idea of visiting the Rann Utsav. The thought of sleeping in tents under the stars of a chilly winter night was a dream. This year I made it happen. The fest ends on 31st January. No way in hell was I going to get a small little tent for myself, since each of the 320 tents are booked well in advance. Thats when I begged Dad to make some calls.

And Voila, 6 hours prior to our flight, I was informed that its all done ! I was not in any tent, but in the "F cluster crème de la creme" which houses Narendra Modi and entourage while his official visit. The tents had double bed, heater, air conditioning, toiletries, tea coffee maker, carpets,  fresh linen, WIFI and toilet roll in a fancy wooden stand. And thats how my dream of staying in a basic tent just got pimped.. Luxury was not one of my expectation.. i went seeking for a rustic experience.

All salt

Can you imagine? In the middle of the salt desert, I had WIFI. Its a shame i didn't upload photo of the days. For which I ‘d blame the salt, you see, water retention made my fingers go all chubby.

I wrote the first half of this draft sitting on the swing facing the white sands. Its 14 degrees celsius. God’s creations are so beautiful. India is so beautiful. I am smitten. I got back from star gazing session. Today planet Jupiter is close to the Moon. I could see Jupiter and its four moons through the telescope.  Apart from the fact that where eight people were breathing down my neck to see what i see, it was magical. Classical music is playing at the back and fresh wood is being put in the bon fire.   I should be going to bed, since I have an early wake up tomorrow. But, I wished to stay up longer. The tents are lit up and the array of colors makes me feel euphoric.

The best part of the Rann Utsav is that it employs all locals from the region. The staff , cooks, housekeeping , chapati makers,  technicians, drivers, each one belongs to the region. And they have done a mighty good job at training the staff. They are polite, cordial and understanding. The tent city is so huge , it takes more than 2 months to build, and approximately 25 days to dismantle. Tents are brought from Rajasthan & Allahbad each year. Everything around the tent city is hand crafted, hand painted .. its as though you are in paisley la- la land. The sink in our tent was rusted iron vessel, the one the construction laborers use to carry cement. In the tent light, that sink looked rustic almost designer. Utsav boasts movie theater, craft village, bouncy castle for kids, camel safaris, man made pond, array of folk dance performances, international  dance performances, open air auditorium and medical center.

When tires gave up

I did go out of the tent city to visit small villages around. Most of the Kutch region inhabits Pakistani refugees / immigrants who crossed the border at the time of Indo – Pak partition. Even today they retain their culture , their rituals, customs & way of life. If you ever wondered, in the film Refugee, why did Abhishek Bachchan chose a stylist who had rather feminine instincts for bright colors and floral prints ? , I have found you some sense behind those brave decisions. The men of Dhorda , Lodhiya etc , small villages in Kutch wear bright kurtas with a contrasting embroidered scarf. And these scarfs have bold prints on them. You could see a two wheeler coming at a distance, and wonder.. ohh pretty girl in bright printed clothes riding a two wheeler, only when they come closer you see a burly man. Poor Abhishek , was just playing the part.  You see men riding their chakdas (modified two wheeler) in short, when a motorcycle is raped by a rickshaw. I wanted to ride of of the chakdas, that didn't happen. No chakda owner would trust me with their modified vehicle.

Village woman

I visited small villages that are famous for handicrafts, woven hand embroidered textiles, puppets. Ladies of these homes are dressed in colorful costumes all day welcoming tourists to buy their products.  I had lunch at a dainty dhaba,roadside place which had broken chairs, peeled off plaster.. the cook welcomed us with 100 volt smile. You know food is fresh when you see a little boy running in to the kitchen with the dough. We had bajra rotis, deal , potatoes and fresh ghee and jaggery. The food was delicious. 

However i failed to solve just one mystery. Who managed to get Amitabh Bachchan on board for Gujarat Tourism Ad campaign ? At present,  the whole of Gujarat is taking exclusive credit for this mighty idea. I am not even joking. Throughout our stay , we met Rann Utsav officials, ministry people, IAS officers, Govt officials , managers , staff etc.. and i kid you not, all of them on different occasions would say "Pssst , yeh Amitabh ko ad mein daalne ka kiska idea tha ????    *sparkle in the eyes* MERAAAAA... "   
{English Translation :   "whose idea do you think was to get Amitabh Bachchan (India's 60+ something superstar) on board ? Who do you think convinced him ? On whose insistence did Mr Bachchan budge"    ME ME ME.. }

After the 6th person saying the same thing.. just before the person would say "Pssstt".. I would jump of my seat and scream "I am sure it was your idea to get Mr Bachchan".. And thats how i managed to get first row seats for the cultural show blocked .. and chicken for dinner ;-) "

The shit got serious when , our over enthusiastic guide claimed that he took Amitabh Bachchan for recce !!! i was like "OF COURSE, it was you !!! "

People of Kutch are loving, caring and welcoming. They are transparent and kind- hearted. A devastating earthquake in 2001, of magnitude of 8.7 Richter scale had crippled the state beyond repair. The ruins still stand in some parts of Bhuj city. The spirit of these people has now brought the state to become on of the flourishing states to attract tourists’ from all over the world.

Ruins are beautiful

I'd reiterate ... Breathe in a bit of Gujarat !!!