Rann of Kutch

I had landed in Dubai four days before, after a fun filled and warm stay with my daughter in Philly. Not in a mood to have another holiday I had half a mind to cancel the Rann of Kutc tour with my school friends. My friends had finalized this plan three months ago. With half a heart and cajoling myself not to be a spoilsport I boarded the flight to Mumbai. With a brief halt at Mumbai I took the connecting flight to Bhuj airport where I met my dear friends. As the flight took off from Mumbai I could see the bright orange pink rays of sun rise over the horizon.

Tired from the overnight journey I decided to shut eye for a while. A bus was ready to take take us to the railway station from Bhuj airport. This railway station had a modern facade as compared to the other rail stations of India. There were autos and cars parked outside the rail station.

My friends had taken the train from Mumbai to Bhuj. With the usual screams and hugs we greeted each other. Refreshing ourself in the makeshift wash rooms, we had the customary Chai. We were ready to leave for Rann of Kutch.

Bus ride to Dhordo

Passing many small villages, dusty roads we stopped at a place called Bhiridiyara. This place is famous for its dish called " Mittha Mavoo". In other words sweetened milk thickened to a fudge consistency. It was delicious to taste. We topped it with some tea. There were small shops nearby selling hand crafted textiles. One cannot help noticing the men here look like they are from Afghanistan or Pakisthan.

Colorful painted tempo travellers.

The Rann Utsav tent city was a riot of colors as we stepped out of our coaches. There were colorful mirrored umbrellas dotting the sky. These umbrellas were dancing in the mild wind . There was tinkling sound in the air made by the bells hanging. A man in traditional costume was riding a puppet horse close by. At the entrance there were musicians playing the folk tunes of the state. We could not help but dance to his rhythmic beats on the Dhol. The rustic voices of the singers rang in the tent city. As we entered the tent area, we were welcome in the customary Indian way with flower garlands and a tikka.

The tents were in many cluster. Each tent was airy with bare minimum facilities. The space was liberal inside the tents. The ventilation was provided by the windows on either side. It had zipped doors for privacy and a beautiful seating area outside the tent. Some of the tents had traditional handicrafts hanging giving them a colorful look. The inside of the tent had a lovely glow from the filtered sun light.

One could see the traditional display of the handicrafts which are unique to the state. There were ethnic hangings and murals decorating the walls of the reception area. Each of them appealing to the eye with their geometric pattern and vibrant colors. The red and green colors reflected the lights off the mirrors. The mirrors were in the shape of diamonds or circles. The fine decorative lines around the panel are neat and symmetrical.

After a refreshing traditional Gujurathi lunch we retired to our tents for a short break. That evening we were to see the sunset over the Rann. Rann of Kutch is a shallow wetland which submerges in water during the rainy season. It becomes dry during other seasons. The Rann is famous for its marshy salt flats which become snow white after the water dries up. Taking a bus ride we reached the salt plains. As we alighted the bus at the road junction, we could see sand all around us. One could stand and appreciate the marvel of nature. Would there be salt marshes around this area?

We had to take the camel ride to reach the the interior Rann area. The camel ride was quite a thrill. There was a cart attached to the camel. We boarded the carts and the camels began their journey to the interiors of the Rann of Kutch. The camels bore tattoos to identify them with the owners. They had gentle eyes and it was a unique sight for us to see its large feet sinking in the ground. The camel galloped at a fast pace and it was an exciting ride.

As we stepped out the crunchy sound of the salt under our feet was a new experience. It was but a natural tendency to try and taste the salt crystals. The air around us was salty and dry. There were many attractions in the salt plains for the tourists to amuse themselves. The musicians were there with their Dhol and various instruments. One could see group of tourists flocking around them and dancing to their beats. There were herdsmen with camels if one wished to ride them. Traditional costumes were available for hire. For a paltry sum we could have a colorful turban tied around our head. It was thrilling to try the turban dressing on our heads. Dressed with a turban over our head and riding a puppet horse, we took couple of pictures in true Bollywood style. The large expanse of salt land was mushed with the footprints of humans, loosing its snow white texture.

Letting the excitement die down, we waited for the sunset. We were not disappointed. The saffron glow of the sun as it retired for the day was a marvel of nature. As we watched the reflection of the setting sun in the small body of water each of us drew back to our thoughts. In quite introspection we watched the sunset reflecting on our lives and moved on to day 2.