Sun, salt and the Great White Rann

Eight hours of backbreaking bus journey. A highway with few decent restrooms. And weather that doesn’t hesitate to remind you that you’re in camel territory. The Rann of Kutch sounds like an oasis, as I trundle along a dusty road with nothing but roadside dabeli to appease a grumbling stomach. Is it

worth it?

We arrive at Dhordo, the tent city, on a freezing December night, too tired to take in the atmosphere. The tents await us — we bury ourselves in for the night; they’re fully furnished, complete with an attached bath.

There are two things that define the Rann of Kutch — the flat snow-white salt marsh and the Kutchi people. The lack of colours in an environment that’s dominated by dull browns and dirty greens has drawn them to the reds, blues, and greens that decorate their clothes. The Hodka village is jewelled with bhungas , circular mud huts with conical thatch roofs, some of which serve as home-stays. Peek into one and you may catch Sonia engrossed in mirror embroidery that’s a Kutch trademark. She sells exquisite bags, quilts and patches studded with mirrors. Dressed in an ornate kanjari (a backless top), flowing cotton skirt and a dupatta that runs from her head to toe, she represents a typical Kutchi woman — one who’s on her toes through the day. When she’s not cooking for the family, she’s working on fabric that she hopes to sell to tourists who visit her village.

Here is a community that depends on handicrafts for a living. Where men double as cattle-rearers and artisans; where people like Umra can turn a piece of leather into footwear-artwork. Behind the handicraft village is the private living quarters of the people — although they are hospitable, it’s best to keep off and let them be. We stop at yet another craft village where string cots gleam with beadwork necklaces and jhumkas .

The Rann of Kutch is a handicraft haven where you can buy from the artisans themselves; the money spent goes directly into their pockets, so it’s best not to bargain. Craft stalls come alive on the outskirts of tent city towards the evening. With food and plenty of chai to sip as you shop, these stalls showcase glittering mirror-worked clothes, handmade footwear and bead jewellery, most of which will not be available elsewhere in Gujarat.

Our Rann of Kutch experience ends on a windy evening, when the sun threatens to set by an endless ocean of white — the White Rann. On first sight, it looks like snow. Step on it and you can feel it scrunch under your feet. The best way to experience the White Rann is to sit alone and take it all in. I don’t complain much on my eight-hour return journey by bus to Ahmedabad — there are certain things that you endure to witness something as magnificent as the Great Rann of Kutch.

The Rann Utsav will go on till February 24. Visit

http://www.rannutsav.com/ for more details