Rann Utsav: Adding colour to the white desert

Right in the middle of the desert,which separates Kutch from the Sindh region of Pakistan,performers chart the cultural history of Gujarat as well as that of India,from the Ramayan to the visit of Swami Vivekananda to Kutch before leaving for the Chicago conference in 1893.

Rann Utsav,organised by the Gujarat tourism department annually,is an opportunity for visitors to attend folk dance and music concepts,watch artisans at work,visit handicraft villages,see the historical monuments in the state,and go trekking as well.

The festival had kicked off on December 19 on the banks of the Hamir Sagar Lake in Bhuj,where a parade of about 42 floats represented the cultural heritage of the state,remembering the freedom fighters from the state as well as prominent leaders. The inaugural also saw performances by dance groups from Punjab,Rajasthan as well as the Bengali community living in Gujarat,who paid tribute to Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore to mark his 150th birth anniversary,dancing to his famous song ‘Momo Chitte Nite Nitte’.

Though the Utsav has been going on for the past several years,this year it is being celebrated for a month (December 19 to January 19) for the first time. The festival this year has a ‘Tent City’ comprising about 450 tents set up at Dhordo,two kilometres from the Great Rann,to accommodate tourists coming to enjoy the festival.

During the festival,tourists are taken to the BSF-controlled white Rann on camel carts from Dhordo as the ground is too soft for cars and buses. They are taken to various places in and around Kutch,including the 400-year-old Dattatrey temple at Kala Dungar,where jackals are served ‘prasad’ after the evening aarti of the deity,Mandvi beach,Indo-Pak border and the eco-friendly Hudko village.

Handicrafts from the region can be seen at the village ‘Ludia’. Other places to visit are Narayan Sarovar,bird sanctuary of Chhari Dhangh,and a thousand-year-old Kera Shiv Temple.