Rann of Kutch - Nature's secret

For every working individual, a long weekend feels like a breath of fresh air. It is a time to regroup your energies, dedicate time to your personal life and focus on new areas. This weekend, we booked ourselves at the Rann of Kutch, Rann Utsav Tent city for a two night, three day package and let me share with you it was nothing less than spectacular.

It is located in the Thar desert, in the Kutch district of Gujarat. It is about 7500 square km in area and reputed to be the largest salt deserts in the world. We travelled by train towards Bhuj and in the morning we entered a special tent built outside the station by the Tent city staff with amenities offering good care.

Once the crowd gathered, we were whisked off in a bus to travel towards the Tent City. Along the way, the guide shared a very interesting incident which happened during Indo - Pak was in 1971. The airstrip had been destroyed by the Pak army during airstrikes and the Air Force people were very perplexed as to have to get the runway repaired in so short a time. They asked for help but none came forward as they were apprehensive and scared. 300 women of Madhapur village in Bhuj Tehsil came forward, worked day and night and in 72 hours reconstructed the air strip for the Indian Air Force. Salute to these inspiring women. A movie is coming soon on their story. Truly women power!!!!
Read more at:

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/war-memorial-for-women-who-rebuilt-airstrip-for-iaf-in-1971-war/articleshow/48702014.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

We reached Rann Utsav a good one and half hour later and the sight beholding us was spectacular. The entrance was grand and band of people you find yourself amidst men and women dressed in traditional Kutchi clothes regaling you with folk music.

In the evening we visited the white desert and standing between the huge expanse of white salt all around you humbles you. Temperatures here can vary from 12 degree Celsius to fifty degree Celsius. The rains arrive in Kutch by the end of June and last all the way till September. Nature is truly astounding and its secrets never fail too surprise you.
The questions pounding my head were:
Q. How was this vast expanse of salt desert created?
Q. How do people harvest this salt under such harsh conditions?
Q. What variety of plant and animal could survive these scorching temperatures?

Video - https://youtu.be/Hi-v-nyBfGI

If you are as curious as me, then this site will offer you many answers. https://www.thebetterindia.com/73603/agariyas-salt-farmers-rann-of-kutch/

The next day we travelled towards Kala Dungar, a hill located near Khavda town, 46 km from Rann of Kutch.  It is famous for the 400 year old Dattatray temple and how he observed a band of starving jackals and offered them his body to eat and as they ate, his body regenerated itself.  

Even today, the jackals and humans live in coexistence and are fed twice a day by the local community even though with expanses of barren land, food is a real challenge.
https://www.thebetterindia.com/5163/the-jackals-of-kala-dungar-where-a-community-has-kept-them-alive/

While returning home in the bus, I kept looking right and left for concrete developments which have become a part of our daily life but all I saw was vast lands of flat grounds interspersed with clusters of greenery every few kilometers with animals grazing away. Life seemed to have come to a standstill with nature beckoning us to relax. You know that this is how the earth might have looked hundreds of years too without the advent of humankind. Fortunately with technology and river Narmada, water is no more a scarcity but reaching every common man's house. Sometimes step out of the concrete jungles and soak in nature's presence for only when we tune in to its vibration will it share it's secrets.

Love is life

Sonia was on cloud nine, her office had hosted a party for her at a flamboyant farmhouse to celebrate her rise to the position of CEO in the company. The party was in full swing with glasses clattering with each other and people grooving to the lively music. She found herself moving from one pair of hands to another on the dance floor gushing with joy and happiness. Around midnight she felt her legs giving away and quietly slipped away to find a comfortable lounge area giving herself a few minutes to gather her strength. As she closed her eyes deeper she suddenly felt a movement on her toes, she shrugged her feet but the the movement continued. She opened her eyes seeing a flying cockroach and screamed, rushing out of the area. The cockroach followed and she ran further and further till she could no more feel its presence. She glanced around and realized that she was among grove of trees with rich envelope of darkness and faint sound of insects. Suddenly she felt fear and nervous of being all alone in the presence of nocturnal creatures.

Stealthily, she took steps forward towards the farmhouse but in the pitch of darkness stumbled and fell breaking her ankle. She moaned in pain but there was no one to hear her pleas. She felt movement around her toes, waist and hands but there was no escape this time. She belonged to the creatures of the night now and daylight was many hours away. She clung on to hope and began praying loudly to any passerby who could offer a beam of sunlight.

As minutes passed she gave into exhaustion and drifted off to sleep. Someone kept calling her but the voice seemed from so distant till hands began shaking her vigorously and she peered her eyes open. She saw a looming figure in front of her offering her support. The next few seconds she was filled with apprehension but when he spoke to her as if he knew her well and was truly concerned, she walked beside him holding his hand till they reached his car. Once inside the car, she could see him clearly and found him immensely attractive with smiling eyes and gait of confidence.
For the first time in many years, Sonia blushed and whispered, "Thanks so much, I wish to know who you are, how you happened to be here, I had actually given up hope'.
He peered at her and looked surprised that even though he knew her so well she did not seem to recognize him. Nevertheless, he replied, " I am Raj, I organize all your events and you have been speaking to me on regular basis and interacted with me physically on an occasion or twice. At the party, I saw you seeking few moments of privacy and later came around to check in but could not locate you and hence came looking".

Sonia felt embarrassed, obviously they had interacted often, his voice seemed familiar but how come she never recognized him. He dropped her home and they went their separate ways. The next day she got back to the routine and the time flew but every evening she felt a longing to see Raj again. She still could not digest the fact that she never gave him a second's notice at her workplace, he was honestly worth a thousand looks or maybe the situation had made him more appealing. The dilemma had to be resolved so she called him up on the pretext of returning the favour and requested for a dinner date which Raj reluctantly agreed to.

The next evening Sonia dressed to her best waiting for Raj to show up at the restaurant. He walked in a few minutes later and her heart skipped a beat. Within a few minutes, they were talking and laughing as old friends and the compatibility was so comforting.

Many times at work she found herself daydreaming about him and was amused. At the height of her career in her mid thirties, her mind was drifting in another direction.

In the midst of her meeting, he called her and they met again at a cafe and she wanted to take it further and out-rightly asked Raj for a vacation together. He gave her his phone and told her to call up the special woman in his life for permission. Suddenly Sonia felt the earth shift, she had never once asked whether he was married or in a relationship. How could she have been this dumb? She rose up, apologizing profusely to Raj for treading his personal life and began moving towards the door.

Raj caught her by the arm and spun her around. 'You can go but before that see the special person". She resisted but he put his mobile in front of her eyes and saw the cutest girl in a fashionable school uniform and hugged Raj never to lose him again. "Take me to your daughter, I wish to know her". They held hands walking towards paradise where only love mattered.

Whoever thought that an insect could act as a catalyst for love to blossom between two adorable souls?