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Nature in different forms (Clockwise from bottom left) A view of the Rann from Kala Dungar, the illuminated boats in Hamisar lake, the white desert on a full moon day, the camel cart journey and Mandvi beach

The tortoise-shaped land on the extreme left of the map of India always intrigued me. What would it be like to live in a place where nature is eccentric, making nearly half the district uninhabitable? With the Arabian Sea on one side, the Great and the Little Rann of Kutch on another, the Kutch district of Gujarat becomes an island of a different sort. Despite the hardships, the place has a vibrant culture and is often called the ‘cradle of craftsmanship’.

As we arrived in Bhuj for the three-day Rann Utsav, an annual festival organised by Gujarat Tourism, a warm sun welcomed us at the small, fort-shaped airport, which till some time ago was run by the Army. The main town of Kutch, Bhuj has every element of a small town. Narrow roads, not much crowd, no pollution, no sky scrapers and no congested malls. We saw many buildings with fresh coats of paints, and many relatively new constructions, representing the rebuilding done after the 2001 earthquake.

First on our itinerary was a carnival, where the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi inaugurated the festival.

We made a trip to the Kutch Museum, which was opened to public that day for the first time after it was razed in the earthquake. Earlier built in 1877, the museum has a rich collection of Kshatrapa inscriptions, arms and specimens of various crafts of the Kutch region.

In the evening, the entire city gathered to watch dance programmes, held with the illuminated Hamisar Lake as the backdrop. Brightly lit boats floating on the lake added to the beauty. Rann Utsav is easily the best time to visit Kutch. The otherwise sleepy city comes alive with colour and gusto. Our next destination was Dhordo, a desert 85 kilometres from Bhuj, and our base for the next two days. The road to the desert was bumpy, and felt like a camelback ride. Huge stretches of barren land were all you could see. At Dhordo, the organisers had built about 450 tents to accommodate nearly 1,000 tourists from across the world. The tent had the requisite amenities, including two single beds, attached bath and even a mirror.

The night was colder, but I don’t remember ever having slept any better. Except for BSNL, no other network works, which means you are really cut off from the outside world. I found myself peaceful.

A quick bath in cold water (the organisers couldn’t arrange for warm water) and a quicker Gujarati breakfast, we were ready in our buses to explore the region. The first stop was Kala Dungar or the black hill.

The hill was created as a result of volcanic rock formation and is considered to be the highest point in that region. The breathtaking view of the 80-km-long Great Rann of Kutch is an ethereal experience. You can just stare into the open sky for hours and not feel bored. On the other side was a view of the grasslands of the Banni. You cannot help but marvel at the possibilities of nature – a desert at one end, fertile grassland at the other.

Kala Dungar is also a popular pilgrimage point, with the temple of Lord Dattatreya attracting many visitors throughout the year. The place is also home to a rare species of white foxes who are said to visit the temple to eat the holy meal.

We return to our tents post lunch time, and were allowed some time to relax before the next and, perhaps, the most interesting schedule of the festival — Rann safari.

More than 100 decorated camel carts took us on a half-hour ride to the white desert of the Rann of Kutch.

Here, you can actually watch the sun set on one end, the moon rise on the other.

It is easier to be there and not-so-easy to explain how the sparkling white desert (created by salt deposits from the Arabian Sea) looks on a glimmering full moon. Pure beauty!

After a mesmerising evening, it was not easy to sleep without thinking about it. The region has many places worth a visit.

Significant ones are Dolavira (remains of the Harrapan civilisation), popular pilgrimage centres like Mata No Madh, Nayaran Sarovar, Koteshwar and Lakhpat (all on the Indo-Pak border), Godhiyar Fossil Park, the wetlands of Banni.

The only thing you need is time, as in most cases the travel time is much higher than the time you get to spend at the destination.

Due to time constraints, we chose Mandvi beach. About 175 kilometres from the desert, you find the beach clean, and, compared to the beaches of Goa, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, much smaller.

It was sparsely populated too. But maybe that’s why it is alluring. The water is so untouched, you can feel its freshness. A whole line of wind mills on the right side moves to the tune of the breeze.

After playing in the water for hours, we finally decided to head back. But this time it was to a hotel in Bhuj, as we had a morning flight to catch.

Our hearts weren’t fulfilled, we were like cats that had just tasted blood. But at least I knew the next time I saw an India map, I would know how it felt to be at that extreme left.

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