The next morning Raghu said goodbye, he had to go home urgently. The rest of us got into the car and drove quite a long way to Bhuj, the main town that belongs to the Greater Rann of Kutch. On the way, we only stopped once for a Jain temple by the road. It’s amazing how splendidly it is built even today. Next door, men were busy with other work. Machines are used for this, but also by hand, so the sculptures are not off the peg.
The road was very good, very wide and very busy. Numerous trucks bumped back and forth. One part of the road leads to Kandla, an important harbour. It transports salt and products from the many industries located here. The main production is chemical and mineral products, e.g. fertilisers, medicines, etc. The manufacture of textiles, cement and pipes also plays a major role here. The region was well supported during the Modi era – and so it is now partly obvious to me what a state that is doing better economically looks like. Traditional industries are of course still present and can also be found on the streets.
In 2001, there was a major earthquake in Gujarat with an epicentre 60 km north-east of Bhuj. 20,000 people died and many more were injured and left homeless. This earthquake is often mentioned in the stories, and it also had a very drastic effect. It is precisely these industries that have settled around Bhuj afterwards. What is also striking is the really good roads everywhere. Even if they are full of trucks, you can get past them very easily and make progress. So they say: it was very bad, but then something good came out of it.
Decades earlier, in 1969, the Greater Rann of Kutch was suffering from drought for the fourth year. A couple wanted to donate something to the women, but they are said to have been somewhat reluctant and did not want any charity. This gave rise to the idea that they could work more on their fabrics and the couple could sell them. The embroidery here is incredible and also incredibly varied. Each community has its own patterns, materials and techniques. The couple have founded an organisation called Shrujan. Over 3,500 women in 120 villages now work for Shrujan. They have also set up a museum with changing exhibitions, which I visited and was given an explanatory tour of. I have to admit: right from the start, my mind was racing back and forth and I realised that it was far too much to take in. The communities were divided into several and each of their specialities were on display. Crazy! This top alone:
And then there was a rag doll group from the various groups:
I would never have thought that there are so many possibilities for embroidery! And how finely some of them work! They say that the tougher the climate, the better the craftsmanship, because people have to sit at home so often.
These mirrors are very often used in the region, even on houses. Makes more light. My head was spinning, but I was thrilled.
Then we drove to the hotel and I was looking forward to spending two nights in one place. But oh my! The hotel was really creepy! Too huge, uncleaned, loveless – and when I found a chair in the room that was still half in its packaging, I definitely didn’t want to stay there!
Fortunately, we then found something else, although it was very full. And so I was able to set off relaxed on a tour the next morning. We visited craftspeople, whom I mainly filmed and rarely photographed. The first was a spinner and weaver in a nice village, a very cheerful, friendly man with whom we also had tea.
He explained that, on the one hand, patterns are traditional, but on the other hand, new things are also added. A lot is copied from nature.
It was quite nice in the village. Groups of men sat together in a kind of centre.
And some had to continue their work:
Then we also visited others, such as a woman who had just received an award for her work:
Another showed me her jewellery – but I liked more her smile:
A very old woman showed me how she cuts fabric into shapes and then sews them onto the fabric.
Then we were in a village where some huts were nicely decorated. They are called bunghas. Round huts that are similar to the dhannis in Rajasthan. At night, mats were rolled out on the floor and everyone slept together. A woman took care of me and dressed me in the local clothes.
I was then shown around some more, but at some point I had had enough of all the goods on offer. In contrast to some other areas in India, the sales hustle and bustle is really discreet and the range is so pretty and varied that you really get a craving.
Instead, I was tempted by the ‘White Rann’. Overall, the Rann of Kutch is a huge salty marshland with scrub. It has a very desert-like climate with temperatures of up to 50° in summer and as low as zero at night in winter. A special part is the one where only salt covers the ground, a great tourist highlight. Three things came together on this day: Sunday, full moon, visit of the Chief Minister of Gujarat. And so it was very, very crowded. I had imagined that there would be lots of places to go, but there was only one, which was organised and prepared in a very touristy way with huge car parks and shuttle bus traffic via a kind of concrete pier. I was completely put off and overwhelmed by the crowds. But since I was already there, I had to go through it.
But then I walked along the pier and took a few pictures:
And at the end, you were really in the White Desert with lots of people. It reminded me a bit of the frozen Alster in winter, when you’re allowed to walk around on it. And here you walked on salt and had fun with photos and could ride camel carts and so on.
And then I saw him too! Father Christmas! He looked very Indian.
Getting back wasn’t so easy because the Chief Minister had just arrived with his fleet and the route was closed. Even though the sun was setting and the moon was full, I wanted to get back quicker before I had to jostle with the crowds again. Even if it wasn’t so easy to get there – directly on the salt desert, that was a great experience.
And that was the end of the Gujarat part organised by Raghu’s agency. Ashfaq had taken the second part under his wing. I had a lot of company here (on these two days there was also a local guide in addition to Sanket), which I found a bit exhausting. From the next day onwards, there was only one driver at my request.