Time To Rann!

That the G20’s first Tourism Working Group met in Kachchh has put the spotlight on the tourism potential of the region

- Nandini Oza

Guru Kharet is a picture of confidence as he talks to his customers, even those from foreign shores. The 21-year-old from Hodka, a small village in Gujarat’s Kachchh district, is one among hundreds of artisans who do brisk business, especially in winter.

Until a few years ago, artisans like him travelled to various parts of the country, year-round, to earn a living by selling their craft. Now, because of the famed Tent City in Dhordo, near the Rann of Kachchh, they are happy at home. “We did not even know how to speak properly. Now, we handle foreigners, too,” said Kharet, in the same breath showering praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Tent City was set up in 2005, but took its current form in 2012, state tourism secretary Hareet Shukla told THE WEEK. The brainchild of then chief minister Modi, the city is a semi-permanent structure that works on a public-private partnership model. It is spread over five lakh square metres and has tents to house visitors. These are dismantled every year. It also hosts the wildly popular Rann Utsav, which is held when the winter sets in and the desert turns white.

Unlike Karet, 23-year-old Nanji Marwada does not have the capital to set up shop in Tent City. But, he has also benefited from the tourism boom and sells his wares just outside the city. There are many others like him, who sell anything from art to food in a cluster of stalls. “Our income has definitely increased,” he said. “Earlier, we were dependent on cattle rearing. Now, even our small restaurants and bhungas (traditional round huts) do good business.”