Tue 25 Nov Kachchh
A little about the spelling of the area we are in - Kachchh has 4 letters: k, ch (soft), ch (plosive), and h. Hindi and Gujarati have soft and plosive forms of most consonants and they can be combined in multiple ways. The "h" is sounded also. For us westerners, "Kutch" with the "u" as in "cut" will do.
A little after 7 am an ungodly clamor emanates from the temple up the street, or maybe from a house nearby. Hindu worship takes place early and it usually involves drums and loud singing.
We get the hotel breakfast of omelet, toast, tea, each. It goes on our bill. Roland is there and we talk some more. Roland divides his time between Europe and India. He is a knowledgeable textile arts lover and dreams of starting a business working with silk producers in Assam.
It is 900. Our car and driver is here, and we are off, seeing the area north of Bhuj. Any trip to visit the Kachchh's pastoral communities is a step back in time. Our driver has scant English, complicating matters. This is very much a shopping trip, and we are pitched at almost every stop. Here is a summary.
About 30 km out is Sumeraser. These are Ahir people. The first stop in Sumeraser is at Tana Bana. A kindly weaver and his hospitable wife, who hurries off to make tea. We watch him operate a pit loom to create single ikat weavings. Here we are shown woven goods in a family tradition that goes back many generations. Unfortunately their standard size for a scarf does not fit our purposes, and we leave. Carol tries to tell the driver that we have come to learn, not buy, but he has this trip down, and it takes a good bit more to get him to change the way he is going to do it.
The next stop in the same town is Kala Rakska, a cooperative crafts group that has hooked up with some of the major foundations (e.g., Ford, et al) to distribute their crafts. They have assembled a nice mini museum featuring wedding dress and customs. This is Ribari style mostly. The Ribari rear cattle, buffalo, and camels. Look and go once again.
On to Bhirendiara. As we approach the town, it is time buy our permits to travel north closer to Pakistan. 350 for 3 adults and a car.
In Bhirendiara we go into people's homes, more of a visit than a hard sell. We see "bhungas," traditional mud and mirror-work huts. White houses are decorated with symmetrical design and bits of glass. It seems a bit intrusive, until one man proudly asks us to photograph his brand new (2-3 yrs old) internal bathroom - maybe the only one in the village? Beautiful items, but mostly coverings and wall hangings. Here we broke down and purchased two small embroidered pieces featuring elephants.
On to Ludia, where we intruded on a woman in her home. After demanding a photo with Carol she in turn tried to sell us nearly every piece of inventory therein.
Daily clothing and jewelry in all these towns is incredibly colorful. In our travels, we are a little uncomfortable about photographing people. Our loss.
Finally, to Khavka, about 70 km north of Bhuj. Here they specialize in pottery. We think they told us that they fired the pottery every fifteen days in a kiln about 10 km away. Again, we are channeled into people's homes for a view of their inventory.
It is now close to 1400. We drive to Kalo Dungar, northeast of Khavka. We drive up a hill about 500 m high. The car parks and you finish by walking up the hill. Some silly animal statues along the way. At the top you get to sit and contemplate the Great Rann of Kachchh: like being at the edge of the world. We are looking at some of the deltas of the Indus River. During the monsoon, the entire area floods. After the monsoon, it dries out, leaving thousands of square miles of salt flats, which are mined for their salt. As you look out, you see a great white desert.
Back to our car, and back to Hodka, where we walk through some private areas to get to the sales tent. Carol squats down to eye-level with an adorable bare-bottomed tyke. The child is traumatized. We hear screams for our entire visit. Sales are overseen by a gentleman who has traveled 4 times to Santa Fe, New Mexico, to present as a master folk artist and to sell the wares of the community.
Finally, enough of the sales, and we go about 30 km to the northwest, present our permits, and get to walk onto a boardwalk out onto the salt flats. There is a breeze, breaking the heat. The walk out and back is invigorating. Carol tastes a little of the salt. It is very intense.
Back to the car. It is now 1720. The sun will set before 1800. We will still be driving back. Driving after dark will be the subject of another post. It has its own special problems.
Back to the hotel at 1840. We pay up our hotel bill, driver bill, food bill, and laundry bill by credit card. The driver is sitting waiting for our credit card to clear so he can be paid. Hope that he wasn't counting on a cut of all those artisans' sales.
Out for dinner to Green Rock Restaurant. We order a paneer dish and a vegetable dish. Both very good, but both tasted pretty much the same. This seems to be a recurring problem for us.
Even at night, Bhuj is full of pedestrians, scooters and other vehicles. Like playing Frogger to walk! Back to the hotel, which we find this time, and to bed.
A little about the spelling of the area we are in - Kachchh has 4 letters: k, ch (soft), ch (plosive), and h. Hindi and Gujarati have soft and plosive forms of most consonants and they can be combined in multiple ways. The "h" is sounded also. For us westerners, "Kutch" with the "u" as in "cut" will do.
A little after 7 am an ungodly clamor emanates from the temple up the street, or maybe from a house nearby. Hindu worship takes place early and it usually involves drums and loud singing.
We get the hotel breakfast of omelet, toast, tea, each. It goes on our bill. Roland is there and we talk some more. Roland divides his time between Europe and India. He is a knowledgeable textile arts lover and dreams of starting a business working with silk producers in Assam.
It is 900. Our car and driver is here, and we are off, seeing the area north of Bhuj. Any trip to visit the Kachchh's pastoral communities is a step back in time. Our driver has scant English, complicating matters. This is very much a shopping trip, and we are pitched at almost every stop. Here is a summary.
About 30 km out is Sumeraser. These are Ahir people. The first stop in Sumeraser is at Tana Bana. A kindly weaver and his hospitable wife, who hurries off to make tea. We watch him operate a pit loom to create single ikat weavings. Here we are shown woven goods in a family tradition that goes back many generations. Unfortunately their standard size for a scarf does not fit our purposes, and we leave. Carol tries to tell the driver that we have come to learn, not buy, but he has this trip down, and it takes a good bit more to get him to change the way he is going to do it.
The next stop in the same town is Kala Rakska, a cooperative crafts group that has hooked up with some of the major foundations (e.g., Ford, et al) to distribute their crafts. They have assembled a nice mini museum featuring wedding dress and customs. This is Ribari style mostly. The Ribari rear cattle, buffalo, and camels. Look and go once again.
On to Bhirendiara. As we approach the town, it is time buy our permits to travel north closer to Pakistan. 350 for 3 adults and a car.
In Bhirendiara we go into people's homes, more of a visit than a hard sell. We see "bhungas," traditional mud and mirror-work huts. White houses are decorated with symmetrical design and bits of glass. It seems a bit intrusive, until one man proudly asks us to photograph his brand new (2-3 yrs old) internal bathroom - maybe the only one in the village? Beautiful items, but mostly coverings and wall hangings. Here we broke down and purchased two small embroidered pieces featuring elephants.
On to Ludia, where we intruded on a woman in her home. After demanding a photo with Carol she in turn tried to sell us nearly every piece of inventory therein.
Daily clothing and jewelry in all these towns is incredibly colorful. In our travels, we are a little uncomfortable about photographing people. Our loss.
Finally, to Khavka, about 70 km north of Bhuj. Here they specialize in pottery. We think they told us that they fired the pottery every fifteen days in a kiln about 10 km away. Again, we are channeled into people's homes for a view of their inventory.
It is now close to 1400. We drive to Kalo Dungar, northeast of Khavka. We drive up a hill about 500 m high. The car parks and you finish by walking up the hill. Some silly animal statues along the way. At the top you get to sit and contemplate the Great Rann of Kachchh: like being at the edge of the world. We are looking at some of the deltas of the Indus River. During the monsoon, the entire area floods. After the monsoon, it dries out, leaving thousands of square miles of salt flats, which are mined for their salt. As you look out, you see a great white desert.
Back to our car, and back to Hodka, where we walk through some private areas to get to the sales tent. Carol squats down to eye-level with an adorable bare-bottomed tyke. The child is traumatized. We hear screams for our entire visit. Sales are overseen by a gentleman who has traveled 4 times to Santa Fe, New Mexico, to present as a master folk artist and to sell the wares of the community.
Finally, enough of the sales, and we go about 30 km to the northwest, present our permits, and get to walk onto a boardwalk out onto the salt flats. There is a breeze, breaking the heat. The walk out and back is invigorating. Carol tastes a little of the salt. It is very intense.
Back to the car. It is now 1720. The sun will set before 1800. We will still be driving back. Driving after dark will be the subject of another post. It has its own special problems.
Back to the hotel at 1840. We pay up our hotel bill, driver bill, food bill, and laundry bill by credit card. The driver is sitting waiting for our credit card to clear so he can be paid. Hope that he wasn't counting on a cut of all those artisans' sales.
Out for dinner to Green Rock Restaurant. We order a paneer dish and a vegetable dish. Both very good, but both tasted pretty much the same. This seems to be a recurring problem for us.
Even at night, Bhuj is full of pedestrians, scooters and other vehicles. Like playing Frogger to walk! Back to the hotel, which we find this time, and to bed.
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