Chaitanya Travelscapes

  After crossing the 20,000-km milestone at Bhadra, celebrating every 10,000 km with a special drive gradually became a tradition. The 30K and 40K marks were commemorated at Pench and Mandu, respectively. The 50,000-km milestone, however, was shaping up to be something truly special—set to unfold on a journey that would take us to the White Rann and along the legendary Road through Heaven. Having already done birding in the Little Rann of Kutch (LRK), winter birding in GRK had long been on my wish list. The timing could not have been better. The Rann Utsav usually begins towards the end of October, while winter migrants start arriving in GRK by November. Everything aligned perfectly; it felt like a clear call for a long road trip. Our initial plan was: Thane – Ahmedabad (night halt) – Dholavira – Dhordo – GRK Birding – Bhuj – Ahmedabad/Vadodara (night halt) – Thane. A wedding in Indore just before the trip added another dimension. After some deliberation, we decided to include Indo...

  Continuing our road trip from Hudko to Moti Virani, we took a slight detour to Nirona, a centre of traditional art and craftsmanship. Nirona, a quaint village in the Kutch district of Gujarat, is renowned for its rich cultural heritage and its preservation of indigenous crafts. Rogan Painting On our first visit, at a family-run studio, we met Mr Rizwan Khatri, who represents the eighth generation of his family practising this rare art form. When one thinks of painting, a brush is typically regarded as an essential artistic tool. However, Rogan painting is distinctive in that a tulika (stylus) is used instead of a brush to apply paint onto cloth. The paint is prepared from castor oil that has been boiled and mixed with natural vegetable dyes. Rogan painting is a traditional form of cloth decoration practised in parts of India and Afghanistan. During our visit, Rizwan bhai gave us a live demonstration, creating a small but intricate piece that exemplified the precision and patience...

Continued from Exploring Bhuj: History, Heritage, and Resilience – Part I With the palace, museum and Swaminarayan mandir covered, we moved on.... Ramkund stepwell After visiting the Swaminarayan Temple, we settled into the auto-rickshaw, and the driver mentioned a stepwell within the city—one often overlooked on typical city tours. Winding through narrow residential lanes, he stopped before the Ramkund stepwell. Built in the 18th century, this square-shaped well near the Kutch Museum descends 56 feet and stands as a remarkable historical landmark. Its walls are adorned with carvings from the Ramayana and the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu, while a small Ram Dhun Temple sits within the same premises, just in front of the well. During our visit, the stepwell was nearly full, hiding its intricate depths and the carvings, but the driver showed us photographs on his phone, revealing a truly magnificent structure. Ramkund remains a quiet testament to human ingenuity, shaped by the need to ...