The sun sank on a sandy horizon along the butter-smooth road from Bhuj Airport in Kutch district of Gujarat to Tent City in Dhordo village on a December evening. The 85-kilometre journey to the venue of Tourism Corporation of Gujarat’s annual flagship desert festival, Rann Utsav, introduced a landscape dotted with shrubs, occasional trees, a small stream and a long string of transmission towers — the Banni Grasslands Reserve. The tour guide, Shankar, gave a taste of what is in store as he pointed to the eponymous Banni buffaloes of the grasslands, and quipped, “Had I owned one of these, I wouldn’t be working.”
In addition to the bovine spotting, the 17th edition of the festival intends to acquaint visitors to the culture, ecology and history of Kutch. The Tent City comprises clusters of tents — from regular accommodations to a bullet-proof tent reserved for the Prime Minister. Helmed by Tent City operators Evoke Experiences on a PPP (Public Private Partnership) model, the venue offers 450 tents, a spa, an art gallery, shopping stalls, and an activity centre which hosts cultural performances every evening for Tent City guests and tourists looking for entertainment. There are folk dances Garba, Bhavai, performed by Rajendra Reval, and Siddhi Dhamal, performed by the Siddhi people of African descent.
