"Nature makes you think,if you remain in the midst of it for a while"
I suppose having traveled a few times to Gujarat in the recent past we have come to like this place and feel very comfortable visiting ..though this time we were definitely headed to a remote location ... the Boondocks!
Let me show you.
Little Rann of Kutch (LRK) is wedged between Kutch and Saurashtra...so to say, and opens to the Gulf of Kutch in the south-east which has had a significant effect on its ecology and bio-diversity.
We traveled by train from Mumbai,crossed all those red dots that you can see till Ahmedabad,turned left and then a couple hours brought us to Dhrangadhra north of Surendranagar at 4AM in the morning.
The morning air was not too cold for Jan and after a refreshing cup of tea we were ready to undertake the road journey to the Eco Camp site.
The ride was comfortable and we were at our destination,some 45 Kms away, in about an hour+.When you think of Gujarat think of good roads all over,even up to the remote village where we spent the next two days.
After a spartan breakfast of Poha and fruits,as advertised,we were ready to face the day.We met the camp Owner,Devjibhai Damecha (DD) and requested him for some background on the little Rann
DD,now 70, belongs to a salt pan worker community (Agaria) from Dhrangadhra. A school dropout,he took keen interest in wild life photography and thus got to know the Rann.
DD gathered some old articles and reports and with a gleam in his eyes started talking about his "backyard".He started with mythology and pre-history,entered geography,science,climate and wildlife and would intrude into his own experience and contribution over the last many decades.
This in the main is what I culled from his discourse:
In the beginning LRK was a shallow inland sea,former extension of the Gulf when the sea level was high.LRK can be categorised as a seasonal wetland Eco system. During Monsoon Rann receives water from the tides,streams and various rivers.The intermingling of water makes LRK a large fishing ground particularly for Prawns,which are grown and exported from here as "Kutchi prawns".By end of Nov water dries up and LRK transforms into a saline desert.
In addition,in the midst of Rann there are several raised lands known as "BETS".They are low in salinity and support vegetation that attracts foraging wildlife.
LRK is the last home for the surviving population of highly endangered Wild Asses.
Wolf,Fox,wild Cat,Blue bulls (Nil-gai) are the other wildlife found here.
Due to its strategic location on the migratory route LRK provides an important feeding,breeding and roosting habitat for a large number of aquatic birds including the Lesser Flamingo which nests and breeds here.
Picture on the left is the Little Rann of Kutch (LRK) all 5000 Sq.Km of it with its unique topography.I have marked the location of Eco Camp in the south.
The fringe shown in dark brown is where the populace is, engaged in rain-fed farming,salt producing,livestock rearing,prawn fishing... most based on resources of the Rann
Vijay, DD's son,who also manages the Photo studio in town,took us on our Safari in the late afternoon.He has this habit of chewing /holding Mawa (tobacco for the uninitiated)
in his mouth and talking through it.Can you imagine the output?
As we crossed the fringe and went deeper we could see Blue bulls (Nilgais).A large Antelope,the males shown here wear blue-gray coat and are endowed with short horns.Females are fawny w/o horns.
The unique characteristic of the desert landscape shown here follows you everywhere.
A vast expanse of flat desiccated and bare surface of brown silt, encrusted with salts.
Thanks to the Photo/Docu efforts of DD and others,LRK was declared a Wild Ass sanctuary in 1973.The last surviving species of Wild Asses numbering 5000 are to be found here.
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| Wild Ass with its Foal |
The handsome chestnut brown and white member of the horse family are seen in loosely knit herds.There are many loners too, looking for company!
They are slightly bigger than a Donkey but are supposedly strong and fast like a horse. Possess speed and stamina and can easily outrun a Jeep,and clock top speeds of 70 Kmph.
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| Wild Ass Herd |
"In September, when the waters recede, it's time for Agarias from the 107 villages around the Little Rann to move in. Mud huts come up where they stay till spring, making a variety of salt-- big crystals and powdered marine salt.
Salt is made from sub-soil brine. Agarias dig a 6-9 metre-deep well from where the brine is pumped out. This is then taken through channels to large flat pans. Getting these pans ready to receive the brine is tough work. Agarias stamp hard and level the earth with their bare feet. The pressure tightly packs the loose soil and ensures the brine does not seep back. The initial layer of salt that is formed, once the brine evaporates, is scraped with heavy wooden rakes.Once the salt has been harvested it is sent to collection points. Here traders take over."
"Every year after monsoon,Flamingos in tens of thousands arrive in LRK for food and breeding.After they have laid their eggs, sometimes water in the site dries up much sooner than anticipated, resulting in scarcity of food,forcing the Flamingos to abandon their eggs and go to other wetlands.The colony then turn into a mass grave strewn with thousands of nests with unhatched eggs."
See one such grave yard below.
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| Inside the Kooba Hut |
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| Slurrrp |
Except for the buzz of a flying insect or two,the night was relatively peaceful without the braying of Asses,the howling of the Fox or is it the Jackal nor even the incessant bark of a stray dog.All were at peace in the backyard.It is unexciting but true.
Day 2
The best birding season in LRK is Oct-Nov,when the water levels are high and promote migration and all that follows.So,we were taken to Site,at a good distance from the Camp to be able to catch some birds.
Aah....Flamingos.It is such a pleasure seeing these birds,though I have seen many more in Lake Nakuru,Kenya
We spent an hour following the birds, training our binoculars as they were foraging for Algae. Suddenly they would go into flight and drop into another part of the water and start all over.
With this we are done with LRK and spend a longish afternoon at the Camp after a frugal lunch and set about packing and departing for Dhrangadhra to catch our midnight train to Mumbai.
What an eventful journey that was.... the train journey I mean
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| Sunset over the Salt pan |
