Your journey continues on to Bhuj, a small and enchanting city deep in the Rann of Kutch. You take an orientation walk through the maze of winding streets that make up the old city. Here you will see camels plodding through the streets, vegetable markets and cloth stalls, all filled with the Kutch people dressed in their heavily embroidered traditional clothes. Bhuj serves as a good base for visiting a number of the outlying villages and you do just that. You observe the traditional
lifestyles of a number of tribes, exploring the villages and seeing the wide variety of crafts being made. You also take a day trip to the seaside town of Mandvi, home to thousands of migratory flamingos. The little market is filled with silver shops and the town is the last place in India where traditional ocean-going wooden dhows are hand built.
While in Bhuj region you have good amount of exposure to the Textile making world. Savor the following as a sample:
1) Ajrakh Making workshop
Ajrakh literally meant aaj ke din rakh, or ―keep it for today‖ because that is what the process is. At every stage of the tedious dying process, the fabric should dry for three to four days. Nature plays an important role in the making of Ajrakh. Craftsmen work in total harmony with their environment, where the sun, river, animals, trees and mud are all part of its making. A discussion on the Ajrak textiles at a workshop makes for engaging conversations over a reflective and relaxing cup of tea with the Khatris.
2) Bandhini technique
Meet an expert on this subject who shall talk you through the complex process of Bandhini making. You walk through a tie-dyeing technique, a laborious all hand done tie-dye printing process. Next on the cards is a collection dating back to the late 1800 and early 1900s, not just in the Rajbari embroidery styles but also the Most exquisite phulkaris and kanthas; Food for the soul truly;
3) On to Bhujodi
You also visit Bhujodi in the heart of Kutch where you engross into discussions on traditional pit looms and shuttle looms and hear from an expert family on what challenges are faced by the vankars known for their extra weft wool weaving. After your interactions over lunch with the vankars, you make your way toward the Rabari community known for their homes, here you see the indigenous mud homes decorated by women, with a royal color sensibility and embedded with mirrors for a touch of local glamour. Enjoy dinner at a local eatery in Bhuj before you drive back to your lodge/resort.
4) Shrujan (Craftswomen Special)
After breakfast on the 3rd day, you head to Shrujan, and meet craftswomen working on sustaining the traditional embroidery techniques unique to Gujarat. Since its inception, Shrujan has supported hundreds of villages and brought the region worldwide recognition for its beautiful embroidered textiles.
After lunch at a local home, you will have time to look at other crafts that Kutch is also home to -wood, leather, pottery, and metal crafts. Later this afternoon, you watch extraordinary fabrics coming to life as the upholders of the single Ikat patola tradition weave silk and cotton threads and then tie and dye them into works of art.
5) Last to kasab in Bhuj, another grassroots enterprise committed to preserving the traditional arts and craft of Kutch, including the most exquisite hand embroidered wall art, cushions and accessories.
Hotel: TBA
Meals provided today: Breakfast & Dinner
