On the Geographical Trial – Rann of Kutch and surrounding areas:
I was looking forward to the 3-hour long trip to Rann of Kutch. The onward trip had its pleasant stories and one not-so-pleasant story. I had a surprise Dabeli treat followed by Gujarati-style chat-sprinkled noodles. The smooth roads, green pastures, and bustling Sunday markets made the trip pleasant. But then in between the vehicle that we were traveling with developed an oil leak and had to be pulled aside.
Miles around there was no human soul in sight. I could see worry on the faces of my dad and uncle. I quickly figured out that a replacement vehicle could take at least 2 hours. The sun was already up and blazing. The sultry climate had made up guzzle water and we were running short. But then, we are in a world where humanity is still alive. A trucker slowed down, enquired with the driver, and then began talking to someone over his phone. After 7 or 8 calls, he called someone who agreed to be at that spot in 15 minutes and help us continue with our trip.
On the way to the Rann of Kutch, we saw a board that read “Tropic of Cancer is passing from here”. My dad asked the driver to stop near the board. My mind went back to my geography classes and the globe that we had at home… I recalled the most important lines on the globe – on the longitude (the vertical lines) it was the international date line and, on the latitudes, (the horizontal lines) they were the equator, the tropic of Cancer, and the tropic of Capricorn.
The Tropic of Cancer – passes through only 17 countries and India is one of them and through 8 states in India – Gujarat being one of them! Literally, it also meant that now we crossed into the upper northern hemisphere. It said that around 95% of the planet’s mangrove area is found around this area and Rann of Kutch has one of the largest mangroves in the world. In Geography, we learned that during the June Solstice, the Sun is exactly overhead the Earth. They align exactly on the Tropic of Cancer. I always thought there would be some marking that would help me identify the crossing point that was naturally created. There was no marking, just the board; making me realize there were imaginary lines.
The Rann of Kutch is also known as the White Desert as it is a salt marsh in the Thar Desert in the Kutch District of Gujarat, India. It is reputed to be one of the largest salt deserts in the world. Ideally, the best time to visit this place is from December to February when the Government of Gujarat hosts the Rann Utsav. The miles and miles of white salt make it a treat to see as one cannot for sure say where the horizon meets. I expected to see tons and tons of salt but because it had just rained there was more water than salt. There were people who were extracting salt.
Then we decided to visit Kala Dungra – the highest point in Kutch, Gujarat. On the way, in between a valley, we saw two boards nearly 100 meters apart that read “magnetic zone”. We asked the driver to stop the car, switch off the engine, and disengage the brakes. To everyone’s awe, shock, and surprise, the car began moving backward. The car was on neutral but it was moving and the gear wasn’t in reverse. The road was not on a slope. We then continued to the Rann of Kutch.
At Kala Dungra, the highest point in Kutch - 458 meters above sea level, we rented binoculars and saw 5 main points:
1) BSF Bridge: Through the binoculars, I saw the bridge that connects India and Pakistan. It was quite long. The bridge crossed from one part of the cliff to the opposite one.
2) BSF Night Patrol: We saw the place where the Indian Border Security Force does their Night Patrol. It was out in the ocean.
3) Lord Hanuman Temple: I saw a Hanuman temple far away. At first, it was just a white spot but when I adjusted my lens, I saw the outline of it.
4) BSF Points: There were patches of green on the opposite cliff. Our tour guide told us that it was BSF security points. Those were places that other countries could easily enter from. That’s why there is tight security there.
5) Village: Far behind the cliffs, there was a village. I could see that the village was developing.
It was indeed an eventful trip and I had so many things to note, learn, and recollect.