BANGALORE: Amitabh Bachchan once said, ‘Kutch nahin dekha to tumne kuch nahi dekha’ (If you haven’t seen the Great Rann of Kutch, then you have seen nothing at all). Seldom does one agree with a filmstar, but when it comes to his statement about the Rann of Kutch, its hard for one to disagree at all.To say it is the most beautiful place in the country, would not be accurate, but, to say it is the most gratifying journey one could ever take in all his life, sounds like a better option. Its vast ‘nothingness’ cannot be summed up better than the phrase ‘pure bliss’ as it can mute the most talkative person in one glance. The tour of Gujrat cannot be complete without a visit to the Rann. But there could be a few roadblocks in the visit, as special permission must be attained by the Armed forces for a civilian to see this spectacle. Located 30 kms from the International Border (IB) which starts in Gujrat, the site is closely monitored for nefarious activities and hence very tightly secured. Drive to one of these places and one would encounter more than a merry number of check posts and incessant questioning by the Border Security Force (BSF), who have been entrusted to secure the border areas. But all that pain of check posts and questioning suddenly seems like a distant memory, as you embark on the road towards the Rann. For miles on either side, it is difficult to spot anything and the term ‘middle of nowhere’ never does sound perfect, once it has been experienced at the Rann.The road leading to the Rann adds to the experience as it is a straight drive for over 20 odd kms at frequent intervals. Slowly, the greenery starts to fade and thin, and before you have peeped into the rear view, one can see distances as though staring at the edge of the world. The first view makes up a mirror image of the sky and the vast landscape of the Kutch, which confuses one whether the sky is mirroring the landscape, or the other way around.Thanks to the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), this spectacle cannot be crossed by any other vehicle other than a hovercraft. The road leading to the border has been impeccably and diligently built to ensure that the armed forces have access to the borders for crucial and essential access to supplies and other requirements.The windiest place in the world may come across as calm indoors when compared to strong gusts that frequents these lands. But this is not the norm in the place, as more often than not, there is stillness in the wind that even a feather seems heavy and falls to the ground. Crucial is the part that one can hear the fish speak, as there is no traffic, except an occasional one of an BSF truck passing by. If there was any place that nature has superseded mans ambition’s, its the Rann of Kutch.But this is not just a gift of nature in its landscape, as the Rann plays host to a yearly feathered visitor as well. Visit the place at the right time and you could witness one of the largest Flamingo nesting grounds in the world. The white sands or sky images turn pink when it is nesting time for these exploring birds. Hundreds of thousands of birds are seen at their leisurely best, as the only thing they have to fear is looking too pretty for the cameras. Their yearly sojourn in the place attracts bird photography enthusiasts from around the world, who needless to say, appreciate the uninterrupted photo opportunity over the hundreds of defence clearances needed to get there. The large birds seem like flying colours, while the eggs are found close to shore.But the Rann has more functions than provide good pictures to letching cameras. It has been defined as a natural barrier for the country against infiltration. As the Rann is close to the International Border, its marshy existence makes it impossible for anyone to cross over. The Army believes that the Kutch is the best fence they could deploy against anyone wishing to cross it. Though it is monitored day and night, seldom is there a possibility to find a human or an animal walking on it. They also say that the white sand, during summer exhausts the water as the sun burns down on the salty waters.While it can be argued as to what better purpose the Rann of Kutch plays; beautiful bliss, security cover or may be both. Rest assured, any argument, no matter how interesting can wait and will wait until one has been there and experienced a picture of life like no other. If one was to believe that ‘Kutch nahin dekha tho kuch nahin dekha’, than thank heavens that one who has been there belongs to the latter half.
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