Kutch - An experience!! (Part 1)

Just returned from my first visit to Gujarat. My friend Smita and I decided to visit the Kutch region, especially to see Dholavira. Why?? Because it is the site of the Harrappan civilisation which dates back to 2900 BC!! And all the other sites are in Pakistan which we probably might never get an opportunity to visit.

It was quite frustrating planning the trip as there is no known accommodation in the Kutch region other than in the main city of Bhuj. Of course, we did not want to stay in boring Bhuj but wanted to experience the local culture. After much research, we finally found that there is a project of endogenous tourism in a village called Hodka. It was simply outstanding and truly captured the essence of rural life of this part of our very varied country.

The website of this very interesting project is http://www.hodka.in/. Shaam-e-Sarhad (Sunset at the Border) Village Resort is owned and operated by the Village Tourism Committee of the indigenous people from Hodka village.

There are tents as well as mud bhungas which are the local huts. We stayed in a mud bhunga which was not only tastefully done up inside but they were also very warm.

The food served was excellent (of course, vegetarian).

After the meal we gathered around a campfire and were entertained by 5 men dancing a garba and singing local songs to the beat of a drum, which was not at all entertaining. That was the only part of the stay that we did not like.

Earlier in the evening, we visited 2 different villages and had a chance to check out their handicrafts. We made a few purchases of embroidered cushion covers, sofa throws, runners and bags as well as some leather items – mirrors, mobile pouches, purses and letter holders.

The village women and children were dressed in colourful outfits and were really cute. We did not take pictures of the women because they are very shy.

The amazing bit are their houses which are so ordinary and dull from the outside but decorated beautifully with mirrors and paint on the inside.

This was an absolutely amazing experience and we have decided to go back for some more!!

Grandma

My grandma turned 87 years today!

She is a sweet little lady who is still active. She is quite independent and does a bit of cooking, reads the newspapers and goes once a week for Mass (though she has to be helped across the road). She is beginning to lose her memory and it makes me very sad. We of course have to be patient with her and remind ourselves that one day we will be in exactly the state she is in, if not worse.

She loves me dearly and I am her favourite grandchild as I am the oldest. Everyday she looks forward to my returning from work and immediately is concerned about my dinner and if I had a tough day, etc. In the picture above, I finally managed to get her to smile! She very rarely smiles for photographs because she is afraid that others will see her false teeth!! Oh she is so cute.

I have many happy memories of her..........

- making the best coconut cake.

- always taking my side even if I probably was in the wrong.

- sewing beautiful dresses for my sister and me when we were children.

- looking after us when my mum dropped us off at her place for the weekend or the holidays.

I am grateful to be able to spend the time I have with her.

Fun at Work........................

"Fun at Work" is an initiative by our Human Resource department to create excitement, team building and togetherness amongst the employees. As part of this initiative, yesterday we went for a Photography workshop at the Canon Lab at the Atria Mall, Worli, Mumbai.

We learnt not only how to use the various features of the camera but also the basics in taking good photographs by concentrating on depth, composition, lighting, placement, etc.

The group who went....................

Some of the photographs taken as practice.

Later, we decided to have dinner and drinks at the Woodside Inn, Colaba. It is a cosy restaurant which serves amazing pizzas.