I have never been to Gujrat and when it was announced that our last fellow’s gathering will be a travel workshop, I was excited but had an imagintion that the planned travel workshop in Bhuj, would be very similar to the other workshops we have attended so far as part of our JSW fellowship. However, it was not true, as the experience gave me moments that I will cherish for life and offered me to engage with a rich cultural and socio-political exposure of a region quite different from the context I have ever been.
Kutch, a vast desert region in the westernmost part of Gujarat, India, is known for its stark beauty, rich cultural heritage, and unique crafts. Bhuj, a historic city nestled amidst the Kutch desert, is the former capital of the Jadeja Rajput kingdom and serves as the main administrative center of the Kutch district. Kutch and Bhuj offer a unique blend of history, culture, and natural beauty, making it a must-visit destination for anyone seeking an off-the-beaten-path adventure and an understanding of CSOs working in a very different context facing challenges that are quite different while shaping solutions that offer huge insights.
Here is a glimpse of Kutch and Bhuj as part of our travel workshop
Cultural Delights:
Aina Mahal Palace: A dazzling 18th-century marvel is famed for its intricate mirror work, reflecting the grandeur of the Jadeja era.
Prag Mahal Palace: Nicknamed the “Wind Palace” due to its numerous windows, Prag Mahal is an architectural marvel that blends European and Indian styles.
Great Rann of Kutch: The world’s largest seasonal salt desert, the Rann of Kutch, transforms into a mesmerizing landscape of white sand flats during winter, especially during the Rann Utsav, a vibrant festival celebrating Kutchi culture.
Dholavira: It is one of the most remarkable and well-preserved urban settlements in South Asia. It was discovered in 1968 by archaeologist Jagat Pati Joshi. It is one of the five largest Harappan sites and most prominent archaeological sites in India belonging to the Indus Valley Civilization. After Mohen-jo-Daro, Ganweriwala, and Harappa in Pakistan and Rakhigarhi in Haryana India, Dholavira is the fifth-largest metropolis of the Indus Valley Civilization (IVC).
Art and Crafts:
Ajrakhpur: This village is renowned for its centuries-old tradition of creating beautiful Ajrakh block-printed textiles, a signature craft of Kutch.
CSOs ecosystem:
Bhuj is the center of different organizations working on various themes and this travel workshop helped us understand these organizations in depth. Through this engagement with team members, management, and other stakeholders of these organizations we could understand the richness of Bhuj and its socio-cultural and historical settings in depth.
Khamir
https://www.khamir.org/about/khamir/who
Khamir is a platform for crafts, heritage, and cultural ecology of the Kutch region of Gujarat. Established after the earthquake of 2001 it offers a space for the engagement and development of Kachchh’s rich creative industries. We spent 12 days here & got to know about this organization closely.
Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan (KMVS)
Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan (KMVS) was established in 1989 to organize the rural women of Kutch to facilitate their empowerment. The overarching mission of KMVS is to empower rural women; and promote their leadership – economic, political, social, and cultural – through their awareness-raising, organization, and mobilization in local groups, leading to them being able to independently address gender inequalities in their area.
Today KMVS organization is working as a stand-alone organization with different issues.
Major learnings:
- I got acquainted with a new place and a new language. I have never visited Gujrat before and this travel workshop offered me a chance to engage with the rich cultural and socio-geographical condition of Gujrat
- Got a chance to understand and learn about organizations working on various challenges
- There was an understanding of how we can improve people’s skills.
- What can we learn from an organization like ‘Setu Abhiyan’ in our project on empowering panchayat?
Observation:
- Half of the total population of India is women and we have seen this in small numbers in an organization like KMVS.
- How the earthquake had destroyed the lives of the people there and the buildings were visible.
- Got a chance to see the organizations working in the field of culture and development and their people. A visual identity was created to understand the taluka of a different state.
Outcomes:
Co-partnership for the next step better:
- Shared Resources and Expertise:
Co-partners bring different strengths to the table. One may have strong financial skills, while the other has a knack for getting down to the nitty-gritty. This combination creates a well-rounded team with broad expertise. Partners may share resources such as equipment, technology, or even office space. that help us scale up
- Innovation and Problem-Solving:
Having different perspectives can lead to more creative solutions and a better understanding of the challenges. Brainstorming with a partner can generate new ideas that might not have occurred to us. A good co-partner will keep you accountable for your goals and keep you motivated. This is especially helpful when facing difficult decisions or setbacks.
- Increased Reach and Growth:
Partners can leverage each other’s networks to access new capital or partners. This is a great way to expand the reach of your vision and accelerate growth. Co-partners share the risks and rewards of a venture. This makes it easier to secure funding and take on bigger challenges.
This travel workshop not only gave me experience but also provided motivation and offered a rich network that can help me and other fellows strengthen our current work. Apart from learning from these organizations and understanding their work, I also got the opportunity to experience first-hand the rich cultural heritage of Gujrat. It also gave me clarity on what I want to do in the future and how to achieve it. I got this learning that for scale we need to have the experiences of the people on the ground so that we can get that skill set to reach our goal. This exposure has been very insightful, and memorable to a great extent. I will always cherish the memories of this travel workshop for my life.
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