Bhuj – The Final Lap

It is said that one of the hardest things to do is to say goodbye. After a week of productive learning, enlightening exposure and much fun, it was time to wrap up and bid adieu to the land of Kutch. The fellows embarked on the final stretch of the 2025 Bhuj training with a visit to the “ghost town” of Lakhpat, situated near the Radcliffe line.

The final lap began with a bus ride and the usual Gujarati breakfast – generous servings of Dhokla, Jalebi, Fafda and Tea/Coffee for all the fellows and the facilitators. The trip took four long hours, but as fellows, none of us felt the time pass. A transit stop at Narayan Sarovar meant that pictures could be clicked at the westernmost point of India, following which the fellows buoyantly proceeded towards the Lakhpat Gurudwara to visit an ancient memorial of Guru Nanak Dev – housing some of his relics such as the wooden footwear and the swing (Palki) – to commemorate the spot from where the Guru visited the holy town of Mecca and returned. A simple meal of roti, rice and chickpea vegetables concluded the afternoon plan.

With most of the fellows never having visited a “ghost town”, the team proceeded on foot to the abandoned village of Lakhpat. For a brief period, the fellows and their antics provided life to an otherwise eerily silent geography. Following the brief exposure, the fellows were divided into teams and were asked to provide insights and reflections on the exposure visits and the experiences of the past 7 days. Fellows looked back upon the trip with great satisfaction, reminiscing the visits to organizations such as –

• Khamir – working on the conservation of Indigenous cultural practices
• Sahajeevan – working on the preservation of ecology and pastoral livelihoods
• Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan – working on Women empowerment initiatives
• Sakhi Sangini – working on underprivileged urban women’s empowerment
• Setu Abhiyan – Working on good governance practices
• Homes In the City – working on Urban development initiatives
• Hunnarshala – working on Infrastructure redevelopment.

Fellows fondly recalled their varied experiences during their visits, mentioning that a greater understanding of the development sector was required to achieve true change at the grassroots level and that visits like this exposure tour indicate the long path that still needs to be tread. Additionally, fellows mentioned actionable initiatives they would like to implement in their respective field locations. Initiatives such as Balika Panchayats (mini governing bodies for adolescent girls) and the inclusion of urban development activities in education were mentioned as key motivators for the upcoming closing months of the fellowship.

The evening was capped with a fabulous view of the sunset from the top of the Lakhpat fort, which the fellows scaled with great anticipation and trepidation. A simple dinner at the Gurudwara Langar (kitchen) brought the day’s events to a close. The fellows left with mixed feelings of hopefulness and separation, considering they would leave for their respective locations the following day.

Nevertheless, the day brought the weeklong exposure tour to a satisfying conclusion. Fellows were eager to take what they learned from the tour and implement it in their field locations, thereby concluding the fellowship period on a sustained high.

*photo credit- Isani (co fellow)