January 09: Bhuj / Ahmedabad

Travel by Deluxe Bus (Approx 8 hrs drive)
Buffet breakfast at the resort. After breakfast, visit the Khamir.

A documentary film by Kasturi Gandhi

It narrates the lives and work of leather artisans that belong to the Meghwal community of Kachchh.

Khamir works to strengthen and promote the rich artisan traditions of the Kachchh district.  The name stands for Kachchh Heritage, Art, Music, Information and Resources. Khamir means ‘intrinsic pride’ in Kachchhi, the local language. In Hindi it means ‘to ferment,’ an equally apt name given the constant fermentation of ideas and activity on going both within the organization, and in Kachchh at large.

Born in 2005 as a joint initiative of Kachchh Nav Nirman Abhiyan and the Nehru Foundation for Development, Khamir was formally registered under the Societies and Trust Acts in the same year. Today, it serves as a platform for the promotion of traditional handicrafts and allied cultural practices, the processes involved in their creation, and the preservation of culture, community and local environments.

 Khamir strives to create a democratic and empowering space – a common roof under which a range of stakeholders can exchange ideas and collaborate. Khamir works to shift consumer perspectives and raise the cultural value placed on crafts. 

Khamir, Bhuj: Khamir works with artisans of Kutch conserving the traditional arts and crafts of the region and introducing innovations to enhance the skills and out puts of the artisans to meet with modern demands. It runs a program to weave waste plastic into usable products and decorative goods. Khamir also helps the artisans get international exposure by holding exhibitions and demonstrations of their skills and produce both nationally and at international venues. 

Setu, Rapar, Kachch from Bhuj we travel towards Ahmedabad and on the way we visit the salt pans in the Little Rann of Kachch. We experience the plight of the salt pan workers who are enslaved by a cartel of salt traders and an unsympathetic and uncaring administration. We see the harsh working conditions in the slat pans and see them cultivate salt by the dint of hard labor.  

Around 4 PM, the group will leave for Ahmedabad by bus. Dinner will be en route.  The group will arrive Ahmedabad in the evening and check into the Fortune Landmark.

Meals Included: Buffet breakfast at the Kutch Safari Resort, lunch, dinner at the Midway restaurant.