In danger earlier of turning into a salty marshland, Dhordo in the Rann of Kutch today has become the face of Gujarat's development and growing pride, thanks to an annual festival that has put this nondescript village on the world tourism map.
The village, the last one in the district's Banni region on the northern side, now has a telephone exchange, two solar-powered ATMs, two schools and a milk co-operative.
Dhordo, which falls on the way before the blinding white desert straddling the Indo-Pak border takes over, has found that its traditional bhungas (round houses) are a hit with tourists who throng the place during Rann Utsav, which is currently underway here.
But the village owes its success story to the vision of a Gujarati man who dreamt of the festival in the Indian spirit of 'Atithi Devo Bhava', which says that the 'Guest is Supreme'.
Located about 86km from Bhuj, the district headquarters which bore the brunt of the 2001 earthquake, this 500-strong village still thanks Gulbeg Miyan, whose house today has become practically a memorial.
His son, Miyan Husen, who is the present village sarpanch, recalled his father's role and his legacy.
"My father could find his way in the blinding light of the desert here... It was his vision to host this festival here.
"About 30 years back, he met Narendra Modi, and espoused the idea of holding a festival to bring development to the region and promote its native art " Husen said.
"While a small-scale day-long festival began in the early 90s, it was only in 2008 that the festival really kicked off here with its iconic tent city life," Husen told PTI.
Gulbeg died in 1999 aged 78. His son has now taken upon himself to promote the festival and the indigenous art that is bringing progress to the remote village.
A row of framed black and white images adorns the bhunga at the entrance of his house, capturing Gulbeg's life and times. The monochromes are juxtaposed with recent coloured images of the village which has undergone a dramatic transition, going from being a "backward" spot to becoming "Gujarat's pride".
Husen, in his late 40s, is hardly literate, yet uses tech -savvy words like "Internet" and "wi-fi" with ease.
"It gives us pride to see streets lit up with electricity and tourists using latest technology in a remote corner of the country," he said.
