Some 90 kms north of Bhuj, on a road straight up north, lies India Bridge. The bed is bone dry now, but during the rainy season, its all a wet land and hence the bridge. There were a number of bridges across that bed, apparently in the past , but all of them were bombed out after the 1971 Indo Pak war. Now only one remains – the India Bridge. It’s the last civilian point. Beyond it is the domain of the Army and the Border Security Force.

70 kms further up from India Bridge is the border with Pakistan . You can go right upto the border, but that will require a special permission from Ramamritham and I didn’t have the patience to deal with that specimen now. I did try, going all the way to Bhuj for it, but the venerable specimen was having an afternoon siesta and wouldn’t wake up till 5.00 PM. Reluctantly I had to abandon the idea. But I did go to India Bridge, chatted with the BSF personnel there and came back. It is inhospitable terrain and the men of the forces have a hard time there. Spare a thought for them.

The road right upto the border is excellent. Across the border the Pakistani road starts. The nearest city close to India Bridge is actually Hyderabad in the Sindh province of Pakistan, not Bhuj in India. It would have been a simple hour’s drive. How I would have loved to go there. Alas, its an hour’s drive physically but impossible practically. In my lifetime, I don’t think I can make that journey.

On the way is Kala Dungar, a hill which is the highest point on the Raan. You can see for a never ending distance from there. The sight of the salt flats is breathtaking – it looks just like a sea and you have to pinch yourself that you are not seeing water, but a desert.

There are very few villages dotting this landscape. Most of it is desolation, but in the area of the Rann before the salt flats are the Kutch villages. The Kutch men dressed in their dark pyjamas and kurtas are more resembling the Pakistanis in their dressing. The women were multicoloured bright clothes – brightness is the word when it comes to Kutchchi dressing and set against the desolate landscape , it makes a grand spectacle.

Bhuj is an interesting small town. There is a heavy military presence of course – it’s a major Air Force base and there are big contingents of the Army as well as the Border Security Force. The town is clean – surprise surprise and it is not a cramped congested place. There is a nice lake in the middle and its actually full of water – not sewage or dry.

Kutch is a special place. It’s not for everybody, but for some it can be magnetic. If you can, come and breathe in a bit of Kutch , as the hero would say in his deep voice !