Rann Utsav white desert festival begins

Celebrating the wide culture and natural beauty that exists in Gujarat, the 12th edition of the 'Rann Utsav' began here on Tuesday with great fervour and pomp.

The utsav, which will continue till February, next year, was inaugurated by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who said the festival is now a brand in itself and an identity of the state.

"The festival was started off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2005 with a vision to promote the tourism possibilities in Gujarat. The festival gives a chance to tourists to engage themselves with the nature. We are trying to create more tourist spots and make the state as popular as Kerala, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand," Rupani said at the event.

Also present at the event was State Tourism Minister Ganpat Vasava who also spoke about the festival highlighting its growing popularity amongst tourists.

"The festival is a step to make tourists identify the rich culture of Kutch district. When we started the festival, it used to be only for three days and now it is organised for more than two months. This shows how much th festival has grown and gained popularity among people," Vasava added.

The three-month-long festival is organised at Dhordo, in the Rann of Kutch which, because of its salt flats, is commonly known as the white desert.

The inagural event was further carried ahead with cultural events like folk and traditional dance performances depicting the culture of Gujarat.

--IANS

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