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| Photo Credit: Si-Gal

The Rann of Kutch is a salt marsh in the Thar desert, bordering Pakistan. Located in the Kutch district of Gujarat, and is 7,500 km² , making it one of the largest salt marshes in the world. With a size that big, it is divided into two sub areas: The Great Rann and the Little Rann.

A salty formation

Nature has its own special way of creating things, no matter how strange they may seem. And that’s just how this marsh was formed.

Earlier, it was a shallow part of the Arabian Sea, which eventually became a salt-filled basin due to tectonic upliftment that eventually disconnected it from the Sea.

Every rainy season, the water from the sea and rivers (like the Luni river, Thar desert’s largest river) would fill up the basin. That’s also where the salt comes from. Intense heat in the desert would further evaporate the water, leaving salty deposits behind. This repeated filling and drying up of the basin over millions of years is what led to the formation of Rann of Kutch.

The many colours of the Rann

With each passing season, the Rann of Kutch changes drastically. Monsoons from July to October bring about rains that turn it into a shallow sea. Dry weather, like in winters (November – February), evaporates the water leaving behind sparkling salt crusts perfect for festivals like Rann Utsav. Summers from March to June are the same, only difference between the scorching heat.

The area also sees extreme weather conditions, getting extremely cold as snow during winters. Summers see extreme heat with temperatures soaring over 40℃. If you would like to visit, we would recommend the winters, as in spite of the biting cold, the view is rather beautiful and the salt underneath your shoes will feel crisp and fresh.

Life in salt

In spite of the harsh climates and less than favourable vegetation, the Rann supports diverse life and gets visits from migratory birds. Flamingoes, pelicans, and cranes are common visitors to the wetlands of the Kutch during winters.

As for the native fauna, birds like the cream coloured courser, MacQueen’s bustard and various species of pelicans are a part of the ecosystem. Animals include desert foxes, wolves, and wild asses — which are particularly seen in the Little Rann of Kutch.

The Rann of Kutch Wildlife Sanctuary is the largest Ramsar site (wetlands preserved under the Ramsar Convention of 1971) in Bandi district, Sindh, Pakistan. Here, bird species such as common teal, shell duck, mallard, pochard, flamingo and pelican are found in the habitat. Striped hyenas are also part of this unique biodiversity. The flora mostly sees dry, thorny shrubs, considering it is a desert area.

Another such sanctuary is the Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary, which is situated in the Little Rann of Kutch. It was established under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, as one of the last bastions for the endangered Indian wild ass, also called the khur or the godhkhur in the Gujarati language.

MacQueen’s bustard in the Greater Rann of Kutch.
| Photo Credit:
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

And it’s not just plants and animals, people are able to make a life here too. Communities like the Agariyas who are salt farmers by profession make a living by the Rann. The community also sees nomadic pastoral groups like Maldharis, and various other ethnic groups such as Rabaris, Meghwals, and Harijans. People make a livelihood here by farming salt, involving in pastoralism, and making handicrafts.

Indian Wild Ass enjoying sunset time with calf and family at Little Rann of Kutch.
| Photo Credit:
Getty Images/iStockphoto

The white gold of Gujarat

With all the salt in the Rann, it’s no surprise when you learn that Gujarat produces the majority of the country’s salt, measuring up to about 75% to 80% of the total output, with figures even reaching 87%! The salt is produced under intense heat, and hardcore manual labour.

Salt was so precious here, that at one point, the British made attempts to control or ban local salt production.

A Salt Farmer busy in her Salt farm at Little Rann of Kutch.
| Photo Credit:
VIJAY SONEJI/THE HINDU

Quake zone

Don’t let the beauty of the salt desert faze you. As stunning as it is, it is a seismically active zone. In other words, it is very prone to earthquakes. These earthquakes also contribute to the already drastically changing landscape. The 1819 earthquake is a tragic example of how dangerous a zone it is. The magnitude was said to have been between 7.7 and 8.2 on the Richter scale, killed over 1,500 people, and even triggered a tsunami that flooded the area.

The infamous 2001 Bhuj earthquake also led to soil liquefaction (weakening of the soil in response to an applied stress) in the Rann.

‘Rann’-ing trade

Little do you know, the Rann also has a fascinating history in trade, dating back to the Indus Valley Civilisation. Its lagoons functioned like a maritime zone, helping connect inland settlements to overseas trade in the Arabian Sea. It is also said that there were ports connecting to other districts like Dholavira and Lothal, facilitating trade both inland and overseas. Maritime trade here began to flourish even more as trade expanded in the western Indian Ocean.

It is still a popular trade route today, with modern infrastructure making it an even stronger hotspot.

A traditional salt pan farmer showing crystallised salt. People make a living here on salt farming.
| Photo Credit:
THE HINDU

Environmental concerns

But amid all this saline glory, lie some valid environmental concerns including habitat loss, industrial and agricultural pollution, and climate change. Overextraction of salt can often lead to damaging the quality of land as it increases its salt content. Expansion of salt pans affect habitats severely, causing bird collisions and impacting movement patterns of mammals.

White salt desert at Rann of Kutch
| Photo Credit:
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

All in all, the Rann is not just a white desert, it is a living landscape shaped by water, heat, and time. It is a marshland that has history and science written in it. If you ever visit Kutch in Gujarat and happen to see the Rann, you’ll know just how beautiful and unique nature’s balance is.

A scene from Rann Utsav.
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Shantanu Moitra and Kaushiki Charaborty
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Korean pop band BTS appears at the 2019 Variety’s Hitmakers Brunch in West Hollywood, Calif., on Dec. 7, 2019. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
| Photo Credit: RICHARD SHOTWELL

Runners on Sheikh Zayed Road at the Dubai Fitness Challenge’s flagship event.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Margazhi celebrated Shravan Kummar’s journey as a designer
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

A storytelling session is about to commence at Bengaluru’s Buguri Community Library in Banashankari, a space created by the not-for-profit Hasiru Dala for the children of waste pickers and waste workers. Around 20 bright-eyed children, ages five to mid-teens, sit cross-legged on a jamakkalam, giggling and chatting among themselves while Gomathi J, Pushpalatha S, and Lathasha, all associated with this library, flit around the cheery mural-and-book-filled room, preparing for this session.

Gomathi begins with an icebreaker, asking all participants to close their eyes and listen as the other two facilitators introduce various sounds: a squeak, a bird’s chirp, clapping hands, and stomping feet. “Can you identify these?” she asks, with a smile, as a stream of enthusiastic responses comes in. This is followed by a dramatised story about Chintu, a little boy with musical abilities, which ends with an interactive session with the children.

“Through storytelling, we can explore so many things: creativity, music, theatre,” explains Pushpalatha S, who believes that children enjoy a good story, especially one buoyed by all these various elements. “These children are passionate about music, which is why we picked up this story,” agrees Lathasha.

At the storytelling session at the Buguri Community Library in Banashankari
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

The importance of play

This storytelling session is part of a city-wide movement to reclaim childhood by Bachpan Manao, an EkStep Foundation initiative titled BM in a Box. According to Deepika Mogilishetty, Chief of Policy and Partnerships, EkStep Foundation, Bachpan Manao was started over two years ago, as a “collective creative articulation of the idea of bringing attention to the first eight years of childhood, a unique window of opportunity for every child.”

During this phase of life, learning and living are the same for children, Deepika says, because their brains are developing at a rapid pace. She adds that it is important to ensure that children get to experience the elements of joy, curiosity and wonder in this critical period of growth and development, regardless of the child’s background, something Bachpan Manao and its collab-actors from across the country strive to do “If, as caring adults, we don’t fuel it with nurturing environments, we are shortchanging our youngest.”

Play is an essential activity for children to explore these feelings and emotions. Play should be abundant in childhood – something that happens “in exploration, storytelling, running, climbing, imagining, and reading and even when children are doing nothing,” says Deepika.

In an effort to ensure support structures that enable play, Bachpan Manao seeks to create more child-friendly, welcoming early childhood care spaces. “Bachpan Manao’s 100-plus collab-actors are part of this conversation, and they seek to do this in their own way,” she says, pointing out that a range of events, both online and in-person have been organised across the country, which celebrate and make visible early childhood, “in our homes, in our conversations, in our anganwadis, kindergartens, schools, parks, libraries and in other public spaces.”

Play happens in multiple ways, including exploration, storytelling, running, climbing, imagining, and reading
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

A collaborative effort

BM in a Box emerged out of a collaboration between Bachpan Manao and Makkala Hubba, which is part of the upcoming BLR Hubba, a Bengaluru-based arts and culture festival, which will be held in the city between January 16 and 25.

Bhawna Jaimini, the curator of Makkala Hubba, described in the BLR Hubba website as “a sensorial world in the heart of Freedom Park that restores wonder, play, and discovery”, expands on the reason behind it.

“There are fewer and fewer spaces in cities for children to explore beyond the confines of their homes and schools,” she says. And while Bengaluru is no exception, it does have an extensive network of parks and open spaces, which its citizens continue to occupy and reclaim imaginatively.

“Makkala Hubba is another way of reclaiming the city for childhood in creative, joyful ways, where artists, educators, and creative practitioners lead the way in making Bengaluru the city of, by, and for children,” says Bhawna.

Makkala Hubba with Bachpan Manao transforms Bengaluru’s Freedom Park’s historic grounds into a landscape of curiosity, connection, and wonder, where “learning doesn’t happen in rows of desks but through touch, sound, movement, storytelling and quiet time”.

In the process of this co-creation between Makkala Hubba and Bachpan Manao, another idea emerged, says Deepika. While looking at what would be presented through the lens of play and learning at Makkala Hubba to make it inviting to younger children, they also began to explore ways to create something that could happen in any space in the city.

An installation from Makkala Hubba, Nose Squats
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

“This is not just about one event or one park. It’s about fundamentally reimagining Bengaluru as a city that prioritises its youngest residents, where every neighbourhood has safe spaces for play, where we invest in our anganwadis and libraries, where public planning considers children, and where childhood is not just protected but actively celebrated and eventually becomes a national conversation and movement,” she says

Creating more child-friendly spaces

This led them to conceptualise the BM in a Box toolkit, a “metaphorical box” that offers ways to bring early childhood to life across various spaces and communities. This co-created digital playbook, available for download from the Bachpan Manao website, offers resources to help anyone host a BM in a Box event.

These include a simple guide, eight childhood themes such as play, social bonding, nature and stories, over 32 activity ideas—including lagori, pictionary, sock puppets, scavenger hunts, clowning and story circles, to further explore these themes, a directory of artists, storytellers, musicians, and resource persons, printable décor, materials, and giveaways to make spaces vibrant and pointers to ensure safety, inclusion, and care for every child.

“BM in a Box is an invitation to anyone, saying that – here are a few ways of bringing childhood alive in your community and neighbourhood,” says Deepika, who sees it as a way of empowering communities across Bengaluru to create space for and celebrate childhood in their own neighbourhoods.

Buguri Library’s Lathasha agrees saying, creating spaces like this enables children to open up and express themselves more fully. “Many of the children here face social challenges in their everyday life, and don’t have a platform to express themselves.”

These activities, she feels, also offer them an opportunity to talk about their suppressed thoughts and feelings. “When Pushpa does read aloud, for instance, children say that this happened to me that day. And when we assign tasks like writing to them, they do it beautifully,” says Lathasha, who says creating safe spaces for children to be themselves is extremely important.

The BM in a box toolkit can be downloaded at the bachpanmanao.org/playground_bm/bm-in-a-box-a-series-of-micro-events-celebrating-childhood

Kickstart 2026 on a high with several new culinary offerings that have opened doors. A Southeast Asian hawker-inspired restaurant, a pub that draws from Bali’s tropical locales, and Ishaara’s second outlet in the city are just a few of the many experiences on offer.

NEW IN THE HOOD

In-house brews @ Tropika

The latest entrant to Marathahalli’s dining scene is Tropika, a tropical-inspired dining and craft brewery. Inspired by Baliesque interiors and island vibes, the outpost has been designed by city-based WDA Architecture and features “greenery, earthy textures, and breezy open areas”. 

As for the culinary offerings, the menu features over 200 globally inspired dishes including  international plates, as well as vegan and Jain options. Offerings include paneer jakhas bao, walnut cream cheese dumplings, jalapeño poppers, leaf-grilled lamb, among others. The highlight, however, is the in-house craft brewery, guided by the philosophy, “Good Beer Doesn’t Hurry.”

On offer are eight signature brews including Belgian wit, chocolate stout, tropical coconut cream ale, and sparkling strawberry cider that are complemented by premium spirits, cocktails, and mocktails.

At37/1, Outer Ring Road, Panathur, Marathahalli, Bengaluru – 560103

Sector 144 
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Coastal meets continental @ Sector 144 

The multi-cuisine pub’s second outlet offers diners a rooftop dining experience on the fourth floor with a terrace. An all-day dining venue by day and rooftop bar by night, it is designed in warm, earthy hues, Aztec-inspired design elements, and intimate seating pockets.

The menu features 120+ dishes spanning Karavalli coastal, Chinese, and continental cuisines. Highlights include truffle parmesan fries, Korean fried chicken, spiced cottage cheese skewers, lamb seekh kebabs, butter garlic prawns, and slow-cooked chicken mains, among others.

The beverage menu features cocktails and mocktails that draw inspiration from ‘birds, trains, card games, rock bands, global currencies, and cult characters’. Indulge in a whiskey sour, gin basil smash, vodka watermelon cooler, tropical rum punch, a virgin passion fruit mojito, etc. 

At 4th Floor, Above Style Union, Santrupthi Nagar, JP Nagar 7th Phase

The Wine Studio has been curated by CUR8
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Wine Studio @ Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru

Upping their cocktail game, the hotel’s newly launched The Wine Studio has been curated by CUR8. Aimed at offering a more immersive, elevated wine culture in the city, the studio offers a range of tactile experiences for diners. Guests can assemble their own cheese boards, discover boutique Indian labels, and more. 

Highlights include Indian Chenin Blanc, Burgundys, and more. The studio also features a ‘rotating menu of curated journeys that bring regional wine traditions to life through thoughtful pairings and guided tastings’.

The Grand Tour de France, for instance, features wines, live baguette slicing and artisanal cheese carving from Bordeaux to Burgundy, the Italian Wine and Cheese Soirée covers the Alps, Tuscany, and Sicily with bold reds and hand-sliced Prosciutto di Parma. 

At 8, Bellary Rd, Dena Bank Colony, Ganganagar

A cocktail at Ishaara
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Memory-led dining @ Ishaara 

Bellona Hospitality has brought its ‘purpose-led’ diner to Church Street. Created on the philosophy of giving back, Ishaara is helmed by a team of hearing and speech-impaired service professionals. 

With their food philosophy leaning towards familiarity, the menu is rooted in memory — ‘by the kitchens, lanes, and lived experiences that define Indian cooking, from the bylanes of Old Delhi to coastal homes and clay pots in Bihar;. Highlights include Dilli waale dahi bhalle, oyster moilee, tandoori broccoli, Chandni Chowk chicken kebab, kathal kakori, paneer palak shyam savera, Ishaara butter chicken, Champaran mutton, Kashmiri gucchi biryani, Sufiyani chicken biryani, Amritsari Halwa, and more. 

At 1 Sobha, Church Street

Dishes at Yoichi
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Hawker-inspired @ Yoichi

The team behind Shiro and Hard Rock Café brings to the city a restaurant that draws from the food carts in the narrow alleys of Bangkok and Tokyo. Yoichi, meaning ‘street market’ in Japanese, is located in the heart of Manyata Tech Park and is a Southeast Asia-inspired culinary offering. Complete with stalls and carts, the restaurant features an Izakaya live section lined with bottles of sake and Japanese whiskey; a Tuk Tuk Bar; a Claypot Corner; Salad Cart; The Grill; and a Vegetable House. There are also live experiences like a dim sum counter, a parata ichiban stall, a satay cart, and a sushi station. The highlight is an Asian Thali that comprises a ‘mix of several Asian dishes with bites of South East Asian favourites’. 

Top dishes include Thai glass noodles, Korean kimchi ramen, Cantonese hot pots, Japanese classics like hamachi carpaccio and tsukune, and Vietnamese hotpots, to name a few. 

At Block U, 1st Floor, Manyata Tech Park – 1, MS Ramaiah North City, Nagavara, Bengaluru 560045

Khoya Mutter Makhana at Lohri
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

FESTIVE EDIT

Harvest specials @ Lohri 

Commermorating North India’s harvest festival, Lohri has launched a new menu to spotlight Punjab’s winter kitchens. It begins with festive drinks like the peeli phasal, a blend of ripe mango, sugarcane juice, roasted cumin, and fizzy soda; mirchi te ganna da ras, a mix of fresh sugarcane juice, ginger, lime, and red chilli. 

As you move to mains, savour sarson da gosht, murgh lababdar, khoya mutter makhana with breads like palak aur lasun naan, beetroot and roasted jeera naan. Alongside are hearty soups such as makki da shorba and paya shorba. The breakfast section features a rabdi paratha, while the desserts include atte ka halwa and gajar ka halwa.

Until January 18 at Ground Floor, Trinity Circle

A dish from the millet menu
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Millet menu @ Radisson Blu 

This harvest season, the hotel has collaborated with health food brand Bakahu to curate a millet menu. Coinciding with Makar Sankranti, the menu spotlights indigenous and seasonal produce, and is ‘rooted in mindful eating and the goodness of native grains’.

The menu features foxtail millet vegetable hakka noodles, ragi millet uttapams with veg sago, and a sorghum millet halwa. There is also a section for millet-based drinks that includes heritage highball with toasted bajra water; and bhoomi breeze with ragi water, among others. 

Until January 14 at 90/4, Outer Ring Rd, Marathahalli Village, Marathahalli

Good food needs no drama or backstory to entice the eater. And yet, when doli ki roti was served to me for lunch by Sherry Mehta, hails from Shimla and is an authority on Himachali and Punjabi cooking at Kanak, Trident Hyderabad, I found myself curious. Without context, it looked very much like a puri that was part of ‘A culinary tale of unchronicled Punjab.’

Sheen sajji by Sherry Mehta
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

“No, it’s not a puri. Break a piece, taste it, then let’s talk,” says Sherry.

I did—and the doli ki roti surprised me. Simply put, it is a thoughtful hybrid of a bhatura and a dal puri. Unlike a bhatura, doli ki roti is made with wheat flour that undergoes a 24-hour fermentation. It is stuffed with roasted, coarsely ground yellow moong dal, rolled out to puri size, and fried in oil. The result is soft and slightly stretchy, never chewy, with the moong dal adding an occasional bite.

“These rotis were made for the bride’s journey from her mother’s home to her sasural in the olden days in the region of Multan i,” Sherry explains. “The fermented dough ensured the food wouldn’t spoil, while the moong filling provided protein. The name ‘doli ki roti’ literally means bread for the palanquin.”

Some of the starters by Sherry Mehta
| Photo Credit:
Prabalika M Borah

Next came the Peshawari naan, gently sweet and stuffed with mawa. After these two breads, there was little temptation to reach for something as plain as the kesari ki paronthi.

What stood out was the menu Sherry had put together — one that foregrounded lesser-known gems from the region like a mixed vegetable kadhi, green tomato butter chicken, Lahori tadka daal, panjratni daal, pani phal ke kofte and so on). The starters included babugoshe ka shorba (a pear-based soup), parat ki paneer (paneer stuffed with prunes), bathuwa aur nyoje ke kebab (tikkis made with bathua greens and pine nuts), sheen sajji (whole meat slow-roasted over coal), and bhang jeeri jheenga (prawns cooked with hemp seeds).

“There are two parts to this menu,” says Sherry. “One comes from research and the digging up of old recipes. The other, dishes made with green leafy vegetables and pulses, is my way of breaking the mindset that Punjabi food is only about paneer and butter masala.”

The bathuwa aur nyoje ke kebab, for instance, highlights an overlooked use of bathua (which grows as a weed during winter season and consumed as leafy vegetable). Punjabi cuisine is often reduced to familiar pairings like sarson ka saag and makki ki roti, but, as Sherry points out, “we also eat bathuwe ka paratha and bathuwe ka raita.”

Sherry Mehta
| Photo Credit:
Prabalika M Borah

Surprisingly, the starters were devoid of the usual curd-and-spice marinades. The batyr ka shorba (peppery quail soup), for instance, relied solely on pepper for heat. The sheen sajji — marinated with nothing more than salt and pepper — proved that flavour often lies in restraint and simplicity. The bathuwa aur nyoje ke kebab, meanwhile, leaves you guessing its ingredients.

So how does this food differ from what is commonly commercialised as Punjabi cuisine? Sherry explains, “We’ve been made to believe that Punjabi food is all about ghee, paneer and butter chicken. As a result, many everyday dishes and seasonal greens have been ignored. I also make butter chicken—mine is green because I use green tomatoes. Kebabs and curries aren’t always prepared with curd-based gravies.”

Staying with the idea of seasonality, Sherry served two dips — one made with green shallots, the other with radish and sesame. Dessert followed in the form of panjiri ice cream, kali gajar ka halwa, and seb ki phirni.

The fest at Kanak, Trident Hyderabad is on till January 17 (lunch and dinner )

Published – January 13, 2026 01:59 pm IST