Journey Of Faith - Part 6: The Pursuit Of The Rann

"Possible?" 

- Easy

"Let's do this!" 

And that's the story of how we decided to drive straight to Dholavira. To make things a tad more interesting, we had to make it to the Rann in time for the sunset. The Hyundai Tucson's speedo rarely showed double digits in our dash from Jaisalmer to Dholavira. 

As the big Hyundai gobbled up the miles, we were losing some precious sunlight. By the time we entered Dholavira, we had about 25 minutes before the sun disappeared under the horizon. 

"See, it's not advisable to go through here as the Rann is damp. We're not sending our Gypsys. The tractors are the only vehicles that can negotiate the terrain" - Commandant Shiju George's words sounded like instructions. A while back we'd passed a raggedy board that read "Rann - 200 metres", and were discouraged from entering into the salt flats from there. The flats around the bridge that connects the island to the mainland looked a bit too soft. 

"Ek kaam karo. Head to the Karni maata temple. You'll atleast get a good picture there," said the Commandant before bidding us goodbye and wishing us luck. The temple is located on the west-most point of the island and is about 50 kilometres (as the crow flies) away from Pakistan. We had no more than 8 minutes to cover roughly 3 kilometres. Not to mention, roads didn't exist - at all. Nonetheless, some spirited driving got us to the temple with a couple of minutes to spare. 

While our lensman clicked away, he did seem rather bummed about what he saw through the viewfinder. "We need to be ON the Rann. We can't NOT drive on it after coming so close," he exclaimed. I shared the sentiment, and wondered when Hyundai would bring in the all-wheel drive Tucson. When we got to our night halt we quizzed our host about the possibility of driving on the flats. "Yahaan peeche se ek rasta hai. Woh best ho jaayega," chirped Mahendra bhai. Our eyes lit up with glee, but he soon damped spirits as he added "Par mera pakka nahi hai. Mei try karunga aane." (There's a road that goes onto the Rann from behind, that's the best. But I'm not sure if I'll be able to take you there.)

We wouldn't venture out into the Rann on our own - everyone mercifully agreed to that. A four-wheel drive setup would've given us a bit more confidence to go exploring. "Let's hope he's around in the morning," we said before hitting the sack. 

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The next morning saw another trip to the Karni Maata temple for some video footage. On our return to the hotel we found a steaming hot breakfast, and a smiling Mahendra bhai awaiting us. He hopped into his 4x4 and beckoned us to follow. A tight sandy road soon gave way to the vast expanse of absolutely nothing. The Rann wasn't at its pristine best. Instead of dazzling us with a bright whiteness the Rann sparkled at us. Nonetheless, it looked magnificent! 

The crackling of the surface was unnerving at first. It felt like we were driving on a giant khakra that would crack up all of a sudden and swallow the Tucson whole! My stomach was in knots for the first few minutes, but as we drove deeper into the Rann, the surface became more firm. Soon enough, the Tucson felt at home. We were taken aback, because we assumed we'd have to drop the tyre pressures. But, it managed to keep up with all our shenanigans on the Rann. The empty expanse makes you want to flex the right foot, while the tram-lining zaps you back to your cautious senses. Is it scary? A little. Is it fun? A lot!

As we made our trip back to the base, I was happy at what the Tucson had pulled off and happier that I got to drive on the Rann. Faith and persistence do have their upsides, you know. 

Up next - the ruins of Dholavira. For updates on the journey, head here.