The Little Rann of Kutch - The Cotton and Salt Workers

The following morning, the owner of the resort took us in his Jeep towards the flat, stark, expansive area known as The Little Rann of Kutch. Along the way, we saw several women in bright clothes and a few men picking cotton. The women giggled in shyness as they continued picking the cotton by hand, placing it in large cloth bundles. Once the bundle was full, it was carried to a truck, a ready containing quite a bit of the white fluff. Shortly after that, the land became quite desolate looking.

 

In the distance, we saw some action near large white piles that looked like snow. In fact, these words helped flats, created during the monsoon season when the sea and rivers flood the region. Underground water in this area is also very salty, making it unsuitable for farming. Instead, the enterprising Indians ever used this area to harvest salt for domestic and some export use. Our driver turned off the road and onto the cracked land until we reached the salt workers. A few men scooped up dried salt into shallow bowls, which they then placed on top of the heads of women. The women then carried the bowl weighing about 20 kg (44 lb) and dumped the salt onto large piles. They would toil like this in the hot sun from about 8 AM to 2 pm every day during the 6 to 8 months of harvest. During this time, they would live and work in the flats. Noticing a few children, I inquired whether they went to school. According to our driver, about 40% do get an education, but NGOs are helping to improve this. No harvesting would occur during the monsoon. For every 50 kg bag, workers would get between 14 and 18 rupees ($0.30-$0.40). About 7,000 metric tons of salt are produced in this area.

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