Kutch (Guj), Dec 26 (PTI) It''s six in the evening and a full moon shines down on hundreds of tourists travelling on camel carts to the Great Rann of Kutch where a cultural event is being held in the midst of the desert to mark Rann Utsav 2010.
As one approaches the White Rann, named so due to the huge salt content in the desert making it look like ice, the whiteness is suddenly interrupted with bright lights and people in colourful dresses performing in an open-air theatre on the second day of the festival.
Right in the middle of the desert, which separates Kutch from the Sindh region of Pakistan, performers chart the cultural history of Gujarat as well as that of India, from the Ramayan to the visit of Swami Vivekananda to Kutch before leaving for the Chicago conference in 1893.
Rann Utsav, organised by the Gujarat tourism department annually, is an opportunity for visitors to attend folk dance and music concepts, watch artisans at work, visit handicraft villages, see the historical monuments in the state and go trekking as well.
The festival inauguration took place on December 19 on the banks of the Hamir Sagar Lake in Bhuj, where a parade of about 42 floats represented the cultural heritage of Gujarat, remembering the freedom fighters hailing from the state as well as prominent leaders.
The inaugural also saw performances by dance groups from Punjab, Rajasthan as well as the Bengali community living in Gujarat, who paid tribute to Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore to mark his 150th birth anniversary, dancing to his famous song ''Momo Chitte Nite Nitte''.
Though the Utsav has been going on for the past several years, this year it is being celebrated as a month-long festival (December 19 to Jan 19) for the first time.

Rann Utsav this year has a Tent City comprising about 450 tents set up at Dhordo, about two kilometres from the Great Rann, to accommodate tourists coming to enjoy the festival.
Dhordo is more than 300 kms away from the state capital Ahmedabad. During the festival tourists are taken to the BSF-controlled white rann on camel carts from Dhordo as the ground is too soft for cars and buses.
Tourists are taken to various places in and around Kutch durring Rann Utsav, including the 400 hundred years old Dattatrey temple at the Kala Dungar, where jackals are served ''prasad'' after the evening ''aarti'' of the deity, Mandvi beach, Indo-Pak border and the eco-friendly Hudko village.
Handicrafts from the region can be seen at the village ''Ludia''. Other places to visit are Narayan Sarovar, bird sanctury of Chhari Dhangh, a thousand-year-old Kera Shiv Temple and archeological site of Dhola Veera.
The festival is marked with the Gujarati spirit, with tourists mainly comprising NRIs native to the state. The food served in the tent city is authentic Gujarati, making no attempts at accommodating taste buds of other kinds.