Preservation is Our Ethos
As a family with ancient roots in the region, preserving the Rann and its culture, traditions, wildlife, and fauna is a personal mission, not just an objective goal. The following are our actions to help preserve our culture, arts, crafts, and way of life.
Being Local, Buying Local
We buy locally as much as possible and choose fresh produce to packaged, thus reducing wastage and encouraging local entrepreneurs.
To ensure that Rann Riders remains an eco-tourism project, we work with the local citizenry to benefit them and communities with high artisanal skills, such as weavers, embroiders, bead-workers, potters, etc.
Benefiting Local Communities
The Mirs were traditionally known for their dances and their beadwork. With falling demand, they shifted to doing manual labour. To address this, we encouraged them to pursue their traditional crafts work with an assurance of a market amidst the Rann guests.
The Mirs use opaque beads and out-of-circulation coins, buttons, etc, to create braids, tassels and necklaces for women and girls. Thanks to their revenue from selling beaded bangles to our guests, they keep their craft alive while earning a livelihood.
Creating a Market for Local Handicrafts
The Kharapat Rabari women are skilled in embroidery work. Traditionally, they worked on embroidered costumes as part of their dowry, while their husbands contributed to the household by their dairy farming.
Rann Riders support enterprising and skilled Rabari women. They gather their best works and sell them at our Lodge and in their homes to earn an income while keeping their skills alive.
Contributing Ideas and more to support Sustainable Tourism
Rann Riders is also working with government departments and NGOs to create waste management and recycling systems in the villages around the Rann.
The team at the Resort is also working to develop a platform for the local artisans, improve their work environments, and build facilities for tourists visiting this area, irrespective of where they stay. Chief amongst these initiatives is the plan to build a craft village that will give artisans a place to sell their work to interested buyers while gaining a reputation.
Our sustainability ventures are part of our approach to tourism- essentially Inside Out. We don't just showcase what is available but preserve, protect and nurture the cultural and tradition-bound crafts to keep them alive.