Gulbeg died in 1999 aged 78. His son has now taken upon himself to promote the festival and the indigenous art that is bringing progress to the remote village.
A row of framed black and white images adorns the bhunga at the entrance of his house, capturing Gulbeg's life and times. The monochromes are juxtaposed with recent coloured images of the village which has undergone a dramatic transition, going from being a “backward” spot to becoming “Gujarat's pride”.
Husen, in his late 40s, is hardly literate, yet uses tech -savvy words like “Internet” and “wi-fi” with ease. “It gives us pride to see streets lit up with electricity and tourists using latest technology in a remote corner of the country,” he said.
As to the bhungas, visitors are amazed at the techniques used and the aesthetics built into it, both in the interiors and on the outside.
“These houses don't collapse in earthquakes,” Husen pointed out.
“Our bhungas have become an international hit. You can see them at luxury resorts put up here by the state government. They are also used in Bhuj, which suffered the earthquake. But we in Dhordo didn't suffer much due to these round bhungas,” he said.
And, as he opens up old family albums, dating back to 1965, visitors get a sense of history associated with his family which has been instrumental in bringing prosperity to a village that could have just disappeared in the flood, “like three other villages earlier”, but was saved thanks to a mud dam.
