PM Modi’s tent to turn tourist attraction at Rann Utsav

A luxurious bulletproof tent, which was home to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his three-day visit to the desert village of Dhordo for the state police chiefs’ meet last week, is set to be thrown open to tourists during the Rann Utsav in Gujarat’s Kutch region.

The Super Rajwadi accommodation is the latest attraction at the annual three-month-long desert festival in Dhordo’s tent city. The event, Modi’s brainchild during his stint as the state’s chief minister, was marketed by actor Amitabh Bachchan in series of advertisements with the tagline – `Kutch din to gujaro Gujarat mein’.

“The tent is going to be an added attraction at the site,” said N Srivastav, managing director of the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited (TGCL).

Now, while tents are known to be makeshift accommodations for travellers to rough it out in the wild, this one is anything but that. Describing the various creature comforts that feature in the shelter, a top TGCL official said, “The sprawling carpeted tent houses a huge bedroom with a wooden carved bed; a drawing room with sofas, a television set and multimedia players; a dining hall; a conference room; a lounge; a bathroom with modern fittings; and a wardrobe section.”

While traditional Kutch interiors and plush wooden furnishings give the suite a regal look, a temperature control system helps occupants weather the ups and downs of the desert climate.

TCGL sources said chief minister Anandiben Patel is likely to be the first guest to stay in the tent, after she inaugurates the Rann Utsav on Thursday. It will be opened to the public only in January.

This edition of the festival, which was first launched in 2005 as a three-day event, is likely to play host to President Pranab Mukherjee.

Staying in this luxury tent, however, may just burn a big hole in your pocket. Though the tariff for the tent is yet to be fixed, Srivastav said it’s likely to be at least “Rs 8,000 per person for a night, exluding meals”. According to Gujarat Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki, the tent was set up at a cost of Rs 31 lakh.

Besides this, the administration will also hand over a couple of Darbari tents and 10 VIP shelters to the festival organisers in January. The two Darbari tents – spread across 1,600 sq ft each – had accommodated home minister Rajnath Singh and his junior minister Kiren Rijiju during the national conference.

The Rann Utsav attracts as many as 2.5 lakh tourists every year.