The Guardian

Krutarthsinh Jadeja: Devpur Darbargadh Homestay, Kutch, Gujarat, India

Krutarthsinh Jadeja, or K as he signs off his emails, has converted his family-owned 110-year-old haveli property in Kutch into a boutique B&B/homestay. Near the Great Rann of Kutch, India’s salt desert and Dholavira, a Harappan civilisation site, this region is also known as Flamingo City – as it is the breeding ground for these migratory birds. An avid traveller himself, K is the kind of host who is neither too distant, nor too involved. He’s a huge promoter of local crafts, such as appliqué work, metal wares and tie-and-dye, and makes it his prerogative to sit with his guests during their meals to share snippets about Kutch – and nearby artisan villages of Bhujodi, Khamir and Ajrakhpur. The B&B has four rooms, each unique yet exquisite and reflective of the local culture with their dome-shaped archways, porticos and pillared halls that remain airy even during summer; they each have their own little library, too, and K is more than happy to let a guest exchange books from their own collection. For guests who’d like to spend a longer and make the most of it, there is a family-run boarding school within the same premises that they can volunteer at.