This Indian City Has Some Of the Most Beautiful...

Amvadabad or popularly known as Ahmedabad was heaven for me in terms of food. Bandis selling jalebis, ghatiya, dholka and fafda, to hakka noodles and mexican dishes adorn the city like a chain of pearls on a neck. This, I believe, would be the first thing anybody who likes to eat will notice.

The main reason that I went to Ahmedabad was for attending a marketing conclave that was being held in IIM-A. The campus is bea-utiful. The walls of the old campus (Vastrapur) were left in the skeleton stage of the construction. Bricks of every inch of every wall can still be seen and this forms a perfect scenery for firstly photography and secondly studying. Even simple trolleys make beautiful models in such cases.

The new campus however is designed to be a bit different. The walls of these set of buildings are left in the cementing stage but with a neat polishing.

IIM-A has large brick/cement walls with huge circles in them. A simple walk through the campus gives the feeling of walking in a fort. The construction, I think, is of that sort. Rooms that are separated by first a walkway and then a tremendously large wall. The positioning of the holes makes them seem like canon holders. Large open spaces are covered with grass that identifies itself with a green crayon.

I'm sure everyone recognises the IIM-A's logo. A tree branching out in a semi-circular enclosure. This is a jali that is still present in the Jali Masjid that is present right opposite House of M.G. The masjid is small but it has given this iconic institution its logo.

House of M.G. This is a must visit place for anyone who wants to experience the Gujju food along with a touch of royalty. This building was the home of Mr. Mangaldas Girihardas, a famous business man and a philanthropist, and his brother Chamanlal Girihardas. The buildings has been restored to its original value and it looks spectacular. There is an option to stay in this place but it sure does burn a hole in the pocket for budget travellers. However, having lunch or dinner in Agashiye overlooking the flowing traffic around the Syed Sidi Mosque (Jali Masjid) is an experience that one must have. The food is served with love and fills your stomach almost immediately. The plate almost looks like a mosaic that is spread with different colours having different textures only to be disturbed by our hands.

The House of M.G also conducts nightly heritage walks. Mr. B.A.Panchal, the tour guide, is a man with knowledge about Ahmedabad. One can easily contact him through phone: +91-9913718084 or +91-9825626387. He had been very patience throughout the walk as I kept slowing down for the sake of photos. It was very fascinating to know that the old city has preserved a large part of its culture. There are black boards at regular intervals in the gullies for the sake of announcements such as birthdays, wedding or even deaths. Right across one will find cement benches and these form as meeting place for all those people who have and are willing to make conversations about the little things that make them sleep better. While ladies too take part in these conversations with men, the meetings might go on till late into the night.

The old city is characterised by Indo-Sarascneic architecture. This kind of architecture is a confluence of hindu, islamic, and jain style of architecture with buildings having domes to pillars designed with flowers. It was also noticed that a lot of buildings with historical importance had flowers, plants, tress, and other motifs of the sorts carved or painted on them. The old city is well planned and has been constructed based on the laws of vasthu. This helped in better town planning which eventually resulted in better sewerage, transport and services.

The entrances of the old bunglows were filled with motifs of elephants which signifies a sense of welcome and lion which signifies bravery and strength. It is also important to note that as Ahmedabad is close to a fault line, the houses in the old city are constructed with balsam wood. This particular timber has the capacity to absorb shock and pressure. In 2001 Ahmedabad experience a severe earthquake. However, none of the old buildings received much damage and are still intact.

The lanes in the Lal Darwaza area are small and confusing. These lanes are filled with stories only the locals know. In regular intervals there are bird feeding structures known as Chabutara and there are 200 of them in the old city alone. Sometimes, these chabutaras acted as relief points for women to place their pots down without the need to bend.

The most fascinating thing about the old city is the dummy houses. Since the rulers of Ahmedabad were both Islamic there was a fear that the Hindus would get killed without any notice. Therefore a number of lanes were designed in such a manner that a door that looks like any other house door would lead a person through a tunnel to another lane. The tunnel is only big enough for one person to fit at one point in time and horses couldn't fit in for sure. Thus, when a man sensed any sign of danger he would go through the tunnel by locking the door from inside. The government official who'd come would be thoroughly confused and thus a successful escape. According to the guide there are more than 100 such doors in that area.

Manek Chowk is that one place I belive everyone who has visited Ahmedabad has gone to. It is filled with bandis at every place possible that sell anything from simple butter sandwiches to bhaji pav and kulfi to home made ice creams. The place doesn't shut till the sun rises. This was the place where I also understood that Ahmedabad is a very safe city. Women came to this place at such odd hours without any male counterpart. They rode scooties and they were alone. I swear, this was something new.

In Manek Chowk itself there is one cultural legacy that is being practised since more than 600 years. Sheru Bhai and Amir Bhai are the people who are taking forward the legacy of playing naubat four times a day, every day and Sheru Bhai is the 6th generation person in their family with Amir Bhai recently accepting to continue this art. This has been the tradition since the first ruler. This was also played as welcome music for the king. However, every Thursday and Friday, the naubat is played five times instead of four. The tradition of distributing moong daal halwa is being followed till date. The cultural heritage that is being preserved here is invaluable. Thank you Sheru Bhai and Amir Bhai.

All the old houses had water recycling systems that made it possible to have the minimum probability of facing a water shortage issue because Gujarat faces a dry year every four to five years. The importance given to water conservation can be seen in the number of wells they had and also the size and span of step wells. Adalaj is one such step well that is located around 20 Kms. from the city and one should visit this place to see the mere magnificence of the skill that has been put into building it. The whole well is carved with the story of Raani Roopba who had committed suicide by jumping into the well as respect to her husband who was killed by Mohammed Begda. Nevertheless, the step well is approximately five stories deep and the temperature difference is highly observable.

There are not many steps and the walk to the bottom of the well has a very soothing effect because of the temperature difference. You can see the different floors as you walk down. The pillars and and walls are decorated with a story and a number of recurring motifs of flowers and plants.

Ahmedabad is also where a lot of Indian political drama had happened. Mind you, a good one and a worthwhile one. The Sabarmati Ashram is situated on the banks of Sabarmati river. The place has hardly any visitors early in the morning and that would be the best time for anybody to visit. It has got a really calming atmosphere and they reportedly house many of the things that Gandhi had used. The story from his birth to becoming the Father of the Nation has been neatly and elaborately describes in a question and answer manner where Gandhi is the interviewee.

Speak no Evil. See no Evil. Hear no Evil.

Gandhi's quarters

The famous spinning wheel

Wait. How can I forget this. One of the other restaurants that one has to visit is the New Lucky Cafe beside Jali Masjid. The place gave us chills right when we entered it. Let me tell you that this was one of M. F. Hussain's favourite places. What should you have here? Just about anything they serve. But try their 'pineapple bun maska' and 'chai'. A full meal with rotis and a any panneer curry will make you happy. But just know that you will be sharing your space with those people who have been dead for about 400 years. Yes. The place was built on a grave and as a sign of respect for them the graves haven't been destroyed. You can still see the green coloured graves lying right beside your table or you might actually be sitting over one.

The graves in New Lucky Cafe

There are hundreds of other places that one can visit. I am not writing about all the places that I went. These were the ones that lasted till the moment I wrote this and maybe these are the important ones. Nevertheless, thank you guys!

Pravllika, Tejesh, Kala, Me.

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Thank you.