Early morning in Ahmedabad

For various reasons, I like Gujarat. Some of my closest friends – Gandhi and Patel included, come from there. I always like going to this State and have been to some fairly out of the way spots in it, though I am yet to go to an institution I admire – the one that makes Amul. Anyway, I was in Ahmedabad this week. This is a really buzzing and happening city. And wandering about early morning, I took some of these snaps.

The Sabarmati is undergoing some major changes. Environmentalists are not in favour of the riverfront development programme but the river is now full of water at all times though it has narrowed considerably with parts of its banks on either side now reportedly making way for some high-profile real estate which will fund the riverfront development.

The river may have been full but the side walks on the bridge were full of other things, all broadly classified under human wastes. This made walking difficult.The water looked pristine which is not what we can say about the Buckingham Canal or the Cooum.

But the early morning natural view more than made up for people answering nature’s calls

The roads here have sidewalks and seats! I cant imagine such things in Chennai. They also have a Bus Rapid Transport System with its own lane. But the traffic sense here is awful. Chennai is saintly in comparison.

The walls of the old city are majestic and unlike Delhi, appear to have survived almost intact.

The wall is punctuated with bastions and some have staircases that clearly once provided access for the residents to the riverfront.

I got this group of peacocks sunning themselves on the fort wall.

I wonder who lives in this heritage building?

I hope to explore more of this city during subsequent visits.