A day in Ahmadabad

                                                                         || श्री ||
Waking up to a sight of drizzle outside and hot bed-tea kept on teapoy  is one of the best ways to start a day and that's how my day started in Ahmedabad. I was going to be busy till late afternoon and had to catch train back to Mumbai the next morning. I knew that it wouldn't be possible for me to explore the city in just one evening. Under such circumstances, Its better to visit fewer places and enjoy the trip rather than trying to rush through the list. Hence, I decided to take things as they come and let serendipity add to the adventure. 

After finishing off with the meeting that I was in the town for, since I had no idea about the city and its eateries, I dumped the responsibility of choosing the venue for lunch on my hosts. Soon we were headed, in their car, towards a yet-to-be-decided venue. Its a sign of higher intellect, not to interfere when a couple is in a heated discussion. I took to my sagely nature and rolling down the window pane and allowed the photography enthusiast in me to take over.

CLICK! my first capture was a beautiful design with desi touch on compound wall of a house.

Evidence - Gujjus have a good taste in arts! 

  

yet in the narrow lanes, I spotted my next subject.

one word - Jugaad!

It seemed like the decision on the venue was out . As always in a 'Patriarchal' and 'Male-dominated' society, the word of the fairer sex prevailed. A turn, and from narrow lanes, the car was cruising on main road and before me was BRTS stop. Click!

Factoid: Ahmadabad BRTS (Bus Rapid Transit System) was inaugurated in 2009 by Chief Minister Narendra Modi. While this system is also under implementation in Chennai and Bangalore, its still under planning for Mumbai and Bhubaneswar. 

 We got down at Thaltej. Across the road I could see compound walls covered with beautiful Graffiti. The board at the gate read 'Doordarshan Kendra'! I was told the Graffiti were done by common folk and not professionals.  Really Impressive! 

What do foodies do best? - Hogging...and thats what I did. So much that later it was difficult to walk. all I could dream of at that time was a cozy bed to fall down and sleep on. But since I had only half-a-day left, I decided not to burden my hosts any further and headed to meet one of my closest friends, who had moved to Ahmadabad 2 years back. While riding an Auto-Rickshaw I noticed that almost all females that were riding  a two-wheeler had their face covered with dupatta! 

"Hope is Nature's veil for hiding truth's nakedness" ~ Alfred Nobel

TRUTH: Sunscreens don't really work in India, yet we fool ourselves with hope...but these Gujju Girls dont!

"imagination is more important than knowledge. knowledge is limited. imagination encircles the world" ~ Albert Einstein

This quote echoed in my ears the moment I got down from rickshaw. Gujjus and Marwadis are known for their business sense. They are not just hardworking people, but 'Smart-working' too! Here are two examples - 

 The above Picture is of an Auto-Rickshaw modified into a 'Wada-Pav' stall. Needless to say how fast and easy it'd become to cover different locations for the vendor.

Below : Jethalal is lead character from one of the most popular comedy TV serials 'Tarak mehta ka oolta chashma' (SAB TV). Definitely the poster helps to attract people's attention to the shop. Marketing ideas!

Its was almost a year now since we met. The last time was on his marriage, the Grand Traditional Marwadi marriage! Contrary to the Marwadi stereotype, I was welcomed with so much of food that I had to lay down on sofa for a while! Reminiscing and laughing, a few hours flew by. It was Monday, a good day to pay a visit to Lord Shiva. The temple that I had seen in the way was beautiful. Also, I was still to explore the city. Soon we were on our way to the temple. 

just outside the beautiful entrance was a board that read 'Kamnath Mahadev Hall'...in Gujrati script. Just like in french 'The' will be pronounced as 'ze', in Gujrati the pronounciation of 'Hall' is 'Hole' and 'Snacks' is 'Snakes'. (all Gujjus, please take it with a pinch of salt.) :P

Inside this beautiful temple, while aarti I saw this mechanical drum, which I had seen before in a few old temples but never got a chance to click. This is perfectly symbolic of the essence of our Indian culture - adapting to and assimilating new ideas while preserving the wisdom of the past. Bam Bam Bhole!

Ive heard a lot about Ahmadabad's Khakhras. I was also warned by a few friends if I dont bring the same for them, I'd have to face consequences. Terror and curiosity drove me to one of the most famous Khakhra shops in the city. a detailed account of the experience in next post, but here is a picture to give everyone an idea about the scale of the Shop - its HUGE!

Quick question: What is the best place to visit in a city that is your Marwadi friend's Hometown? Answer: Market!

If you have a Marwadi friend besides you while shopping, you don't have to worry about bargaining. Marwadis have Bargaining skills hardwired right  in their DNA! Here is a little tip my Marwadi friend gave me while shopping - 

"whatever price the shopkeepers say, divide it by 10...for usual folks it should be divided by 5, but with the DSLR in your hand...divide it by 10."

We were at Law Garden market. Following his advise, I decided to leave my camera in the car. Soon we were bargaining hard... and no surprises, the 'Divide-by-5' rule worked! 

what was initially quoted 500 rupees, we bought it for just 100 bucks!

oh by the way, as soon as we finished shopping, I went trigger happy with my cam! ;)

And so, my stay at Ahmadabad came to an end. Though short, It was eventful. The next morning I bade farewell to the city with a promise to return soon.

"Aav-jo" 

(Gujju way of saying 'Au revoir')

Train to Ahmedabad

                                                                           || श्री ||

Usually, I prefer to travel during night, so that if I'm bored I can sleep through the journey. But when you have to book a train at very short notice, you don't really have many options. Tickets were booked two days prior to the journey and I wasn't really sure if I'd take the trip till the very morning! struggle to finish work resulted in coffee-fueled battle with keyboard till 03:00 AM. Victorious, laying on my bed I blinked my eyes and it was already 10:00 Am! Decision was made, I was going to Ahmedabad. This must have been the fastest ever that I packed my bag, finished with morning chores and reached Railway station. Impressed with myself, I checked the SMS to find my berth and Bogie and noticed something. The Train number for Suryanagari Express, which I was about to board, was 12480 - a geometric series! Am I the only one with this weird little obsession with Numbers and patterns? 

Bandra Terminus, Platform #3 - Musafir hoon yaron.

There is a reason why we Indians choose not to reach on time and almost never before time. I had reached about half an hour prior to the departure. The Train was empty. As I boarded the Train, I realised that the fans and lights were off. well, Good. Atleast our Railways pay attention to the energy crisis and makes efforts to save electricity. As far as I was concerned, I placed my luggage beneath my seat and returned to the platform with my Camera. Theres nothing better than clicking pictures when you have to kill time at Railway station.

Innocence at window

(Above) in clockwise direction - Laundry room, Bedroom, Hall and library (and Kitchen too!) - the Platform ain't less than home to a lot of people. 

After clicking all I could, I boarded the bogie back but couldn't quite get to my seat. 

Soon the Train left the station and after few stops, arrived at Vaitarna. This station is named after the River 'Vaitarna' which supplies Mumbai's drinking water. 

Railway Bridge, Boats, River and this beautiful little hilltop Temple add to the scenic beauty of this station. I recognise this station since in most of my train journeys this has been a common stop.

I returned to my seat as soon as Train left the station. Soon it was Chai time. While I was sipping tea, commotion arose in the scene.

It didn't take much long for them to realise what was going on and settled the matter among themselves. Peace prevailed and I got back to clicking the coachload.

Right from childhood, I've always been envious of people sitting on this seat. Great view, fresh air and most of all, one can get down at every station without any hassle! One of the main attractions about Train journeys for me has always been the chance to try delicacies at stations on the way. 

It was difficult to sit through the 9 hr journey. Besides, when you have a camera and beautiful view full of Monsoon Greenery its better to stretch your legs a few times. 

The Train journey was nearing its end. Just then I felt the need to use restroom, but I had to hold it in till next station arrived. longest 10 minutes ever!

soon the Train arrived at Ahemadabad station. Relieved (you know from what) and refreshed, I headed towards my destination. The next day was expected to have a tight schedule, but that doesn't mean one can't have fun. now does it? 

Happy Rakhi

                                             || श्री ||
India can be best described as 'land of celebrations and festivals'. Every now and then there is a festival in some part of this vast country, everyday is a celebration.

A few days back I was in Ahmedabad and got a chance to witness a festival that celebrates goddess 'Dashaa Maa', also known as Momai Maa - the Goddess with Camel as her mount. This was the first time that I witnessed this avtar. While the devotees were busy with fasts, celebrations and prayers to Dasha Maa, it was already time to prepare for Rakshabandhan/Rakhi! Shops were decorated with colourful Rakhis for sale.

While traveling in Ahemadabad in an auto-rickshaw, I was randomly clicking photographs with my camera on sports mode.The bright colours in this small roadside rakhi shop caught my attention and CLICK!

Happy Rakshabandhan / Rakhi to everyone.

Happy World Photography Day

                                               || श्री ||
 As a child, at night just before falling asleep I'd imagine what it'd be like to travel alone and explore the world. I'd imagine myself carrying nothing more than a backpack and traveling through forests and cities, valleys and mountaintops and exploring ruins and great monuments. Though my travels haven't yet been as adventurous as I had imagined back then, I've been lucky enough to explore some great places. Apart from a group of crazy friends, my Camera has remained my best travel companion. 

As I wander, I capture moments and savor life a second at a time. 
Long have these slices of memories been sitting in folders. 
Today, a little door appears for them to come out and play.

Happy World Photography day. 
Below are a few of my favorite quotes about Photography :

"Life is like a Camera...
Just focus on what's important and capture the good times.
Develop from negatives. 
And if things don't work out, just take another shot."
 ―Author Unknown

“Taking pictures is savoring life intensely, every hundredth of a second.”
― Marc Riboud

“All photographs are memento mori. To take a photograph is to participate in another person’s (or thing’s) mortality, vulnerability, mutability. Precisely by slicing out this moment and freezing it, all photographs testify to time’s relentless melt.”
― Susan Sontag

“A photograph is a moral decision taken in one eighth of a second.”

― Salman Rushdie, The Ground Beneath Her Feet  

 

“You don't make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.”
― Ansel Adams

“A picture is a secret about a secret, the more it tells you the less you know.”
― Diane Arbus