Ahmedabad has been an integral part of my growing up – omnipresent in the tales of struggles, tales of laughter and is almost a part of family tradition and legacy. A vacation in Ahmedabad is more a journey, a memory of nostalgic sweetness than a real “tourist” spot for me…And as if these were not good enough reasons to pack off into Gujarat – it was obviously “the season” – of Navratri.. I couldn’t imagine a place on earth that could embrace Navratri as Amdavaadis…
And the experience never fell
short..it was always more– more than the childhood memories, more than the
stories of yonder, much more than the patched up images that I could recollect
from days of past..From the moment I landed, I was in the warm embrace of the
Amdavadi way of life – family, food, fun and festivities all wrapped in a warm
cocoon that engulfed me in total and I was savouring every bit of this
sweetness..
Starting off on a historic note,
we ambled through the Gandhi ashram – an aesthetic memory of the struggles for
freedom, a peek into the lifeline of Gandhi and a soothing structure by the
banks of the river where squirrels, pigeons and parrots inhabit and keep the
conversations going. After the cleansing experience, it was time to dip into
pure evil that awaited us– the Gujarati thali lunch– a platter of dishes dipped
in ghee and dripping with richness and sweetness in equal measure. We immersed
in the culinary sins and came out ‘round-tummied’ and wasted..any step further
seemed like an impossible feat and we surrendered to the “thali affect” and an
afternoon nap was the only way ahead.
Come evening and it was time to
now indulge in the spirit of Navratri that came alive every evening..Garba
nights are the “thing” when you are in Ahmedabad – so we decided to transform
into a true blooded Amdavadi – which meant shopping for the latest trendy
jewellery and “chaniya cholis” at Law Garden would be our next stop ! After a
bewitching long walk through the shopping streets, snaking and bargaining our
way – we collected a full “Navratri kit” – bangles, trinkets, cholis and
dandiya sticks and whatever we could lay our hands on.. ready for the Garba
night ahead..
As a true contrast to the city’s
explosive nights, we switched to a quiet heritage walk into the old city the
next morning. The walk took us through old “Pols” (community living spots) ,
through a secular mix of Hindu, Jain
temples and ended with the Jama Masjid! It was indeed a soulful experience – a good
mix of architecture, quaint history, evolution of the city and we literally smelled
and sensed the history trapped in the streets, in the houses and the tiny tales
that our guide sprinkled through the walk! And our final festination was the traditional
breakfast at a 100-year-old restaurant that was tucked into one of the lanes of
the old city – and the platter of dishes was perhaps a good representation of
the old city itself – a bit of spice, sweet, salt and sourness – a blend of
tastes – old and diverse!
We crossed the banks to return to
the “new city” where we indulged in modern and ‘international” experiences of
the Atal bridge, riverfront, sound/light and water shows at Akshardham and an
aquarium that boasted of penguins and ‘coypus’(def: coypu is a cute
rodent that conquered our hearts)..some more shopping and we had almost reached
the end of the experience called Ahmedabad!
And as I savoured a few scoops of
natural ‘Niruben icecream’ that was curated, made, served by the original “Niruben”
herself – clad in a white saree and telling us of the modern ice cream parlours
that are vying for her market share, I
could not help but feel the odd mix that the city was – heritage and history on
one side of the bridge and the leap into so-called modernity and “development
model” on the other…
After an explosion of endless
days of exploration and nights of dazzling dandiya, not to forget the food that
filled our hearts and tummies and the street shopping..the end was visible and
we tried hard to bottle up and take some bit of Ahmedabad back with us – the
bandini clothes, the oxidised anklets, the books from under Fernandez bridge
that will remind us of this trip..
And what a blast it was indeed –
to experience a slice of Gujarat in my adulthood, to relive the past, connect
to the stories I have heard over the years, reminiscence the days of childhood
and to enjoy the familial ties that hold
me close to the city. And as the flight took off and I peeked into the city one
last time - Ahmedabad seemed like a fusion of my past and present threaded into
a tapestry of colours, patterns and mirrors!
