Breathe in a bit of...Fragrant and Vibrant Gujarat!

This blog post is about a recent family trip to Kutch, an arid district in western Gujarat.

December 28, 2012- Left Ahmedabad at 07:20 am in a white Tata Indigo. 

We went west of the SG Highway (NH8C) to reach Sanand and crossed the Tata Nano factory at Charodi. We bypassed Virangam and crossed the Narmada on the main road to Dhrangadhra. On reaching the Jalaram intersection, we took the road to Halvad.  After the Falku bridge near Halvad, we halted at an outlet of ‘Honest’ (an Ahmedabad-based chain of restaurants, famous for its bhajipao and pulav) for breakfast. We helped ourselves to fafda and gota (Gujarati farsan) and left at around 10am towards Kutch.

Cranes were seen near Aniyari (17kilometers from Maliya and 28 kilometers from Morbi). CNG autorickshaws, typical of Ahmedabad, were replaced by ordinary yellow and black ones. It was surprising to see non-vegetarian cafes, in a predominantly vegetarian state like Gujarat. Villagers were moving around in three-wheeled contraptions called 'Chakdas'. A 'chakda' is a cross between a Royal Enfield motorbike and a tractor.Villagers were clad in colorful attire, contrasting with the dull brown surroundings.Salt pans and windmills were seen near Samakhiali (Surajbari Checkpost to be precise). It was a sparsely populated region, but lots of industries were seen. Some of them were the Oreva-Orpat electronics plant of Ajanta and the Yo electric bike factory of Electrotherm.

We reached Bhachau(a town badly affected by the 2001 Gujarat earthquake) after crossing an RTO check-post at 11:40 am. Roads deteriorated in quality after crossing a railway gate in Bhachau(from four-lane to two-lane). We crossed  the factory of Sanghi Cement and the farm of Suzlon Energy near Dhamadka . Hillocks appeared after Dhamadka.

We reached Bhuj at 1pm, after crossing Madhapur. We checked into a hotel downtown at 1:30pm and had a Gujarati thali at Green Rock restaurant. After resting for an hour, we left at 04:25 pm towards the White Rann (desert) at Dhordho village. We crossed Rudramata dam at 04:43pm and theTropic of Cancer at 04:58pm. The landscape changed dramatically. There were less shrubs and bushes, thanks to the scanty rainfall that rendered the land arid. We got permits to visit the Rann at Bhirandyara. Reached Dhordho, a little to the west, at 05:57pm. The White Rann was reached at 06pm. Sunset was followed by moonrise. We were lucky to visit on a full moon night. Though the captured image of the moon was not as spectacular as the images on Google, it was nice to see the parched sandy land illuminated by moonlight. We left the parched land at 07:15pm and reached Bhuj at 08:40pm. We had dinner at Sankalp (another Ahmedabad-based chain of restaurants, specializing in dosas) and spent the night at the hotel.

December 29, 2012: Woke up and had dabeli for breakfast. It is a famous Kutchi snack, also called double roti(it’s just like a burger or vadapao with pomegranate and peanut fillings instead of a potato cutlet/patty). We checked out of the hotel and went shopping for handicrafts/souvenirs in the market and decided to visit the Kutch Museum, the oldest in Gujarat.

The museum, earlier known as the Fergusson Museum, was established by Maharao Khengarji III on July 1,1877. It was full of exhibits showcasing the handicrafts of Kutch. It had galleries on Kutchi art,archaeology and anthropology too.Examples of tribals in Kutch are Koli, Vagadia Rabari, Kach Rabari, Ahir, Charan, Matwa and  Meghwal. Those belonging to the region are skilled in embroidery work, patch work, brocade work and silver engraving. As a matter of fact, a silver sword was presented to Kuldeep Sharma, an IPS officer of Gujarat cadre, for his admirable work during his tenure as the DSP of Kutch.

After visiting the museum, we headed to Mandvi, 60km south of Bhuj. We reached the coastal town at around 1pm and went inside the Vijay Vilas Palace. It was named after Yuvraj Shri Vijayaraji , the heir of Maharao Khengarji III . It was meant to be a summer resort. It now belongs to the royal family of Kutch, whose members reside inside. One must note that Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (a 1999 Hindi film starring Salman Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Ajay Devgan) was shot inside the mansion of sandstone.  It was full of ornate arched gateways with a panoramic view of the Arabian Sea. We had lunch at a restaurant downtown and decided to visit the beach. Though not as crowded as the Juhu in Bombay or the Marina in Madras, it was buzzing with activity. Camels were seen and there were windmills too. 

We departed for Ahmedabad at around 4pm, crossing places like the Adani Power Plant, Mundra and Anjar. We halted at Dhrangadhra for tea and reached Ahmedabad at 10 pm. There was enough time to have dinner before hitting the sack.  It was the end of an unforgettable family trip, with fond memories still lingering in our hearts.

Allow me to end here by sharing some Gujarat tourism ads starring Amitabh Bachchan:

1.The Gujarat Tourism ad about Kutch in English:  

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojVT6GH0FHs

2.The same in Hindi:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSf3eosEzU4

3.Khushboo Gujarat Ki-Festival-Kutch-Hindi:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-c5vonNMXTU

4.www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDac2mcduNY

5.Rann Utsav: www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1f3a3X6IA4

Here are the pictures: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.540427802636039.128547.100000064722389&type=3

A few words I’d like to quote,”Breathe in a bit of Gujarat”,

 “कच्छ नही देखा तो कुछ नहीं देखा! (If you haven't seen Kutch, you've seen nothing)”,

 “कुछ दिन तो गुजारये गुजरात में!(why don't you spend some days in Gujarat!)", 

Why don’t you come and behold the wonders of this vibrant state for yourself?J                                                              

Culture shock: Ahmedabad and Bangalore blues :)

There's a famous saying, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder." One always takes things for granted back home-such as good food at home or in restaurants, multiplexes where one can watch a variety of movies, other hang-out spots and above all, the security, comforts and conveniences of home(as opposed to a hostel) and Mother's love (Yes Papa, you too!). Only when one moves away does one realize how much one misses them-small things, but magnified in importance with time. Truly, home is where the heart is.
The city you are born or brought up in will assume prime importance,as it tends to grow on you. Moving to another place is bound to result in culture shock, as people do not act the same everywhere. Habits such as food, clothing, tastes in music and literature, vary from place to place as a manifestation of cultural differences.Culture shock may occur because of differences between expectations and reality as well; for an alien, a new place is not the same as what it looks like on TV or in books. Experience is the best teacher one can get. I did experience culture shock when I moved from Ahmedabad to Vellore in 2008, for pursuing a five year integrated Master's degree after school. Though I am a Tamilian, I have a special affinity for Gujarat rather than Tamil Nadu. I prefer vada pav, farsan and aamras to idli sambar and lemon rice! You can say I am a 'Gujaratified' Tamilian. But I didn't feel like that earlier. It's surprising to note that my favorite city was Madras(sorry, I have a fondness for old names of cities) before I went to study in VIT Vellore. I took everything in Ahmedabad for granted. I never liked it when I was living there, thinking Madras was great while Ahmedabad was hot, dusty and polluted, a medieval city of crumbling monuments, congested streets,pols and nothing more. One year in Vellore changed that opinion: Ahmedabad became my favorite city all of a sudden, and I started liking Bangalore more than Madras too. I probably thought Madras was a bigger version of Vellore.


Ahmedabad is a major city of India. It's a gourmet's paradise, a hub for gastronomy.People are fond of eating and are willing to experiment with different cuisines. They celebrate with food-it's more than just for nutrition or filling the belly. Seasons change and so do food items available to eat. Dalwada is for the rains, Aamras for summer, fafda-jalebi for Dusshera, and oondiya or sev-tamatar for winter. On the other hand, Vellore is a small town, merely known for its private university-VIT, missionary hospital-CMC, and for being the hottest place in Tamil Nadu :) I know it's stupid comparing the two, which are as different as apples and oranges, but let's see what Vellore needs to learn from bigger cities like Ahmedabad and Bangalore. I have been to many states in India, but Gujarat offers the most mind-boggling variety of food, at least in terms of vegetarian items. It's easy to get the food of Tamil Nadu(like dosas and idlies) in Gujarat, but the converse is not true. Try getting vada pav, dabeli, gota, buffvada, other farsan items and aamras in Tamil Nadu. You may not get them anywhere in Tamil Nadu, and even if you do, they'll be ridiculously overpriced! A dabeli costs Rs 10 in Ahmedabad, while it's available for Rs 75 (gasp!) at a high-end mall in Madras. Ahmedabad offers a better variety of ice-creams too. There's more than just vanilla, strawberry, mango, chocolate or pineapple available at any ice-cream joint in Ahmedabad. Arun is a poor equivalent of Vadilal,Havmor or Amul.  A glass of soda is available at any branch of Gandhi Soda Shop for just Rs 5. Served under hygienic conditions, many flavors are available, apart from ice-cream soda for just Rs 15. 
RK or Jay Bhavani vada pav, Karnavati dabeli, Dakor gota, farali buff vada, Honest bhaji pav,Continental/Indian/Chinese food at Choice, Havmor ice-creams, juice and snacks at Shambhu's Coffee Bar, Gandhi soda, Astodia/Raipur/Sabarmati jail bhajia and the exquisite Gujarati thalis served at Vishala, Rajwadu and Gordhan Thal-these are a few of my favorite items I can't resist having when in Ahmedabad and which I miss in Vellore. Not the best of Vellore food served at Darling and Baby (these are funny names of so-called top-notch restaurants in Vellore) can appease my taste buds. I have also noticed that food in Vellore is a tad too spicy for comfort (cooks in Vellore have a habit of adding red chillies to everything.) That's probably because people in Ahmedabad love food which tends to be on the sweeter side; Gujarati food is known for its sweetness.  
If one needs to watch a movie in Ahmedabad, one is spoilt for choice in terms of multiplexes-PVR, Cinepolis, Cinemax, Big Cinemas, Wide Angle, City Pulse, City Gold and more. Vellore, on the other hand, struggles with single screen cinema halls like Raghavendra. It's rare to see English films being shown in Vellore without being dubbed in Tamil. One may have to go all the way to Madras to watch the latest one. Moreover, Vellore does not have a single outlet of McDonalds, Dominos, US Pizza or Pizza Hut, which we take for granted elsewhere. I hope it gets at least one of them soon.


 Another city I like a lot is Bangalore, the city I was born in. People generally don't like the dosas of darshinis served with sweet sambar, but I think otherwise. Masala dosas served at Shanti Sagar, MTR (Lalbagh Road), Adigas or Chalukya (Race Course Road) seem to taste better than the same served at Saravana Bhavan or Sangeeta. I probably prefer the Karnataka (Udupi) style to the Tamil Nadu style dosas because I want them golden-brown, thick, crispy and served with sweet sambar. The Tamil Nadu style sambar's a bit too insipid for my liking.


I don't hate Vellore, but I just can't like it as much as Ahmedabad or Bangalore. People may consider this blog post to be 'Vellore bashing' but whatever has been mentioned is straight from the heart. I hope I like a city more than Ahmedabad or Bangalore in the future. By the way, it's time for me to go to Vastrapur lake and have my evening quota of vada pav and Gandhi soda! Aavjo (Goodbye)! :)