Maajha Ma.

My friends studying in NID and MICA would strongly disagree but Ahmedabad isn't exactly an exciting place. The roads are big and the people are kind. But when one of the top 3 things to see in the city is an ancient grill, you know you're in trouble.

As we were being roasted by the October sun and underwhelmed by the sights and sounds, Sabarmati Ashram proved to be the saving grace of the city. It literally is like an oasis in the concrete desert. Gandhi's charkha, his room, his legacy were more moving than one ever expected. One could easily sit there for a while and enjoy its suspended-in-time atmosphere. The literature of the museum was conspicuously biased. But that was neither unexpected nor off-putting.

The only other thing i liked in the city was the Night Heritage Walk from Mangal Rai's Haveli. Maneuvering through aggressive scooters and lazy cows the group goes on a 1 hour walk through the old city region. The old haveli and the subsequent centuries-old temples, havelis, poles etc. that one comes across are stunning and oddly fascinating. The dark alleys and intricately carved buildings make for excellent shots.

Shopping is interesting in Ahmedabad. The top places for products in local styles are Law Garden market, Sanskruti and Teen Darwaza. Sanskruti is an upmarket, expensive but high quality showroom, in Panchvati. Law Garden Market is a night market which is set up at 6pm daily on the sidewalk outside the Law Garden. The last is also an outdoor market but unlike Law Garden, this market it is open all day and well into the night. Law Garden and Teen Darwaza markets are both hard to miss. They're chaotic flea markets with tons of scope for bargaining. The products are super colourful often bordering on costume-y and tacky. But with a bit of patience one can find stylish pieces. Many of these pieces can be altered into cool skirts, shirts etc with some imagination and a talented tailor. Watch out for ripped and damaged pieces.

Kalpesh the bun maska guy is a youth icon of the city. The young guy sets up his table at 3am near NID and sells different types of spreads on buns. There's usually a sea of students at his stall all night and he makes more than most college graduates. He shuts shop at about 7am by when he's collected the latest gossip on most NID-ians. Who's flunked what. Who's dumped whom. Kalpesh knows everything. His other field of knowledge is bikes. The guy has bikes, parts and accessories from Paris, Australia, America and all. His collection would put Jay Leno to shame. A truly interesting character and all round nice guy to meet. His success has inspired many other me-too bun maska guys. So make sure you find Kalpesh and not a wannabe. The crowd ordering The Jadoo Bun would point you in the right direction.

good places to stay:

Riverfront. $20 Budget

Sarovar Portico: $70 Medium

House of MG: $110 Luxury

Places to eat: Swati hotel, Aghashye, Kalpesh bun maska.