Ahmedabad - Best Places of Interest

October 14, 2017 Travel, Within India

Is Ahmedabad city boring to visit?

Well, on a recent trip to Ahmedabad city this is what I found

If you don’t like authenticity, then it is very boring.

Ahmedabad city is for Gujarat, what Mumbai is for India. Gujaratis are divided into Kutchhi, Kaathiyawadi, Maarwadi, Maldhari, Jain and well, many others.

If you don’t like Humbleness, then it is very boring.

Ahmedabad city still possesses the humility and politeness passed on to it from the times of Mahatma Gandhi. Respecting that, Ahmedabad was declared the safest city in India

If you don’t like Modern cities, then it is very boring.

Rolls Royce showroom,
Riverfront,
The revolving Patang Hotel,
The bustling BRTS Buses.
Glass curtained buildings
Air-conditioned public transport
Booming real estate

If you don’t like Educational Hub, then it is very boring.

IIM-A for Management,
NID for designing,
MICA for Advertising,
GNLU for Law, IIT Gandhinagar for technology,
Ahmedabad Dental College for obviously, Dentistry

If you don’t like Divines, then it is very boring.

Sidi Sayed Jaali in a mosque, Ahmedabad city — Mosque of Sidi Sayed Jaali in Ahmedabad Image credit Vrajesh Jani

Sidi Sayed Mosque, which brags the gorgeous Sidi Sayed Jali,

The Iskcon Temple,

Akshardham Temple, Ahmedabad city — Akshardham Temple | by RussBowling

Akshardham (technically, in Gandhinagar, but not that far from Ahmedabad),
Mahudi (popular amongst Jains, and close to Ahmedabad)

If you don’t like Activeness, then it is boring.

Don’t be deceived. Active stands for active to eat.

Ahmedabad city is not just about Dhokla, Faafda, Haandva, Thepla as known in the popular culture. ‘Amdavadi’ cuisine has gone on a roll, with Barbeque, authentic Italian, Mexican, Thai, Continental, European restaurants coming up.

Mahudi or Sukhdi, Ahmedabad city — Sukhadi is an Indian Sweet mostly consumed by Jain Community. It is made from flour, jaggery, and Ghee (clarified butter).
Image credit Maitrikvora21

Then there is the ‘Manek chowk’, for the hunger hunters, whose stomach goes bananas in the midnight. (Imagine, Mahudi, a rather religious place, is popular amongst many people for its Prasad ‘Sukhdi’. Food is religion, practised by all!)

If you don’t like Beauty, then it is very boring.

When you see the

Thol Lake, Ahmedabad city — Thol Lake – Gujarat, India – Flickr – Emmanuel Dyan (7

Sunrise at the Thol lake, or
The chirping birdsat the Nalsarovar Bird Century, or

Kankaria lake, Ahmedabad city — Kankaria Carnival
Image credit Sagar Joshi

The sunset at the Kankaria lake,

you’ll get to know the real meaning of beauty.

Well, if you like Alcohol, then it is surely boring for you.

Yes, it’s a dry state. Ahmedabad stands up as an example for the country. This doesn’t mean, that Ahmedabad has no place to party at, but you can rest assure that no drunk man/woman is creating a nuisance on the streets.

If you don’t like Dazzling, then it is very boring.

Dazzling with celebrations.

Biggest Kite festival – Read more about it here
The most colourful Garba
The loudest of Diwali
The simplicity of Moharram
Rathyatra

All calmly embedded in Ahmedabad’s culture, as it dazzles in celebration every now and then.

And lastly, they are always in ‘Majja ma‘ (they are always fine and chilled.)

Authentic, Humble, Modern, Educational-hub, Divine, Active, Beautiful, Alcohol-Free, Dazzling!

Ahmedabad is a boring place if you are in search of Mumbai Chowpatty or any other beach on weekends!

Ahmedabad city, Sabarmati Riverfront — Sabarmati Riverfront Ahmedabad

But, hey! The city of Ahmedabad is having ever-fascinating and beautiful SABARMATI RIVERFRONT.

Sabarmati Riverfront gardens, Ahmedabad city — Glimpses of the gardens at Sabarmati Riverfront

This is the very place where there was a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese Prime Minister Xi Jinping.

Ahmedabad is a boring place if you are a night-life addict since City doesn’t have any nightclubs or pubs.

But, hey! You can certainly visit Manek Chowk, S.G. Highway, C.G. Road to get a glimpse of what night-life actually means in Ahmedabad!

Ahmedabad is a boring place if you can’t get mingle with its pace and people.

But, hey! Amdavadis are humble. They possess helping nature. If you have lost your way, they are faster than Google maps. They will even take you to your destination.

Ahmedabad is a boring place if you don’t know the meaning of Heritage and Culture.

But, hey! The Uptown is extremely rich and fully filled by colourful culture. Every class of Amdavadi visits uptown at-least once during Diwali for shopping. Uptown comprises of various markets where you get the fragrance of oneness and unity.
Above all, City’s pride Ellis-bridge enhances your cinematic views of the city.
There is a concept of living in Pol, where people from various parts of Gujarat, different religions live together on the same street.

Ahmedabad is a boring place if you are looking for any lush green campus.

But, hey! Ahmedabad is blessed to have world-class and renowned university campuses such as IIM-Ahmedabad, D. College of Engineering, Nirma University. All these campuses may leave you in wonders!

Ahmedabad is a boring place if you can’t get along with City’s public transportation.

Ahmedavadis proudly travel in the ever fast and cheap BRTS buses. (AC bus you know!)

Ahmedabad is a boring place if you can’t travel enough to explore its eye-catching surroundings such as Nal Sarovar, Thol lake, Polo forest etc.

UNESCO has declared Ahmedabad a world heritage city. Ahmedabad became the first heritage city in India.

Jama Masjid

Dada Hari wav

Sidi Sayeed Masjid

Modhera Sun Temple

Ahmedabad attractions

Kankaria Lake

Science city

Sardar Dam

Gandhi Ashram

River Front

Kite festival

Only in the first or second week of January.

Nal Sarovar

So, do you think Ahmedabad city is a boring city to visit?

Vibrant skies

Ahmedabad (Gujarat, India) skyline came alive with thousands of vibrant kites trying to outmaneuver each other. Kite flyers and kite makers demonstrated their unique creations and amazed the crowds with unusual wonders.

International-Kite-Flying-Festival-in-Gujarat-768x576

High tech kites from Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Italy and China have shared the sky with traditional kites at the International Kite Festival.

The festival that concluded recently had attracted a sizeable participation from abroad. The participants enjoyed the festival with local people and tasted Indian delicacies.

For further details, do follow this link–

*/This post is inspired by Daily Post Photo Challenge Vibrant. A photo of something vibrant. Vivid colors, a lively portrait, or perhaps a delightfully colorful landscape, if you’re in a warmer climate. /*

January 7, 2016 Events and Festivals, India

The International Kite Festival

With the onset of January, there are many festivals to look forward to. According to the Indian calendar, the day when winter begins to turn into summer and the farmer gets ready for the harvest season it is called Makara Sankranti or Uttarayan. It is a bright sunny day with brisk breezes ideal for the kites to soar in the skies. It is celebrated every year on 14^th January.

The International Kite Festival (Uttarayan) is one of the biggest festivals celebrated in Gujarat, India. The kites are manufactured months before this festival at Patang Bazaar, the special kite market where you can get kites and kite supplies. The kite makers prepare a strong kite with springy bamboo frames and kite paper. This is then attached with a spool of manja (a kite-string that is coated with the mixture of glass and glue so that you could cut strings of rival kites.

Manja (the string with which kite is flown) Maker, Meena Kadri - http://www.flickr.com/photos/meanestindian/357930034/ — Manja (the string with which kite is flown) Maker

The International Kite Event takes place in Ahmedabad. The event is organised by Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited. You could enjoy this festival at its best from Sabarmati Riverfront where the sky is filled with thousands of kites. This festival is on 10th and 11^th January. It is one of the most colourful festivals to be celebrated on the national and international level. There is fervor of humanity, celebration, vigor and excitement. It is a platform that allows people from all walks of life to come together and display their skills in flying.

Kites are made from different materials like paper and cloth. There is an amazing collection on display from simple and fancy kites in all shapes and sizes. Kites also have social messages, awareness information in unique patterns and designs. Each kite is unique. Kites with geometric designs are a common sight. Kite flyers experiment with various things like string, kite shapes, sizes, and materials like paper, khadi, silk, fibre glass and polyester film.

International-Kite-Festival-2016-in-AHmedabad

Schedule of the event across Gujarat, India is as follows:

8^th Jan 2016 – Surat, Rajkot

9^th Jan 2016- Vadodara and Bhavnagar

10 and 11^th – Sabarmati Riverfront, Ahmedabad

12^th– Bhuj and Porbandar

13^th -Modhera and Khambhat

14^th– Pol, Ahmedabad

International Kite Flying -2016 will have around 100 participants from various countries like UK, Germany, Austria, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, Singapore, USA, Canada, Thailand, Italy, Estonia, Cambodia, Netherland, Russia, Switzerland, Ukraine, Philippines, Vietnam, Argentina, China, Turkey, Brazil, Belgium, France, Nigeria, Poland and South Korea.

Kite Masters and flyers from around the world showcase their unique creations and wow the crowds with their unusual kites. A few years back, kite makers from Malaysia brought their wau-balang kites, giant banner kites were bought by kite innovators of USA and Japanese rokkaku fighting kites shared space in the sky with sculptural kites from Italy and flying dragons from China.

If you are in Gujarat, India, in the month of January then do not miss out this festival.