Its not uncommon to find a stark difference between where one lived and where one lives, I mean, if one migrates from one city to another. Now being in Ahmedabad for my Summer internship after my MBA I year, what really astonishes me is the fact that the city itself is halved, with downright distinction between the older Ahmedabad, the area before the renowned Sabarmathi river and the area you see after crossing it. The old city is with old building, crowded auto rickshawas, scooters and bikes and old buildings. The newly developed richer half is packed with mega malls, big bungalows, big roads and latest cars. Also, the area consists of ISKON temple, Science city and other renowned instituitions.
Regardless of the area, entire city is marked with stalls of vada pavs, dabelis, kachoris, pani pooris, cane juice and tea shops and share-autos. Offcourse one should not forget the mention the scorching sun (hovering around 40 degrees), muddy air and camel-carts unique to this part of the country. Thanks to my half-baked Hindi, I have survived here for seven days so far and I could also read Gujarathi scripts, which primarily differs from that of Hindi, only by an upperline (opposite to underline :) ). Major worry for me here is the fact that Gujarathi's dont take break-fast and hence I have to withstand near-starving every morning, except for the biscuits I take.
Nevertheless, the low cost of living, the spicy Gujarathi dishes with Aam rus, never ending thirst and interaction with the proud Gujarathi people (proud being a Gujarathi) does provide a unforgettable experience of being in Western India.
