From the Banks of Sabarmati

 Goa, Pondicherry, Kashmir, Rajasthan, Nagaland- as my mind flits through these places, different feelings cloud my thoughts and I long to taste the beautiful flavors gone into the making of these lands.

 Many years back, as I watched the Sharukh- Rani starrer Chalte Chalte which had specific scenes shot in Greece, I got hooked to the blue- white shade that cocoons Greece.
It is this occult breeze of a place that gives you an adrenaline rush to pack your bags and head off- to fleshen out those imagined destinations.

Whenever the thought of Gujarat occurred to me, all I could think of was a movie which I saw almost 12 years ago with welled up eyes. The name of the movie is Kaazhcha. Set against the backdrop of the Gujarat earthquakes, the story followed the life of a little boy from Kutch, who lands up in Kerala after the terrible disaster. The movie is about his tryst with the new surroundings, the pain of being ripped apart from his loving family and the long, futile journey to get back home.

After a visit to Gujarat last month, the place has so much more than just the movie...

This was not like any other travel. We were treated with much honor and love by whoever we came across- be it on the roads, the busy market, the restaurant- you name it!
And why?! We travelled around in a sturdy Mahindra car( I forget the name!) with the letters ARMY writ on bold, and were escorted by a handsome, uniform clad army man with a beautiful flair for the English language.

 We were given a royal treatment at the army guest house and the food was delicious! (I long for it these days when I wake up after my afternoon nap, STARVED.)

 As we walked through the long lanes in the Cantt, a soothing music from some unknown corner slowed our footsteps and we scanned our eyes and ears to locate the sound waves. Within seconds, we spotted a speaker secured tight on a branch nearby. As the music from one speaker slowly dimmed, the music from another faintly woke up. The speakers kept within an accurate distance ensured that music is always in the air!  As I walked enjoying the bhajans, I thought to myself- Physics is a brilliant subject! [Flashback- Confessions: I had great interest in the subject. But I had way too many doubts and was painfully slow to comprehend concepts unlike my friends who got it right away! I abandoned my interest and pretended not to care about it. But I always wished I knew someone who was patient enough to explain things to me :(  ]

After my interview at IIT Gandhinagar, George Paulose ( I don't feel like calling him Uncle because he is more like a friend to us :)) took us around some places. We stopped at an Amul stall where GP bought us the yummy Epic. The ice cream was enjoyed in the car stocked with enough tissues and a cute trash bin.

           Then it was a long drive to see something I have heard my geography teacher rant so much in class.

The Imagined Destination 

             The Tropic of Cancer. ( By the way, I never really understood what it meant back then. It was just a fancy word. Sometimes I feel school life was an absolute waste because many of the things were not understood the way it should be. Years later when I fathomed Renaissance or 1857 I felt truly sorry for all those students who are taught these interesting topics in barely three sentences!)

In the evening,we decided to check out the movie that was being screened inside the army cantt. Some minutes into the movie, we realised to our horror that it was a horror thriller and happily sneaked out of the otherwise romantic open air theatre.

Next day, we visited the Gandhi Ashram, situated on the banks of the river Sabarmati. The Ashram radiated an old world charm. Was it the wooden pillars or the small rooms connected to one other or the nadumittam (interior courtyard) or the realisation that I am experiencing spaces of great historical relevance, I do not know. I sensed something in the air surrounding the Ashram that wouldn't just allow one to leave the place in a hurry.











Our next destination was the Adalaj stepwell- an architectural wonder steeped in culture. I couldn't help, but think of all the creativity that had gone into the making of this marvelous art. I stood there admiring the hours and hours of patience and labour that magically transformed each of those corners.

Dexterously chiseled

             We roamed along the dusty road sides visiting shoe stores ( of all the places! yes! that's the thing with Amma! :) ) and paan stalls ( so much more interesting!!!), forgetting the scorching heat. When hunger beckoned, we got into a hotel for a Gujarati thali.

Meetha paan

Simple Gujarati thali

After lunch, we headed off to a stall- colourful, rushy and well stocked! Amma bought a few pastel shaded jute bags to gift her friends in Kerala. We also found a lovely saree to take back home. Out of the crowded stall and we rushed straight to the kulfi store. Perfect !

That was the last day of our visit. I had to take the early morning flight to Delhi and Amma had to go back to Kerala. G.P took us to a grand hotel near the banks of an 'imaginary' beach ( I had a wild fantasy to go to a beach that day. Therefore, I imagined the dark expanses overlooking the hotel to be a beach! I know I sound insanely insane but in the land of imaginary lines, I guess my insanity could be excused. :) We enjoyed the sumptuous dinner in the regal settings of the hotel. And of course, the warm hospitality!

 Looking back, I know we couldn't have enjoyed more!




But luckily for me, the visit turned out to be just the beginning of a long and exciting journey:)