You Can Have Coffee With Gandhi Here, India

You Can Have Coffee With Gandhi Here

arrival at Ahmadabad airport, followed by welcome at the airport and transfer to hotel.

The tour operator informed us that after lunch and rest, he had arranged for afternoon city tour of Ahmadabad. Ahmadabad is the commercial capital of Gujarat, but it’s a colorful and vibrant destination. Amidst malls and buzzing bazaars, we visited the five floor deep Indo-Islamic architectural wonder, Adalaj Stepwell. Just as I was recovering from the stepwell experience, we were taken to the world famous Sabaramati Ashram of Gandhi. We spent the evening literally sipping coffee and hearing about the Satyagraha Movement at the cafeteria of the Sabaramati Ashram of Gandhi!

On the second day, we left for Dasada early morning. Dasada is a small village situated on the outskirts of Rann of Kutch. This village is mainly inhabited by pastoral communities. Rann of Kutch wildlife sanctuary is one of the largest sanctuaries in the entire country. Covering an area of 4950 sq ft, it is famous for its attractive chestnut brown Asiatic (Wild ass), a species of wild horses.

The third day began with our visit to government office to obtain the special permit which is required in order to travel to tribal villages and border areas deep in the Rann of Kutch. As we drove out of Bhuj the landscape changed rapidly to semi-desert with pockets of scrub and thorn bush. Not surprisingly, we met a many camel and goat herders on our way. There were many villages scattered around the region, each with a specialty which enables them to make out a living from this harsh region. Many of the villages specialize in the creation of beautiful traditional arts and crafts. We were spellbound to see numerous leatherwork, embroidery, painting, wood carving, fabric dying and mud-work.

I am an Indian but I cannot say that any other state in India exemplify the essence of India so beautifully as the Gujarat does.