Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Of Dal Bhati, Srikhand and Char Rastas...

I grew up in Baroda, Gujarat, with a lot of memories. It used to be a quaint little city at the banks of the Vishwamitri river with a very beautiful and rich history and culture. Its adorned by the Royal Palace of the Gaekwad family and has a lot of museums and gardens. In many ways it can be called a twin city of Mysore because both Mysore and Baroda Royal Families were very closely connected and both cities were modeled along the same lines. I remember roaming around the old city areas of Nyay Mandir and Mandvi and having kachoris at that famous shop around the corner in the market area. My time in baroda has been the most fun time I have ever had.

All those memories of mine came back to me like a flash back when I visited the old town areas of Ahmedabad yesterday. Being here on an internship might be the best thing I have done in a while. We were roaming around Gandhi road and Relief road for hours. It was so similar to Nyay Mandir and Mandvi areas of Baroda. Those stuffed, dingy shops, the hot humid weather, those really old multi-storied housing above the shops (some of them as old as the city itself), Those zillions of wires cris-crossing the space above the roads, Those sandals, clothes and kites stuck in those wires, all these made up for such a wonderful experience. Maybe I was laughed at, maybe I was ridiculed, but I could not help taking these pictures. It was as if I was roaming around in my childhood again. The only thing missing was my Dad's or my Mom's hand dragging me along.


3 comments:

  1. wow!! nice!! :) u remember a lot.....i hardly remember delhi :(
    anyways nice to see u reminiscing :)

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  2. Keep writing!! I remember amma and appaji holding my hands ...one hand each..and swinging me really high as we walked in hunsur!! wow times that need to be visited again!

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  3. great pictures mate! keep blogging! cheers!

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