GUJARAT & KUTCH.. you humbled and inspired me!!

Out of the blue, I planned an 11 day eating and shopping trip to Gujarat and Kutch with two dear friends from Bangalore! They had heard stories about about the delicious fresh “Surti ponk”.. the droolworthy “Surti locho”..  the legendary “pineapple jam and cheese sandwich”.. the famous Ambika “dal wada”.. the Manek Chowk “night food market” and were longing to try these delicacies and a whole lot more!

We identified the high spots for sightseeing as the Adalaj ni Vav (a Unesco World Heritage site).. the Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar.. the Rani ni Vav (a World Heritage site seen clearly at the back of the 100 rupee note).. the Sun Temple at Modhera.. the only surviving family of authentic “double Ikat” woven Patolas.. the Dilwara Temple at Mount Abu.. the discovered and excavated ancient Harappan site at Dholavira!

Mindboggling to even think of coordinating all this on my own so sought help and a dear friend recommended a travel agent local to Ahmedabad.. I connected and voila! Almost magically an itinerary was planned.. tickets were booked and arrangements were made! There was much excitement about the trip and it started with the wonderfully clean and super punctual Vande Bharat Express that took us to Surat very quickly and efficiently!

We spent a day in Surat.. ate to our heart (and stomach’s) content.. and headed to Ahmedabad! Visited the Adalaj ni Vav and Akshardham on the way and then enjoyed 4 days of food fun family and friendship in Ahmedabad! We all got to experience true Gujarati hospitality and it was truly special.. When street vendors persuade you smilingly to “try one more”.. what more can you ask for?! We devoured most of the goodies on offer and as expected, everyone’s tummies were fine and nobody fell sick!

The Sun Temple at Modhera was a delight thanks to our guide Girishbhai who was extremely knowledgeable and passionate about it’s history.. the poor man felt shortchanged because we gave him only 2 hours.. I suspect he could have (given half a chance) waxed eloquent all day! Rani ni Vav was fascinating (although I couldn’t walk down since the steps were really tough and uneven) and the visit to the Patola centre was incredible! The Salvi family has been weaving these for 400 years now and qualified architects and doctors have given up their careers to carry the legacy forward.. it was incredible to see the passion they bring to their work!

We spent two nights and a day in Mount Abu at the Wordsworth Lodge which (believe it or not) was started by William Wordsworth’s great granddaughter Diana! The lodge was charming and the sky so clear that we saw stars with the naked eye!

The Dilwara temple was gorgeous but I just wished that the Sikh security guards were quieter when they spoke on their mobile phones.. it sounded they could have been heard by their families in Punjab without the phones as well! Silver shopping was excessively tempting and it must be admitted that we all succumbed to temptation!

Dholavira in Kutch was dusty at first glance but the Archaelogical Museum was fascinating and when we visited the site.. OHMIGOD! That was a once in a lifetime experience.. history has never been my favourite subject but our guide Jaimalbhai was actually a part of the team that excavated and discovered it! He brought it alive and we could have listened to him for hours as we walked around! Came away super impressed at the drainage systems and town planning and sheer ingenuity of those folk!

We stopped at Nirona which is a small village in Kutch.. home to a number of master craftsmen who do the most exquisite “Rogan painting”.. metal Bell making.. and lacquer work.. The homes and workplaces are mostly crowded.. dusty and noisy.. but the people are passionate.. perfectionists.. and gracious to another level.. We were welcomed warmly.. offered chai.. and all this with no pressure to buy! All the more incredible when you consider that they don’t advertise but rely on word of mouth reviews! Not surprisingly Nirona was full of foreigners who came from England Germany Japan and all over to see the artisans and their work! In Bhuj it was the same story with the “Bandhani” artisans.. the “Ajrakh” printers.. and the master weaver Shamjibhai Vankar!

Why did I come away humbled and inspired? To see people so enthusiastic creative passionate and committed to their craft and work! Most of them have won awards like the Padma Shri but are totally unassuming and simple.. they let their absolutely fantastic work speak for them! We have a lot to learn and I came away feeling so proud that my fellow Gujaratis are reviving and sharing their expertise and creativity with the world! Everyone should do a trip to Gujarat and return feeling all “fired up with enthusiasm and purpose” to do whatever they do being 100% committed to it!

Sorry for the very long blog but I just couldn’t leave out a single word! Thank you as always for reading!