Monsoon has finally arrived in Ahmedabad at the beginning of the first week of July 2010. Somewhat late in the view of the fifty odd human and the numerous bird and animal lives already lost in the preceding May-June heat. Respite at last from an unprecedented heat-spell anyway, that lasted from the early March to June end. I myself got ill twice during the last four weeks and still not fully out of its shackles. Here is an amateurish video – taken from my aging Nokia N72 – of the same initial showers that finally brought in the much needed respite for my city.

Bhujio Dungar (1)

Some videos and photographs of my short trip to Bhuj in January. These were shot from my Nokia N72 mobile and a Sony Digicam, while mostly traveling in a SUV from Ahmedabad to Bhuj and back home. The quality of shooting may not impress some of you for that reason.

Bhuj is the administrative nerve of Kutch – the district encompassing one-third area of Gujarat – and a key town along the Indo-Pak border. Although, Kutch is dominated by infertile lands and has had little development compared to the rest of Gujarat, the area’s trade and commerce has started improving under shri Narendra Modi’s articulate leadership in the recent years.

Much of the growth has continued to center around the coastal region though, comprising of Anjar, Gandhidham and Alang, and the interiors have yet to be fully awarded with those benefits. Nevertheless, the tourism centering around the great salt lake in the (interior) Rann of Kutch, where the annual Kutch Festival is held each year, is being promoted to evenly distribute the moolah.

As for Bhuj itself, a small summit called Bhujio Dungar (Hill) sits at one of its corners, but there is hardly any other attraction or the urban lure to help the area’s tourism grow. Yes, there is a Reliance Fresh Mall “in the whole of Bhuj town”, a major hospital and an Akashvani (Radio) Center apart from the basic amenities for sustenance. There is also a museum and a handicraft center called Bhuj Haat in the town, but nothing apart from that to excite the real wanderers. Lots of hard work ahead for the state government, if the area was to be marketed as a tourism hub.

While on the road, much of the infrastructure and green cover between Ahmedabad and Bhuj are found centered across the district of Ahmedabad. The highways connecting various towns are smooth enough though, and full of the essential and non-essential services to suggest why Modi has been hailed as a Chief Minister.

Traveling From Ahmedabad To Bhuj (Mobile Video)

Traveling Back From Bhuj To Ahmedabad (Part -1)

Traveling Back From Bhuj To Ahmedabad (Part -2)

Some photographs

Ahmedabad-Bhuj Highway (1)

Ahmedabad-Bhuj Highway (2)

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Ahmedabad-Bhuj Highway (3)

Ahmedabad-Bhuj Highway (4)

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Ahmedabad-Bhuj Highway (5)

Ahmedabad-Bhuj Highway (6)

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Ahmedabad-Bhuj Railway Track (1)

Ahmedabad-Bhuj Railway Track (2)

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Kutch Salt Farms

Kutch Wind Turbines

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Bhujio-Dungar (2)

Bhujio-Dungar (3)

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Bhuj Town (1)

Bhuj Town (2)

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Bhuj Haat (1)

Bhuj Haat (2)

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Bhuj Haat (3)

Bhuj Haat (4)

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Bhuj Haat (5)

Bhuj Haat (6)

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Bhuj Haat (7)

Bhuj Haat (8)

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Bhuj Haat (9)

Bhuj Haat (10)

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Bhuj Haat (11)

Bhuj Haat (12)

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Bhuj Haat (13)

Kutchi Embroidered Sword

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Masala Dosa, Viramgam

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The world admires Amitabh Bachchan for many a things apart from his movies; the blend of his diplomacy being one among that virtuous list. He has had a sizable fan-following despite his fallen off box-office value post 1990, and they belong to all faiths, classes, languages, political idioms and nationalities. And while keeping this diverse fan-following content with his diplomatic grandeur, he has also had many face offs with the media about his public conduct. Much has been reported about his thriving relationships with as contrasting public figures as Amar Singh and Mulayam Singh on one hand, and Bal Thackeray on the other.

The pseudo-secularist focus of targeting anyone that may be trying to approve Modi’s governance has started to shift towards Bachchan as well now, after the latter’s open endorsement of his administrative caliber. Some of his own fans have been hurt badly due to his alliance with Modi. Bachchan has taken the usual diplomatic route to counter this situation. But, it gives enough scope for both the anti and pro-Modi posters to start shooting off their mouths and keep his blog moderators overtly busy. I couldn’t stop myself either from posting the following comment, which I shall share with my fellow Modi supporters now.

Haven’t been to your blog for a while, but I knew the Modi affair would not allow you settle down in the near future. And the reasons of it are amply clear. Modi evokes two contrasting emotions in India. Those who wish to see India as a strong and blooming country, to get rid of its “ifs and buts”, to get rid of its inefficiencies, strongly support Modi. While those willing to milk India’s corrupt and sluggish nature and wish the status quo being maintained, would always strongly oppose Modi. Because “Modi means the right change in the right direction” in a simple sentence.

How ironic, that those unwilling to debate communalism in its entirety accuse Modi of the same crime they have committed for generations now! They start debating the 2002 events from Feb 28, the day riots broke out and not from Feb 27, because if started a day earlier, they may have to explain the dynamics of the Muslim communalism that was the cause behind the Godhra train carnage and its political patronage from the so-called mainstream secular outfits.

In my teenage-hood days in the 80s, when the BJP in Ahmedabad used to be confined to a two square kilometer area only, and the Congress used to call shots allover Gujarat, Hindus had no peace in those days either. There was a family of seven Hindus burnt alive in a Muslim strong hold. Agitated Hindus responded by torching up six Muslims in yet another area. Mumbai’s top cop Julio Ribeiro had to be called in, but he couldn’t control the repeated stabbings by Muslim goons for weeks on. He then threatened to bring in tanks if the violence did not subside quickly.

The ruling Congress was known to support the city’s Muslim mafia in those days, who were additionally, part of Dawood’s extended network. A goon named Alamzeb was known to pay 20K rupees to any Muslim stabbing and killing any Hindu. Somebody killed their fellow Muslim and the money had to be paid to the victim’s family, Muslims used to openly brag of such flawed heroics in those days.

On his own part, P Chidambaram, who was part of Rajiv Gandhi’s ministry and once happened to visit Ahmedabad with Gandhi during another similar strife, had openly accused the Muslims of having supported the Muslim underworld and harmed the city’s peace in that course. A bootlegger called Abdul Latif had been elected from five Muslim dominated AMC wards in those days, while carrying out his jail term. He was latter photographed shooting dead a PSI during another riot, but always evaded arrest due to his “secular” contacts in Gujarat Congress.  He was finally gunned down by Shankar Sinh Vaghela’s cops in the 90s in yet another fake encounter, but nobody, not even the media questioned it with the Congress being Vaghela’s alliance partner.

Those residing in Gujarat have known why things finally boiled up after the brazen carnage in Godhra. Both the sides were blood-thirsty demons that targeted only innocents, but they both were and not just the post-Godhra rioters. Let there be no doubt, that the things would not have been any different without Modi. The Gujarat electorate understands this simple truth without any tinge of doubt and hence has voted back Modi as their CM twice. He is widely known to be an incorruptible, workaholic and impartial administrator throughout Gujarat. Those trying to pick up only the negative half of the 2002 story are finally getting exposed with more and more people acknowledging Modi’s true caliber outside Gujarat.

(The author, a North Indian and who as a first time voter had voted for Rajiv Gandhi in the late 80s, was brought up in Ahmedabad since 1972 and knows a great deal of Gujarat’s transformation from a Congress stronghold in the 1980s to a BJP bastion in the new millennium.)

Gujarat has been witnessing a  fair deal of growth in medical tourism in the recent years. Bulk of this clientèle has been received by Ahmedabad, where the quality of healthcare has broken new barriers in the last two decades. The ever expanding demand for advanced treatment from within and outside Gujarat has ensured that many state-of-the-art healthcare facilities were conceived in Ahmedabad and elsewhere in the same period. Ahmedabad has had three major state run hospitals until the mid 90s. This included Civil Hospital, Sheth Vadilal Sarabhai Hospital and LG Municipal General Hospital. However, several major facilities were launched by private operators in the ensuing years, thus providing a great fillip to healthcare and medical tourism in Ahmedabad and Gujarat as a whole.

Following is an overview of key Ahmedabad hospitals and clinics, sourced mainly from online resources.

Sheth Vadilal Sarabhai General Hospital

Second largest state run hospital in Ahmedabad. “A multi-specialist and multi-activity” facility for healthcare and  ”a teaching Institute,” suggests the hospital’s own website.

Civil Hospital Ahmedabad

This state run facility is not only Ahmedabad’s but also Asia’s largest in nature. The hospital provides specialized diagnostic, therapeutic and rehabilitative patient care at affordable cost. With an infrastructure spread over 110 acres (0.45 km2) of land, Ahmedabad Civil hospital has several affiliate hospitals and medical institutes adding to its impressive profile.

L G Municipal General Hospital

The third largest state run hospital in Ahmedabad. Unfortunately, no information available online.

Situated at Maninagar, Ahmedabad.

Apollo Hospitals, Ahmedabad

Part of Apollo Hospitals, the largest private healthcare network outside the USA. A 400-bed quaternary care facility at the outskirts of Ahmedabad.

SAL Hospital And Medical Institute

Another multi-specialty hospital in Ahmedabad, being overseen by private sector. The hospital consists of 300 beds and 12 operation theaters, which include 75 beds for ICU care and 4 theaters for cardiac surgery. It offers healthcare for five major chronic diseases, viz. heart disease, stroke, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes, and carries out nearly 1500 open heart surgeries, 7500 Cathlab procedures, 100 renal transplants and 3000 major surgeries in other specialities every year.

KRISHNA Heart & Super Specialty Institute

Started in 2000 as a high-end medical facility for cardiac care, Krishna Heart And Super Specialty Institute today caters to other highly specialized areas of medical care, such as Joint Replacement Surgery for Hip and Knees, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Onco Surgery and Minimally Invasive Surgeries. The institute offers all types of cardiac care, including Angiographies, Angioplasties, Cardiac Arterial By-pass Graft surgeries (“Open-heart” or “By-pass” surgeries).

Sterling Hospital, Ahmedabad

Shalby Hospitals

Provides world class health-care facilities to patients from allover the world. Well known for its joint replacement treatment, 16000 TKR (Total Knee Replacement) conducted from 1995 till date.

Samved Hospital (Urology Division)

Samved Orthopaedic Institute

The Gujarat Cancer & Research Institute

Shardaben General Hospital

Bapunagar General Hospital

Rajasthan Hospital

Dr Jivraj Mehta Hospital

Medilink Hospital

Sushrusha Hospital Ahmedabad

Prathama Blood Centre

X-RAY HOUSE

Shreeji Orthopaedic And ENT Hospital

Dental Hospital

Sheth Hospital And Maternity Home

The Heart Care Clinic

Life Care Emergency Hospital

Karnavati Hospital

(List to be updated soon)

The festival of light Diwali (or Dipavali/ Deepavali) has been observed across India and elsewhere with the usual gaiety it is known for. Occasionally, astrological stars play gimmicks with the beginning of the new year, and it occurred this time as well.

The new year of Gujarat, that normally gets observed a day after Diwali was held back this time. It finally began with Bhaidooj today.

I’ve so far loved Diwali like everyone else does, but have also since the last decade or so started disliking the amount of noise that the powerful firecrackers generate. This tendency began showing up more so, since I started meditating. I think, Indians have a lack of cohesiveness and indiscipline in their public life, which gets exposed during such public displays. The responsibility of evading firecrackers in Diwali lies solely on your shoulders therefore, and not the other way round. Watch out for, jump or duck due to them, but never do try complaining.

Diwali Candles 1

Often parents can be seen giggling around when their wards will go on rampage. The occasion becomes a license for bursting the loudest of firecrackers next to thy neighbor’s boundary wall, and not to yours own. It becomes the responsibility of those taking care of the elderlies and the critically ill, to be on their toes, or else go to hell!

Sadly enough, the nature within the urban expanse also gets traumatized due to this human misbehavior. The cuckoo living within the tree branches next to my window went silent this morning as firecrackers began going off at a frenetic pace. She normally starts with her morning Jazz just after the first twilight rays had arisen over the eastern horizon. The firecrackers terrorized and delayed her morning Riyaaz by half an hour. One can just imagine what these silent sufferers might be going through!

One can find the same incivility taking place during some other festivals as well. Some joyous folks will always overlook the midnight ban on loud speakers and make the neighboring colonies suffer throughout Navaratri. I’ve always personally found Diwali more charming, when observed as a festival of light, and tried to light a few candles myself to celebrate the occasion. At the same time, kids lighting unharmful fireworks is also a joyous sight to wish for. But, how often do we get to see such harmonious Diwalis? Instead, firecrackers with several times more than the allowed sound limit, and foolhardy ways to handle them becomes the norm of the day.

This display of rudeness in public life is indicative of the suppressed desires most eastern societies have in them. The hidden, stirring lava finds its way out one or the other way round. But, more about this later. Should stop complaining for now, lest people began calling me names. In any case, my opinion should not find many takers in a world that was full of Diwali firecrackers. So, it does not matter whether I find it the right way to celebrate Diwali or not.

Diwali Candles 2

October Shower In Ahmedabad 1

Same Nokia N72 camera, same angle, same photo-storytelling. Though briefly, it rained heavily last night and I could not stop from uploading these images. Besides there is more about greenery post monsoon. Here, have a look at it.

October Shower In Ahmedabad

October Shower In Ahmedabad 2

October Shower In Ahmedabad 3

Monsoon Greenery In Ahmedabad 1

Monsoon Greenery In Ahmedabad 2

Monsoon Greenery In Ahmedabad 3

Monsoon Greenery In Ahmedabad 4

Monsoon Greenery In Ahmedabad 5

Monsoon Greenery In Ahmedabad 6

Monsoon Greenery In Ahmedabad 7

Monsoon Greenery In Ahmedabad 8

Welcome Monsoon Showers 1

The following videos could not make it online in time. The first one is that of the much awaited showers in Gujarat in the second-leg after a yawning gap. It came at a crucial time when the state government had begun measuring the worsening drought in Gujarat, and thus helped defuse the impending water crisis in many areas to an amicable extent, if not fully. The other is that of Ganesh Visarjan Yatra passing through Jodhpur Gam, Satellite in Ahmedabad, where I live.

Unlike Deepavali and Uttaraayan, Holy and Ganesh Chaturthi had always had a low-key presence in Gujarat. But, it all changed since the infotainment boom of the early 90s and the subsequent years. This period consisted of the emergence of television channels, multi-plexes and mall-culture. A cultural nationalism in the from of Hindutva and the BJP’s rise in politics, had also begun taking Gandhinagar and Delhi by storm, thus providing an impetus to the indigenous culture and faith in Gujarat – a welcome sign for many. Holy and Ganesha Chaturthi have since then been celebrated with a greater fervor in my state.

Welcome Monsoon Showers In Ahmedabad

Ganesha Visarjan Yatra, Ahmedabad

And Some Photographs

Welcome Monsoon Showers 2

Welcome Monsoon Showers 3

Welcome Monsoon Showers 4

Welcome Monsoon Showers 5

Greenery After Monsoon 1

Greenery After Monsoon 2

Greenery After Monsoon 3

Greenery After Monsoon 4

Greenery After Monsoon 5

Greenery After Monsoon 6

Antim Dham Crematorium, Ahmedabad 1

Is there a frontier beyond this physical world? Is there a course to be followed after one had passed away? May be yes, may be not for the deceased, however the journey begins sooner than expected for those around after death. This blog post deals with the same death to funeral recount of events I had been part of since Wednesday evening after one of my female elders in my extended family had passed away peacefully. As the relatives, family members and friends gathered to decide the course until the next morning funeral, life had started rolling in different shades, shapes and metaphors.

Even-though the deceased was elderly and on her last leg of her life, the first hour went into understanding the sudden vacuum created by her passing away. Although foreseen in advance, and to the relief of the deceased and those taking care of her to some extent as well – since they had fears of more painful end than what it transpired to be at the end – the emerging vacuum could still be felt by one and all. Her relation with other elders of my extended family was the chief reason for visiting them until now. That may not be the case in future though.

As people started visiting to pay homage, things gradually began shifting from the deceased to the bereaving ones. Some were meeting after a long break and needed to be updated about each other. There would be intermittent rush to the outside Verandah to receive cellphone calls and conduct unfinished business. An occasional gaze at the style of dressing, way of walking, looks, composure, a lack of it and things of various human interest would also silently creep in. I sat in a corner observing this and the rest with the like-minded and wondered at the manner in which the life handles itself even in/after death.

Antim Dham Crematorium, Ahmedabad 2

Antim Dham Crematorium, Ahmedabad 3

Two past incidents flashed in my mind at this juncture. One took place about two decades ago when I was 20-some years old and standing at a city bus stopover with a couple of young ladies. A funeral procession passed by us on that afternoon, and as the crowd neared I saw coffin lifters turning their faces clumsily to have a dear look on the ladies next to me. Quite embarrassing and awkward for others, not for the bubbling stuff though. They knew very well the meaning of this male gaze, the essence of this male lust, and enjoyed each of those stares, undeterred by the dead body on their shoulders. In doing so, the life had won, and death had been forced to retreat. The fallen, dry leave had been swept aside, and the new sapling given its own space.

The second incident happened in 2001, when Gujarat was struck with a massive earthquake. My city Ahmedabad had its own major scars. Several multi-stories collapsed as if they had been made of cards next to my own locality. More than 700 dead and scores others missing in my city alone (not to speak about the 12000 perished in Kutch at the epicenter). Doors and concrete slabs would be seen precariously hanging from top floors, low rise structures rising at acute angles marring the landscape. Bulldozers, earth diggers working 24 hours, bringing up rubble, rotten bodies and unbearable stench. And men and women walking down roads like zombies amidst all this nightmare. The worst part was, being forced to live on road-sides, since you did not believe into your own dwellings, your own sweet homes anymore. It was like suspecting your own mother, your own caretaker.

Antim Dham Crematorium, Ahmedabad 4

Antim Dham Crematorium, Ahmedabad 5

But, something subtle, yet noticeable started taking place by the third evening. A few odd eateries opened up, streets became more functional and for the first time in a hell that had lasted for 72-hours by now and was  promising to continue for weeks on to come, men and women slyly began looking into each other’s eyes once again. This was the clearest of all signs that life was back to its normal course and death had been driven back into hibernation!

During the early morning, I sat by the deceased with three of her kids who are into their 30s and 40s and with their own growing up kids now. I could read the personal loss they just had from their faces. On some rare occasions, death can even leave some close ones crippled for life. I recently found Big B recalling his association with Shashi Kapoor, one of the most lively faces of yesteryear movies, in his own blog, and informing his extended family (blog readers and fans) how Kapoor had been living a reclusive life since his wife Jennifer’s demise. It is painful witnessing such a lasting damage after death. But life goes on as it is, in most other cases though. Mourners would get ready for the funeral on one hand, and young ladies would pass by in their best attires to the nearest Navaratri Celebrations on the other. A somber voice would recite Bhagwadgeeta for the deceased and the bereaving on one hand, and the enchanting sounds of Garba from the nearby Pandals would sink in from the other, thus unplugging life, death, spirituality and romance in one go! It is but, amazing experience! Life at its fullest!

We were at Antim Dham, an AUDA run crematorium in Thaltej area, a couple of hours later. The life after death kept me busy with observations until late that afternoon, and I decided to snap a few photographs to add to my story. What these photographs did not capture though, can be examined here: Four dead bodies lying around, one being cremated and three awaiting for their turn. Men counting hours with a heavy heart and minds elsewhere. Men including this blogger chatting about share-market, politics, movies and cricket. A few young romantic couples sitting intimately in bushes within the crematorium itself, and a group of poor kids begging for money as well. The rest can be witnessed through these jpgs.

Antim Dham Crematorium, Ahmedabad 6

Antim Dham Crematorium, Ahmedabad 7

Antim Dham Crematorium, Ahmedabad 8

Antim Dham Crematorium, Ahmedabad 9

Antim Dham Crematorium, Ahmedabad 10

Antim Dham Crematorium, Ahmedabad 11

Antim Dham Crematorium, Ahmedabad 12

Antim Dham Crematorium, Ahmedabad 13

Antim Dham Crematorium, Ahmedabad 14

Antim Dham Crematorium, Ahmedabad 15

And Finally, The Journey Back From Antim Dham In Ahmedabad, Through The Sarkhej-Gandhinagar Highway.

Navaratri Midnights In Ahmedabad 1

Navaratri Midnights In Ahmedabad 2

I went pillion riding a scooter last night and got these cellphone clippings and photographs of Navaratri rush uploaded for you. Damn, it seems I’ve been confined to my Satellite home and computer for ages now, since I found two new over-bridges functioning that I had not heard of before…a bit shy to accept this blatant truth as an Amdavadi, who also happens to run part of his blog devoted to Ahmedabad. However, this makes me proud of having voted for Narendra Modi twice, something you must easily know why!

Now, the cellphone videos and photos from my poor Nokia N72 2-mega pixel camera. Mood matters, quality doesn’t always. Does it really?!

Navaratri Midnights In Ahmedabad 1

Navaratri Midnights In Ahmedabad 2

Free BRTS (Ahmedabad) Ride -Short Video Clip

Having agreed to head the GCA, Gujarat CM Narendra Modi will now be expected to produce results. Here is a list of dos that we expect Shree Narendrabhai to live up to and help cricket and other sport disciplines grow in Gujarat.

1. There is a need of pumping in finance and advanced coaching methods to help the cricket improve its standard at the club and state levels in Gujarat. State level coaching should be of the highest order to help local players win  more IPL, ICL and Team India berths.

2. Local cricket tourneys should be organized keeping in mind the national schedule, so that teams have enough time to take part at the national level. I’ve been told this doesn’t take place often.

3. Notwithstanding the recent success of Dhoni’s boys, the over all competence in cricket may not improve until all sports in India improved. For this purpose, cricket infrastructure and money needs being utilized for other sport disciplines as well, and there is a need of developing newer sports complexes keeping this aspect in mind.

4. Another way to collectively develop sports in Gujarat would be to combine the Saurashtra and Vadodara cricket associations with the GCA and let them develop advanced sports facilities with private money.

5. Sports bodies need to usher in era of efficiency, transparency and democratic functioning. Why have Suresh Kalmadis at the helm for years on when none of the Indian athletes win medals at most international meets? The need of hour is to eradicate the influence of bureaucracy and politics from cricket and other sports. Narendrabhai should guide the nation by ensuring that GCA selected its next league of office bearers from apolitical backgrounds. There should be an amendment in the constitution of the GCA to make this possible.

6. The GCA should ensure only past cricketers, officials and cricket fans with a minimum period of club membership joined its top body. The GCA should further make the presidency a full-time job and ask those joining, including bureaucrats and politician, to quit all other responsibilities, including party positions and governmental jobs before doing so.

7. Apart from the GCA, Narendrabhai should also work to make sports a rewarding profession in general. Making sports a lesser governmental matter and calling in management gurus and corporate sector can be a way for path-breaking changes in various sport fields.

We sports lovers of Gujarat will hope for a defining improvement in sports during Shree Narendrabhai’s tenure at the GCA and Gandhinagar.