For the past few months the newspapers have been full of
great hype about Gujarat state, more particularly its capital city, Ahmadabad. Not surprisingly, I was quite excited about my
trip to this city and expected to have a marvelous experience.
Experience 1 – The domestic airport was quite a letdown,
even though I was touched by the lack of security. I assumed that the people and the authorities
here were confident about safety or rather had no security issues as in other
airports. A minor thought that could be
flicked off and I looked forward to what the city had in store as I proceeded
towards my place of stay. Well, it was
late and I guess people winded up early in Ahmadabad, so not much of a
hustle-bustle on the roads.
Experience 2 – when shopping for the Dish TV connection I was
quite taken aback by the shop-keeper’s insistence on Tata Sky or some other
cable connection. When he saw I was
determined on my choice of television entertainment source, he remarked –“people
here rarely opt for this connection. They would rather go for anything but
this. Period.” I kept wondering (as I am prone to) why such
a distaste for this particular brand, as I have found Dish TV to be customer-friendly
and most importantly has FM channels, like no other. One thought crept up – Shah Rukh Khan is the
face of Dish TV. Could that be a
deterrent? Your guess is as good as mine.
Experience 3 - Ahmadabad is quite full of bootleggers
(people who sell alcohol at a premium price on the quiet) and as per certain
survey alcohol consumption in Gujarat is comparably higher than other places in
India. Yet, this is a dry state, which means
no wine shops; no excise revenue for the state coffers. The alcohol business which is conducted undercover
sure brings in large profits, since the items are sold at four times the normal
price. Who does it benefit? How does this thrive?
Taken from another angle which is the popular slogan “Gandhiji’s
home state” and so no intoxicating substances should be available. I would like to know how come cigarettes,
zarda, ghutka, pan masala and pan are easily available at every second store. Are
these not counted among the intoxicating vices or did the great man (pardon; no
offense meant) endorse their use?
Experience 4 – autos in Ahmadabad run on the meter or off
the meter. The meter is Rs.20/- down and
then increases after the first kilometer.
So it is definitely not 10/- per kilometer, as I have heard a number of
times on the news channels.
Experience 5 – people are very particular about flouting
their vegetarian status and do not think twice about screwing up their noses at
the mere mention of fish/meat, onion/garlic.
Even children of such families look down on you if they discover you eat
‘flesh’! Should I mention I am a Brahmin by birth and
wait for their expected reactions? Maybe
not.
Experience 6 – I have traveled far and wide in India and
lived in various places due to jobs. I found
match boxes, made in Tamil Nadu, with bold Gujarati written on them being sold
here. I have found branded detergent powder packets with bold Gujarati writing
and small English below. I did not see such
exclusive state-wise promotions anywhere else in India. The pipe gas people fixes up the connection
and then make you sign a paper which is entirely in Gujarati; no alternate
language form available. As the boys
answered to my query about an English form – ‘why should you worry? You are
here today and will be gone tomorrow, so don’t worry about the written
material.’ I was aghast with their
complete assumption that we, the outsiders would not be here for long. And yet,
most of the youngsters from this state are filing for visas to the USA, Canada,
UK and Australia. Yes, the visa counseling
business is flourishing here waving a green flag; and if you wish to work for
them you must sign a bond for 4 years.
Oh yes! Did I tell
you about the weekend rush out? Every Friday
evening flights go chock-a-bloc with young Ahmadabadis to Bombay, Daman Di u and
bring back the refreshed youngsters by Mondays.
