Ahmedabad, Lost And Found

Behind the Doors of the Walled City, History Is an Unexpected Find

- Shefali Pandey

Ahmedabad is the city I have called home for the longest period of time. This is where I struggled through Physics in high school and learnt to distinguish between North Gujarati and Kathiyawadi accents in college. It is also where I live now, after having spent a decade in New York and later Bombay.

While those great cities are steeped in heritage and culture, Ahmedabad, in comparison, doesn’t quite seem to be dressed for the same party. Despite its recent UNESCO World Heritage City tag, a first for India, the city might seem underwhelming to someone not looking to scratch beyond the touristy surface.

Ahmedabad, I am discovering in this homecoming, makes you work hard. A city with a documented history of rulers and invaders as far back as the 11th century, it has the architecture and culture—one just has to look beyond the obvious.

For writer Esther David, born and raised in the old city on the east of the Sabarmati River and now resident of the newer western side, the challenge is defining and navigating the city’s historical sites. “How does one navigate the part of the city that is considered heritage? If I start from Bhadra Fort and Teen Darwaza, how do I walk from there to Sidi Sayeed mosque to Rani no Hajiro?”

THE BY-LANES OF HISTORY