Some missed kites and a cadbury sandwich

I am cursing myself that I did not read the news about Internation Kite Festival properly. I was under an assumption that it will go on till 14th and had planned to go there again on 14th. Alas!! it ended on 13th itself. And I missed the chance to see the big event.
Still the fact that we did visit it on sunday and witnessed the trailor makes me content. Not to forget the 100% fresh fruit icecream and the amazing homely food at Gaurav's cousin's place.

So the most exciting plan for Uttarayan (as Makar Sakranti is called in this part of world) flopped. Nonetheless the enthu did not die, so we decided to go and visit parts of the old city to see people celebrating one of their favorite festivals. Who else could help us with this but our trusted Daulat bhai, so I called him and told that I wanted to roam around in the old city and se celebrations of Uttarayan.

And I know now that I asked the right person. What he arranged for us was one of the most simple yet enjoyable trip in this city.

4 of us (me, Abhinav, Josen and Ameya) took the auto and cruised on the roads that were deserted otherwise. It's almost like a curfew situation in this city on 14th Jan. There are two reasons behind it -
1. It's a public (and private) holiday and everybody celebrates the fest in their home. All the shops and establishments except eateries were closed.
2. There are chances of accidents due to manja that is everywhere on this day. So people prefer not to be on roads and chill out in their home with family and friends.

IIMA campus is in the new city and we did not see much of action here. But when we reached Alice bridge, the difference between old city and new ones became so apparent. On that side of the river sky was filled with kites, this side it was not the case. So we stopped on the bridge to enjoy the two faces of Ahmedabad city. At one side there were big billboards getting lighted as the sun was approaching the horizon, at other there were kites and more kites. Kids running here and there to grab the kites that got cutofied in the fierce competitions. Kaata hai and then kids running behind the kite.

It was almost dark so we decided to move from the bridge. Next stop was at the Jami Masjid in the old city. The biggest masjid in city, it is a beutiful place. It was mostly empty as there was still time to prayer. But in the area surrounding the masjid, the skyline was filled with kites. All the families had stationed themselves on the roof. The joy of having a get-together like this is unimaginable in our part of country. Superb!!

A trip can not be complete without some pet-pooja. So we asked Daulat bhai to take us to some place where we might get to try something nice and local. And he took us to the right place. Manik Chowk. For people who know Indore, I can say it is an equivalent of sarafa. Like the chat-streets in most cities of India. Shops are setup as the sun sets and the feast goes on till 2am (or till the food lasts). Sandwich, pizza, pulav, pani puri, pav bhaji - some of the things that we could see from the distance. We decided to try as much as possible. So first it was pani-puri (Spicy they were but we loved it), then sev puri. Followed by the visit to Sandwich stall. We asked to guy there to serve us his speciality and he did the same. A pineapple sandwich followed by chilly cheese. First one was a sweet preparation but trust me you would have never tried something like it. A must try dish in this side of the town. Cadbury sandwich - for the chocolate lovers. We just could not resist after seeing him apply chocolate preparation on the bread. What a nice way to end the feast. A hot cup of chai followed. Nice Adrak chai directly from the ketli. Reminded me of the tea I had in the morning when I reached Indore in the last trip home. We were full and so it was time to go. So much left to be tasted there, so I know surely you will see another post on Manik Chowk.

4 friends, 2 hours, 300 odd rupees and so many smiles. Not to forget delicious pineapple and cadbury sandwiches. It was my kinda fun. I missed it for so long. I am happy finally I did it. I guess I have found a partner in crime here - Abhinav. Always ready for something like this. Looking forward to more such trips to Old city. I am bored of the malls anyways. :D