India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (319 page)

Nachana Haveli (Govardhan Chowk).
02992/25-2110.
[email protected]. Main courses Rs 60–Rs 180. MC, V. Daily 11am–10:30pm.

SHOPPING

Don’t miss the
Jaisalmer Art Palace
(near Patwon ki Haveli) for unique local Shoda family (migrants from Pakistan), Sindi and Megwar embroidery, and local
dhurries
. Just around the corner on the square is the
Barmer Embroidery House
(near Patwon ki Haveli); it’s owned by Abhimanyu Rathi, legendary for his fine eye for antique textiles. Designers have been known to cross the Thar just to plunder his exquisite selection. Jaisalmer is also famous for its wool products, particularly
dhurries
(rugs), as well as its fine hand embroidery, which turns average skirts and tops into real conversation pieces. Because the town is so easily explored, the best shopping experience is to set aside a morning and wander around, comparing prices before making your selection. Start by exploring the main
Bhatia Market
(begins at the entrance to the fort) and follow your nose. Note that
Rangoli
has a large collection of embroidered garments, particularly for children, and is a fixed-rate shop (you don’t have to bargain), which can be quite a relief. You’ll find it opposite the Bank of Baroda, in Gandhi Chowk.

Kanu Swami
(
98/2909-7319
)
is a skillful miniaturist who produces original and beautiful paintings, typically of birds and trees; you’ll see evidence of his affinity for nature in the near-microscopic detail that figures into his work. Not satisfied with portraits of trees featuring well over 4,000 individual leaves, he continues to attempt record-breaking images that have the quality of computer-generated graphic artworks but are executed with an artist’s touch. If you’d like to take home a painting that combines traditional skills with a contemporary look, spend some time surveying Kanu’s work; you’ll spend a mere Rs 800 for a beautifully crafted artwork that’s taken 2 full days to complete. Kanu’s workshop-cum-outlet is adjacent to the entrance of 8 July Restaurant (opposite the palace entrance).

For more upmarket designer selections, stop at
Killa Boutique
(Gandhi Chowk), run by Luca Borella of Killa Bhawan, where you can pick up stylish fashion accessories, scarves, and Western outfits made of Indian fabrics and prints.

A Scarce Resource

The very late, rather weak—and for some—absent monsoon rains of 2009 have been cause for alarm and panic in a country that 2 years ago endured a severe drought, especially when 70% of the nation is rural and relies substantially on subsistence farming and agriculture. Alongside shocking stats (Paddy Cultivation Area Shrinks by 20%; Distress Cattle Sale Rampant in Jhabua), full-page ads in the daily papers with appeals to save water and advertised rates of relief have become commonplace. State governments publicize compensation rates and also to appease panicked constituents. For example, in Haryana, compensation is set at Rs 2,700 per acre for wheat, paddy, and cotton and Rs 2,100 for other crops in case the damage to the standing crops is 51% and above. Other states have promulgated public works programs offering remuneration for up to 100 days of community service. Besides this construction of new water canals, repair of old canals and deeper wells are being sunk ensuring equitable distribution of water throughout the state. Such is the concern that one state qualified its tasks as “being carried out in the entire state on war footing.” That’s not to say that farmers are not doing their bit. Many have formed arrangements where they collectively irrigate a designated area and share the spoils, ensuring that at least they have some guarantee of success.

Chapter 12: Gujarat: India’s Eclectic Wild West

Gujuratis, renowned worldwide for their business sense, are at the helm of some of the most successful business outfits in India, and enjoy the highest GDP per capita in the country. Home to Hindus, Jains, Parsis, and Muslims, as well as the colorful seminomadic tribes that inhabit the immense salt flats of Kutch, the state of Gujarat has seen its image as industrial powerhouse somewhat tarnished by occasional spates of politically fueled communal violence, and as a consequence its popularity as a travel destination has dropped off. Despite this, Gujarat’s atmosphere remains very peaceful, and traveling through this state will expose you to a vast, varied, and dramatic Indian landscape unlike any other. It is also a haven for some of the most interesting craftwork in India, and while you may encounter some of the work typical of the state in other big cities you will pay a fraction for the handiwork you unearth here. If this is your interest, a visit to the villages of Kutch and its Ranns, where you can also personally interact with the humble artisans producing these astonishing crafts and textiles, is essential.

What makes the Gujarati experience all the more pleasurable is the fact that it is so wonderfully free of the touts and tourists who increasingly plague India’s more well-traveled trails. The downside is that tourism and particularly road infrastructure is still pretty basic, and Gujarat is probably best suited to the intrepid traveler who has plenty of time on his or her hands, and does not need a wellness spa or butler service attached to their hotel. Scattered around the state there are new resorts and some ageing palaces that have been converted into heritage hotels but be warned: none compare even remotely with the luxury and standard of service found in neighboring Rajasthan. Getting around is also extremely arduous—you can attempt to cover the state’s top attractions in around 8 days with a good driver and reliable vehicle, but given the distances and the poor state of the roads, we recommend you set aside at least 10 to 12 days (and think twice if you happen to have a weak back). For some, Gujarat’s highlights, while interesting and unique, may arguably not merit the distance and effort taken to visit them. But for those special interest travelers, particularly those on a third or fourth visit to India, who have become slightly disillusioned by the immense growth in tourism and the all-pervasive Western influence on once traditional ways of life, a trip to Gujarat will be just the ticket to restore your sense of wonder.

1 Ahmedabad

Gujarat

Once part of the expansive Mughal empire, Ahmedabad (also known as Amdavad) is Gujarat’s largest city, with a population of around six million extending along the banks of the Sabarmati River, and is best used as a platform to enter or exit Gujarat, or as a base from which to explore the state. As is typical of India’s modern cities, Ahmedabad is an intriguing blend of medieval and contemporary history, with a big-city atmosphere seemingly indifferent to its ancient walled heart, with step wells, temples, bazaars, and
pols
(as the charming old city neighborhoods and residential areas are known). While not a university town per se, the city also has some of the best tertiary educational institutions in India, including the Institute of Fashion Design which clearly draws on its history as a textile hub. It’s an industrial powerhouse yet the frenetic pace and chaos belies an informal and carefree attitude, and it appears to have (at least to a Westerner) none of the snootiness and social pressures of Mumbai.

It’s got none of the heady sex appeal of Mumbai, and the first-time visitor may experience it as unpleasant and noisy, its history all but obscured by pollution, and its culture too urbanized. But stick around and you’ll find a city with its soul still intact, and refreshingly indifferent to the tourism that has transformed the more popular Indian states.

A fascinating window to Gujarati traditional culture and history, its industrious inhabitants play host to over 40% of India’s pharmaceuticals and textile businesses, and is a vital component of most other commercial and industrial enterprises. This would come as no surprise to it’s tolerant and progressive founder Ahmed Shah, who in 1411, inherited the Sultanate of Gujarat and judiciously relocated it from Patan to its current position on the ancient site of Ashaval and Karnawati, and named it after himself: the suffix “abad” means to prosper. Ahmed attracted traders, skilled artisans, and established a formidable merchant class. Although its fortunes waxed and waned on the back of famines and political unrest, prosper it certainly did, and in the late 19th century the city again rose to prominence as a huge textile centre similarly exporting valuable textiles. Congruously, while Gandhi was revitalizing and restructuring small-scale textile industry, its fame came from its role as a home to Gandhi’s famous ashram, which became synonymous with the Indian Freedom Movement. The last textile mills closed in the early 1970s and the economic hardship that followed most likely played a part in the communal and religious conflict in 2002.

ESSENTIALS

VISITOR INFORMATION
Confusingly, you’ll find the main tourism office across the river from the main tourist attractions, on the west bank of the Sabarmati, in HK House, just off Ashram Road, 1km (1⁄2 mile) north of Nehru Bridge. (Mon–Sat 10:30am–1:30pm and 2–6pm, closed second and fourth Sat of the month;
079/2658-9172;
www.gujarattourism.com
). For more detailed advice on planning we highly recommend you contact the Gujarat specialists
North West Safaris,
whose operations manager Anil Bhagia and owner, the experienced travel writer Anil Mulchandani, will tailor make your trip (North West Safaris 113 Kamdhenu Complex, across from Sahjanand College, Panjarpole Cross Roads, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad;
079/26302019
or 26308031; fax 26300962; mobile 098240 72075;
www.northwestsafaris.com
).