And Quiet Flows The Sabarmati
Ahmedabad or Amdavad as spoken and written in Gujarati is not a tourist delight.Yes it is a business Center, a Metropolitan challenging bigger cities like Mumbai or Delhi but still it is a regional City. And it is good that it is a regional city, as it has a character of its own. While Mumbai or Delhi have no identity, the Ahmedabadi or Amdavadi is known for his business acumen. His way of doing business is unique but he is not miser. An Ahmedabadi has a large heart as large as the span of the Sabarmati river on which this City is situated.
The river Sabarmati which looks gentle as the docile Gujarati is one of the major rivers of the Western India.(This picture is taken from the room of Hyatt Residency where I stayed in December 2015) It originates in the Dhebar Lake in the Aravalli Range of the Rajasthan . It is ungrateful to its birthplace and serves that land for only 9.5 Kms flowing for rest of the 362 kms in Gujarat. It empties out in the Gulf of Cambay or Khambhat.
The modern city of Ahmedabad was founded in 1411 along the east Bank of this river Sabarmati. For many years even after Independence, the East side of the city was the heartthrob of the business, with Textile Mills(once more than 100), bullion market, and much more but from 1970s there was slump in the growth of the Textile Mills or rather some of the Owners did not want to update the machinery and gradually the chimneys stopped belching the smoke. Most of the them started closing leaving many unemployed and the City started growing commercially in the West of Ahmedabad. Intially there was only one Bridge called Ellis Bridge Pul but with the expansion of the city on the other side there are more than seven bridges to connect the East and the West.(This picture is of the Sardar Bridge) Similarly the Sabarmati was an important source of water, economic and recreational activities during these years. Though it flowed along both the banks only during the monsoon, it was an important source of economic activity all the year round. The river started polluting due to untreated flow of commercial and domestic sewage and capped by the coming up of slums which added to the ugliness of the banks.
The Sabarmati Riverfront , one of the unique projects on the river flowing through the city was first imagined by a French architect Bernard Kohn who proposed an ecological valley in the Sabarmati basin starting upfront in the Dharoi Dam .Though he later disassociated himself from the Project due to some differences, it was approved to be feasible in 1966 .In 1992 the National River Conservation Plan proposed the construction of sewers and pumping station to reduce the water pollution. It can be said here that Sabarmati was not as dirty as is Yamuna in Delhi or Ganga in Varanasi .In 1997 the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation was funded by the Govt.of India with a seed capital of Rs.10 million(US$150,000) and thus started the beautification of the riverfront.The construction of the Project in spite of delays and differences started in 2005 and was completed in August 2012 when it was laid open to the public. The 11.5 km long lower promenades are all completed by now and a total of Rs.1152 crore has been spent by now or may be even more. Due to perennial flow of the river, the water table of the city has improved and what was once a sheet of sand is now a gentle stream adding to the beauty of the city besides giving the residents one more point of activity. The ring road built along the river front has opened up certain unopened areas of the city and reduced the distance between the downtown and other parts of the city.
This picture was taken before the Sun rise and shows the East Ahmedabad still sleeping but the early office goers, the school and college students, the auto and taxiwallas and the people who have to catch early flights are already taking advantage of this dormancy.
The promenade is one of the ideal place for a morning walk. I utilized my vicinity to the riverfront every morning looking nostalgically over the bridge which we traversed every morning to go to the College.
The perennial flow of the river has also generated a revival of the bird life. Once Ahmedabad was know as the City of Trees but now it is a concrete jungle, where Birds have no Trees to lay their nests and eggs. I don't know whether this source of running water will lead to growth of more Trees.
A little ahead, rather upstream of this waterfront, lies the national monument of Sabarmati or Gandhi Ashram . Initially called Kocharab Bungalow, owned by Jivanlal Desai, a barrister friend of Gandhiji, this Ashram was built in its present form on 17 June 2017. This was the residence of Gandhiji and Kasturba and it was from here that the Sabarmati Kay Sant led the famous Dandi March (1930).Just on the opposite side is the Hindu crematorium called Dudheshwar and few kms in the north is the Sabarmati Jail.Perhaps keeping this in mind Gandhiji said "This is the right place for our activities to carry on the search for Truth and develop fearlessness, for one side are the iron bolts of the foreigners and on the other thunderbolts of Mother Nature".
The USP of any Indian Project is lack of upkeep and maintenance. The few brown patches are the early signs of this attitude
In Gujarati there is a saying "Where ever there is village, there is Trash" And we all sincerely believe in this. If there is something beautiful can ugliness be far behind. Just a few yards from the river front is this ugly site on the Usmanpura side.It needs attention.
(Karor is my Pen Name)
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ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this detailed insight into the transformation of Ahmedabad and the Sabarmati Riverfront. Your description beautifully captures the essence of the city's evolution and its unique character. It's heartening to see the efforts made to rejuvenate the Sabarmati Riverfront, transforming it into a vibrant and scenic hub for residents and visitors alike. The combination of ecological restoration, urban development, and recreational spaces has undoubtedly added to the city's allure.
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