India is a rich and diverse country, whether measured by its food, people or demographics. This makes India an amazing country to explore. I belong to a small part of it – Ahmedabad is my home town. It is popular for its textile and denim products, its business-minded people, and its ample supply of vegetarian food. It was also the base city of Mahatma Gandhi, and his dwelling is still known as Sabarmati Ashram. Ahmedabad is a part of Gujarat State. Gujarat is the last place where asiatic Lions still exist (Gir Forest). It also has the longest coastline in India, one which is inhabited by many endangered species, and it has a marine park for endangered coastal animals and wildlife parks for other endangered species.
I belong to a business caste family and we follow the Jain religion. Jainism is beautiful, and it is one of the lesser known faiths of the world. We believe in nonviolence (Ahinsa paramo Dharam, which means non-violence, is my first religion). Our religion forbids us to hurt or kill the smallest of lives, from bacteria, ants, and plants to humans. We practice a strict vegetarian diet and our religion also encourages us to live frugal and minimalist lives.
Indian food, festivals and weddings need no introductions; their vibrancy and color have charmed the world all over.
For my India blog series, I plan to write a weekly post covering the above-mentioned topics. I will give a brief introduction about the diversity found in India related to the topic, as well as the local diversity found, and then focus on what I know the most. This is the weekly breakdown of what I plan to write about. Changes in my travel itinerary may effect the order of the topics.
Week 1 – Being in Mumbai – food, family, fun, business and bandra kurla complex, street food and shopping
Week 2 – Ahmedabad – History of Ahmedabad– Sabarmati Ashram, ancient architecture
Week 3 – Ahmedabad – Business Technology and enterprise
Week 4 – Vadodara – science, research and culture , MS University
Week 5 – Ahmedabad/ Gujarat – schooling and education
Week 6 – Ahmedabad – Indian wedding and festivities
Week 7 – Gujarat – ecology, diversity and preservation
Week 8 – religion, faith, spirituality and Yoga
