IEEE INDICON 2009 | About Gandhinagar

About Gandhinagar

Gandhinagar is the capital city of Gujarat established as a modernized twin city for Ahmedabad. It was visualised as a planned city along the lines of New Delhi (by Edwin Lutyens), Chandigarh (by Le Corbusier) and Bhubaneshwar (by Otto H. Koenigsberger) . Located on the banks of the River Sabarmati, the city is the administrative centre of Gandhinagar and Gujarat as well. It does not seem to be a prudent concerted effort of creating Gandhinagar a Knowledge Hub by establishing several educational institutions of national and international repute, but it happened in sinusiodal phase during last one century or less.

Several institutes of international and national repute are located in Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad, inter alia, Institute for Plasma Research (IPR), the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), the National Institute of Design (NID), Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), LD Institute of Indology, Center for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT) and Space Applications Centre (SAC) of Indian Space Research Organization, Gujarat Vidhyapeeth, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), The National Institute of Co-operative Management, Gujarat National Law University, Indian Institute for Advanced Research (IIAR), The Institute of Petroleum Management. The Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA) is a notable institution established to impart management training and experience to young students and professionals.

Besides this uniqueness of being developed as a Knowledge Corridor, Gandhinagar (including Ahmedabad, which is actually the commercial capital of Gujarat) has so many other attarctions too. It has been rapidly developing as a city of mega malls and multiplexes. On both sides of SG (Sarkhej-Gandhinagar) Highway one finds innumerous superstores and malls, to name a few are Iscon Mega Mall, Big Bazaar, Star India Bazaar, Acropolis, Gallops, Croma, Himalaya Mall, Reliance Mega Mart, 10 Acre.

Ahmedabadis are food lovers, they hang out during weekends in search of good food, great ambience and entertainment. One may find all types of Gujarati and non-Gujarati food within the city. For Gujarat food one can visit Sasuji (CG Road), Pakwan, Atithi (SG Highway), Govardhan Thal (SG Highway), Vishala and Rajwaru (both near Vadodara Expressway). Old city of Ahmedabad is full of places that serve mugalai cuisine. Apart from that one may like to visit Mirch Masala (CG Road and SG Highway), Hyderabadi Biryani (off SG Highway), Upper Crust (near Vijay Chaar Rasta), Curries (near AMA), Chawlas (near Vastrapur Lake). Almost all brands of fast food joints are mushroomed in Ahmedabad.

Health care support is relatively better in Ahmedabad. Multi-spaeciality hospitals such as the Appollo Hospital, SAL Hospital, Sterling Hospital, Civil Hospital provide indoor and outdoor patient services round the clock. Apart from these there are many super-specialty hospitals and nursing homes available here.

Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad enjoy uninterrupted water and power supply throughout the year.

The airport and the railway station, both located in Ahmedabad, are within easy reach from the DA-IICT campus in Gandhinagar (a 20 minutes drive to the airport, and about a 50 minutes drive to the main railway station, popularly known as Kalupur Railway Station). The airport has international connectivity, with direct flights to most of the places in Europe and the USA.

Apart from the monsoon season, the climate of Gandhinagar is normally dry. Winter season never falls here, it is mostly hot weather throughout the year except monsoon. The maximum temperature stays in the range of 36°C (97°F) and 42°C (108°F), and the minimum in the range of 19°C (66°F) and 27°C (81°F). From November to February, the average maximum temperature is around 29°C (85°F), the average minimum is 14°C (57°F), and the climate is extremely dry. Sometimes it rains heavily in Gandhinagar due to the southwest monsoon during mid-June to mid-September.

Places to visit in Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad are Siddi Sayyed Jali, Jumma Masjid, Gujarat Science City, Akshardham (Gandhinagar), Law Garden Market, Vaishnodevi Temple, Kankaria Lake, Sabarmati Riverfront Development Project, Sarkhej Roja, Adalaj Wav, Rani Sipri Mosque, Iskon Temple, Sola Temple, CG Road, Gandhi Ashram (Sabarmati), Calico Museum of Textiles (Shahibaugh).

Places of Interest

There are many places of interest for site-seeing in both the cities including the world famous Akshardham, the Adalaj Step Well, Science City, Sabarmati Ashram and many multiplexes.

Akshardham is a place of education, entertainment and enlightenment. It combines traditional stone architecture, ancient wisdom, and the best of modern technology to create the most powerful experience of Indian Culture ever to exist. Dedicated to Lord Swaminarayan, Akshardham is a miracle worked by the sacrifice of thousands of volunteers. Hundreds of figures, dioramas, displays and audio-visual shows, unfold a stream of timeless experiences. They are visually mesmeric, scientifically stunning, and spiritually moving.

Adalaj Step Well is located 18 kilometers north of Ahmedabad in the Gandhinagar district. It was built during the reign of Queen Rudabai, a muslim ruler. Though now dry, the well once provided water to weary travellers and pilgrims along the roads outside of Ahmedabad. The four-level well is dug directly into the water table, exposing fresh water that rose and fell according the seasons and the amount of rainfall. Its deep interior provided cool relief from the harsh Indian sun.

Gujarat Science City is a bold initiative of the Government of Gujarat to realize this priority. The Government is creating a sprawling center at Ahmedabad which aims to provide a perfect blend of education and entertainment. It will showcase contemporary and imaginative exhibits, minds on experiences, working models, virtual reality, activity corners, labs and live demonstrations to provide an understanding of science and technology to the common man.

Sabarmati Ashram lies on a quiet stretch of the river Sabarmati, 7 kms north of the city, set up by Mahatma Gandhi as a simple retreat in 1915. This was his first Satyagraha Ashram and for many it was the nerve centre of India's freedom movement. Hridaya Kunj, the cottage where he lived is preserved as it was in the Mahatma's lifetime. The Gandhi Ashram has a memorial centre, library and a sound and light spectacle to offer its visitors.

Ahmedabad is known for its multiplexes and for starting the multiplex's market race in India. The first ever multiplex in India, CityPulse, is stituated in Gandhinagar. A number of multiplexes, Fun republic, City Pulse, R World, Wide Angle to name a few, are situated both in and near Gandhinagar and on Ahmedabad Gandhinagar highway.