Travel

The India Ki Khoj program included 5 official field trips off the IITGN campus:

Gandhi Ashram
Heritage Walk in the Old City of Ahmedabad
Lothal
Outreach in Local Village Community
Kasturbhai Lalbhai Museum of Modern Art

The Gandhi Ashram, or Sabarmati Ashram, is a living place of the late Mahatma Gandhi in Ahmedabad that has since been converted into a museum. The museum shares Gandhi's life through a timeline of important events wrapped around the living space, as well as further description on certain events. The Ashram sat on the Sabarmati river, which I walked along with many of the other IIT and Caltech students.

The Heritage Walk in the Old City of Ahmedabad was run by a Hindi religious leader. The tour began at a Hindu temple located centrally in Old Ahmedabad and ended at a mosque, with a stop at a jain temple in between. As we traveled from each place of religious worship, we looked around the city, learning about their daily rhythms, cultural practices, and more. This tour gave a comprehensive view of what it is like to live in the Old City, as well as a look into the places of worship for the three most prevalent religions in India.

Me and Varad at the first stop of the Heritage Walk Hindu Leader in front of Old City building Meal at MG after Heritage Walk

The Lothal is an archeological site of the Indus Valley civilization. This site was excavated in the 1950's and showcases the way that this ancient civilization lived including (arguably) the world's oldest boat dock. Next to the Lothal, there was an archeology museum which included many artifacts that were found during the excavation of the site, including beads, jewelry, and pottery. We watched a short movie about the site as well.

Group photo at the Lothal docking site

For Outreach in Local Village Community, we visited a village near Ahmedabad. We began by visiting a class run by the NEEV program, an outreach program funded by IITGN, in which women from local villages are taught to sew. We then walked through the village and met children who were studying in the village primary school.

Me, Sneha, Sandhra, and Maria in the local village (left to right)

The Kasturbhai Lalbhai Museum of Modern Art was created in a Colonial home and includes Indian art pieces from the past millennium. The artwork spanned many religions, styles, and techniques. In addition, the museum had another building that included an exhibit using indigo for all its pieces.These pieces were distinctly modern and highlighted the rise and growth of the indigo industry, particularly in relation to the making of blue jeans.

Me, Divyanshu, Rahul U., Varad, Rahul S., and Saehei posing for a picture at the Kasturbhai Lalbhai museum