Coordinates	15°48′00″N47°54′00″N
Native name	Ahmedabad
Other name	અમદાવાદ
Type	Metropolitan city
Nickname	Amdavad / Ashaval / Manchester of the East
Skyline	Amdavad Montage.jpg
Skyline caption	Clockwise from top: Skyline at Ashram Road, Sidi Saiyyed ni Jali, Kankaria Lakefront, Ellis Bridge, Dilli Darwaja, Hatheesing Temple
Locator position	center
State name	Gujarat
Civic agency	Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation
District	Ahmedabad
Established on	February 26, 1411
Official languages	Gujarati, Hindi, English
Leader title	Mayor
Leader name	Asit Vora
Leader title 2	Municipal commissioner
Leader name 2	Dr Guruprasad Mohpatra
Leader title 3	Police commissioner
Leader name 3	S. K. Saikia
Altitude	53
Population as of	2010
Population total	3,959,432
Population total cite
Population metro	5,413,622
Population metro cite
Population metro as of	2010
Population metro rank	6th
Population density	22473
Area magnitude	2
Area total	475
Area metro	10000
Area telephone	079
Postal code	380 0XX
Vehicle code range	GJ-1
Footnotes	Source: Census of India. }}

Ahmedabad (, आहमेदाबाद )is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad. It is the seventh largest city and seventh largest metropolitan area of India, with a city population of approximately 5.5 million and metropolitan population of 7.0 million. In 2010, ''Forbes'' magazine rated Ahmedabad as the fastest-growing city in India, and third in the world after two Chinese cities — Chengdu and Chongqing. Ahmedabad is located on the banks of the River Sabarmati, 32 km from the state capital Gandhinagar. The city is the administrative centre of Ahmedabad district and was the capital of Gujarat from 1960 to 1970; the capital was shifted to Gandhinagar thereafter. In colloquial Gujarati, the city is commonly called Amdavad.

Ahmedabad was founded on February 26, 1411 by Sultan Ahmed Shah to serve as the capital of the Gujarat Sultanate, and was named after him. Under British rule, a military cantonment was established and the city infrastructure was modernized and expanded. Though incorporated into the Bombay Presidency during British rule, Ahmedabad remained the most important city in the Gujarat region. The city established itself as the home of a booming textile industry, which earned it the nickname the "Manchester of the East." The city was at the forefront of the Indian independence movement in the first half of the 20th century. It was the centre of many campaigns of civil disobedience to promote workers' rights, civil rights, and political independence.

With the creation of the state of Gujarat in 1960, Ahmedabad gained prominence as commercial capital of the state (administrative capital became Gandhinagar, 32 km North of Ahmedabad). The city is witnessing a major construction boom and population increase. A rising centre of education, information technology and scientific industries, Ahmedabad remains the cultural and commercial heart of Gujarat and much of western India.

History

thumb|left|200px|Map of Ahmedabad, depicted in a miniature style painting on a cloth, circa 19th century Archaeological evidence suggests that the area around Ahmedabad has been inhabited since the 11th century, when it was known as ''Ashapalli'' or ''Ashaval''. At that time, Karandev I, the Solanki ruler of Anhilwara (modern Patan), waged a successful war against the Bhil king of Ashaval, and established a city called ''Karnavati'' located at the present time area of Maninagar close to the river Sabarmati. Solanki rule lasted until the 13th century, when Gujarat came under the control of the Vaghela dynasty of Dholka and Karnavati was conquered by the Sultanate of Delhi. In 1411, the rule of the Muzaffarid dynasty was established in Gujarat. According to legend, Sultan Ahmed Shah, while camping on the banks of the River Sabarmati, saw a hare chasing a dog. Impressed by this act of bravery, the Sultan, who had been looking for a place to build his new capital, decided to locate the capital at this forest area close by to Karnavati right on the river bank and christened it Ahmedabad. The incident is popularly described in a one liner saying "Jab kutte pe sassa aaya, tab Badshah ne shaher basaya" (translation: ''Seeing the hare chasing the dog, the Emperor built the City'').

In 1487, Mahmud Begada, the grandson of Ahmed Shah, fortified the city with an outer wall 10 km (6 miles) in circumference and consisting of twelve gates, 189 bastions and over 6,000 battlements. In 1535 Humayun briefly occupied Ahmedabad after capturing Champaner when the ruler of Gujarat Bahadur Shah fled to Diu . Ahmedabad was then reoccupied by the Muzaffarid dynasty until 1573 when Gujarat was conquered by the Mughal emperor Akbar. During the Mughal reign, Ahmedabad became one of the Empire's thriving centres of trade, mainly in textiles, which were exported to as far as Europe. The Mughal ruler Shahjahan spent the prime of his life in the city, sponsoring the construction of the Moti Shahi Mahal in Shahibaug. During a drought, the Deccan Famine of 1630–32 affected the city, as did famines in 1650 and 1686. Ahmedabad remained the provincial headquarter of the Mughals until 1758, when Mughals surrendered the city to the Marathas. During Maratha governance, the city lost some of its past glory, and was at the center of contention between two Maratha clans—The Peshwa of Poona and the Gaekwad of Baroda. The British East India Company took over the city in 1818 as a part of the conquest of India. A military cantonment was established in 1824 and a municipal government in 1858. In 1864, a railway link between Ahmedabad and Mumbai (then Bombay) was established by the Bombay, Baroda, and Central India Railway (BB&CI), making Ahmedabad an important junction in the traffic and trade between northern and southern India. Large number of people migrated from rural areas to work in textile mills, establishing a robust industry.

The Indian independence movement developed strong roots in the city when, in 1915, Mahatma Gandhi established two ashram—the Kochrab Ashram near Paldi in 1915 and the Satyagraha Ashram (now Sabarmati Ashram) on the banks of the Sabarmati in 1917—that would become centers of intense nationalist activities. During the mass protests against the Rowlatt Act in 1919, textile workers burned down 51 government buildings across the city in protest at a British attempt to extend wartime regulations after the First World War. In the 1920s, textile workers and teachers went on strike, demanding civil rights and better pay and working conditions. In 1930, Gandhi initiated the Salt Satyagraha from Ahmedabad by embarking from his ashram on the famous Dandi Salt March. The city administration and economic institutions were rendered functionless by the large masses of people who took to the streets in peaceful protests in the early 1930s, and again in 1942 during the Quit India movement. Following independence and the partition of India in 1947, the city was scarred by intense communal violence that broke out between Hindus and Muslims.

Ahmedabad became the capital of the new state of Gujarat after the bifurcation of the State of Bombay on 1 May 1960. During that period, a large number of educational and research institutions were founded in the city, making it a major center of higher education, science and technology. Ahmedabad's economic base was diversified with the establishment of heavy and chemical industries in its vicinity around the same period. But the growth in the next two decades was punctuated by political events in and around the city. In 1974, Ahmedabad occupied the centre stage in national politics with the launch of the ''Nav Nirman'' agitation—a protest against a 20% hike in the hostel food fees at the L.D. College of Engineering that snowballed into a mass agitation against general corruption to remove Chimanbhai Patel, thenchief minister of Gujarat. In the 1980s, a reservation policy was introduced in the country, which led to anti-reservation protests in 1981 and 1985. The protests witnessed violent clashes between people belonging to various castes. On 26 January 2001 a devastating earthquake struck the city, centred near Bhuj, measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale. As many as 50 multistory buildings collapsed, killing 752 people and devastating the city's infrastructure. The following year, Gurajat violence between Hindus and Muslims spread to Ahmedabad, paralysing the city for more than two month. The crisis resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1,044 people across the state. The displacement of thousands of Muslims led to the erection of refugee camps around the city. On 26 July 2008 a series of seventeen bomb blasts rocked the city, killing and injuring several people.

In recent years, the effects of liberalization of the Indian economy has energized the city's economy towards tertiary sector activities like commerce, communication, construction activities. The city has witnessed the establishment of scientific and service industries, the expansion of the information technology sector, and significant improvements in transportation and communications. Ahmedabad's population is growing, which has resulted in a construction and housing boom.

Geography

Geography

Ahmedabad is located at in western India at an elevation of 53 metres (174 ft). The city sits on the banks of the River Sabarmati, in north-central Gujarat. It spans an area of 205 km² (79.15 square miles). The Sabarmati frequently dries up in the summer, leaving only a small stream of water. The city is located in a sandy and dry area. Many of the localities and roads are often spread in sand, reflecting the intensifying fallout caused by deforestation. The steady expansion of the Rann of Kutch threatens to increase desertification around the city area and much of the state. Except for the small hills of Thaltej-Jodhpur Tekra, the city is almost flat. Two lakes are within the city's limits—Kankaria Lake and Vastrapur Lake. Kankaria lake, in the neighbourhood of Maninagar, is an artificial lake developed by the Sultan of Delhi, Qutb-ud-din Aybak, in 1451. According to the Bureau of Indian Standards, the town falls under seismic zone-III, in a scale of I to V (in order of increasing vulnerability to earthquakes)

Ahmedabad is divided by the Sabarmati into two physically distinct eastern and western regions. The eastern bank of the river houses the old city, which includes the central town of Bhadra. This part of Ahmedabad is characterized by packed bazaars, the clustered and barricaded ''pol'' system of close clustered buildings, and numerous places of worship. It houses the main railway station, the General Post Office, and few buildings of the Muzaffarid and British eras. The colonial period saw the expansion of the city to the western side of Sabarmati, facilitated by the construction of Ellis Bridge in 1875 and later with the modern Nehru Bridge. This part of the city houses educational institutions, modern buildings, well-planned residential areas, shopping malls, multiplexes and new business districts centred around roads such as Ashram Road, C. G. Road & Sarkhej-Gandhinagar Highway.

Climate

Ahmedabad has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification ''''BSh''''). There are three main seasons: summer, monsoon and winter. Aside from the monsoon season, the climate is dry. The weather is hot through the months of March to June—the average summer maximum is 45 °C (113 °F), and the average minimum is 23 °C (73 °F). From November to February, the average maximum temperature is 30 °C (85 °F), the average minimum is 15 °C (59 °F), and the climate is extremely dry. Cold northerly winds are responsible for a mild chill in January. The southwest monsoon brings a humid climate from mid-June to mid-September. The average annual rainfall is about 93.2 cm (36.7 inches), but infrequent heavy torrential rains cause the river to flood. The highest temperature recorded is 43 °C (116.6 °F) and the lowest is 5 °C (41 °F). On 21 May 2010, mercury touched 42.8 °C (116.24 °F), making highest temperature recorded in last 40 years in Ahmedabad. In recent years, Ahmedabad has suffered from increasing air, water and soil pollution from neighbouring industrial areas, textile mills and lack of awareness regarding cleanliness among citizens.

Cityscape

Architecture

The architectural history of Ahmedabad stretches across the last millennium. The Sultanate fused Hindu craftsmanship with Islamic architecture, giving rise to the Indo-Saracenic style. Many mosques in the city are built in this fashion. After independence modern buildings came up in Ahmedabad when renowned architects were given commissions in the city like Louis Kahn who designed the Indian Institute of Management; Le Corbusier who designed the Shodhan and Sarabhai Villas, the Sanskar Kendra and the Mill Owner's Association; and Buckminister Fuller who designed the Calico Dome. B. V. Doshi came to the city from Paris to supervise Le Corbusier's works and later set up the School of Architecture. His local masterpieces include Sangath, the Doshi-Hussain Gufa and the School of Architecture. Charles Correa, who became a partner of Doshi's, designed the Gandhi Ashram and Achyut Kanvinde the Indian Textile Industries Research Association. Christopher Charles Benninger's first work, the Alliance Francaise, is located in the Ellis Bridge area. Hasmukh C. Patel, and his son Dr. Bimal Patel, are renowned architects of the city having designed the St. Xavier's High School Loyola Hall, Gujarat High Court and the Ahmedabad Management Association. Anant Raje recently designed major additions to Louis Kahn's Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad campus, namely the Ravi Mathai Auditorium and KLMD.

Gardens and parks

There is a wide spectrum of gardens in Ahmedabad that exhilarate the gleam and appeal of the city. The AMC owns and maintains 76 parks and gardens and 96 traffic islands. There are 9 gardens that are more than in area. Ahmedabad has already been honored internationally by 'Green City Commendation Award' as a result of devoted service provided by the Government officials to ensure proper maintenance of the gardens in Ahmedabad.

The 3 most popular and most visited gardens in the city are Victoria Garden, Bal Vatika and Law Garden. Located at the southern verge of the Bhadra Fort, Victoria Garden is a one of the most popular places in the city for people who desire to unwind and chill out. The Victoria Garden contains a statue of Queen Victoria, which is a masterpiece in itself. Bal Vatika is a children's park situated on the grounds of Kankaria Lake. Its close proximity to Kankaria lakefront makes it a wonderful spot to observe nature's splendor. The Kankaria lake got new look in 2008. Bal Vatika also houses an Amusement Park and a Water Park for kids. Law Garden got its name from the College of Law that is situated very close to it. It serves as a hub for those 'shopaholics', as scintillating pieces of handicrafts and a wide variety of Gujarati attires are sold here. Other main gardens in the city are Parimal Garden, Prahlad nagar Garden, Lal Darwaja Garden.

Civic administration

Ahmedabad is administered by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC). Some of the regions surrounding the city are administered by the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA). The AMC was established in July 1950 under the ''Bombay Provincial Corporation Act, 1949''. For administrative purposes, the city is divided into 43 wards. Citizens elect corporators during civic elections. At present the corporation consists of 129 corporators elected from 43 wards. These 129 corporators elect a mayor and deputy mayor for a turn of two and a half years. Executive powers are vested in the municipal commissioner, who is an IAS officer appointed by the Gujarat state government. The mayor is responsible for the day-to-day running of the municipal school board, the city bus service, the municipal hospital, and the city library. The city serves as the headquarters of Ahmedabad district and as the seat of the Gujarat High Court. The Ahmedabad city police are headed by a Police Commissioner, an Indian Police Service officer. Ahmedabad's Kamla Nehru Zoological Park features endangered species like flamingoes, caracal, Asiatic wolf, chinkara and many more. AMC has initiated the Sabarmati Riverfront Development Project with an objective of environmental improvement with provision of slum rehabilitation for poor living on the river banks. Ahmedabad boasts of some of the largest number of hospitals in the country—both government and private. The Ahmedabad civil hospital is the largest hospital in Asia. The healthcare in Ahmedabad is one of the best in India. Electricity in the city is generated and distributed by Torrent Power Limited owned and operated Ahmedabad Electricity Company, which was previously a state-run corporation. Ahmedabad is one of the few cities in India, where the power sector is privatized.

The city elects two members to the Lok Sabha and seven to the Gujarat Vidhan Sabha. Two main political parties have won a significant number of seats in elections—the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress (INC). Of the thirteen assembly seats of Ahmedabad, ten were won by the BJP and three by the Congress Party during the legislative elections in 2007. In the 2005 Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation elections, the BJP won 96 seats, 32 seats went to the Congress, and one seat went to an independent candidate.

Economy

The gross domestic product of Ahmedabad metro was estimated at $16 billion in 2010. In the 19th century, the textile and garments industry received strong capital investment. On 30 May 1861 Ranchhodlal Chhotalal founded the first Indian textile mill, the Ahmedabad Spinning and Weaving Company Limited. This was followed by the establishment of a series of textile mills such as the Calico Mills, Bagicha Mills and Arvind Mills. By 1905 there were about 33 textile mills in the city. The textile industry further expanded rapidly during the First World War, and benefited from the influence of Mahatma Gandhi's Swadeshi movement, which promoted the purchase of Indian-made goods. Ahmedabad was known as the "Manchester of the East", for its largely expanding realms of the textile industry.

Gujarat under the rule of Mr.Narendra Modi has witnessed a rise in its Real Estate Sector. And Ahmedabad has become a hot spot for real estate development many developers are eyeing the Ahmedabad market for development of residential property.Recently Tata Housing Development Company entered into a JV with Arvind Ltd for development of residential property. This is the largest development that TATA Housing will be undertaking.

It is believed that all governments of Gujarat chose to develop economy in Gandhinagar and thus neglected Ahmedabad in many ways. More over time to time riots, revolutions, movements slowed down the economic growth of Ahmedabad.

Ahmedabad is a thriving center for Chemical and Pharmaceutical industries. Two of the biggest pharmaceutical companies of India—Zydus Cadila and Torrent Pharmaceuticals—are based in the city. The city serves as the corporate headquarters of the Adani Group, which is a leading multinational trading and infrastructure development company. The Ahmedabad Stock Exchange is located at Ambavadi area in the city. It is Ahmedabad's oldest and only Stock Exchange. The Nirma group of industries, which runs a large number of detergent and chemical industrial units, has its corporate headquarters in the city. In recent year many foreign companies have set up their sales offices and production facilities in Ahmedabad. Amongst them are Bosch Rexroth, Germany (hydraulic components); Stork, Netherlands (textile machinery; joint venture with ATE, India's leading textile equipment trading house); Rollepaal, Netherlands (pipe extrusion equipment); and Johnson Pumps, Sweden.

The completion and operation of the Sardar Sarovar Project of dams and canals has improved the supply of potable water and electricity for the city. In recent years, the Gujarat government has increased investment in the modernisation of the city's infrastructure, providing for the construction of larger roads and improvements to water supply, electricity and communications. The information technology industry has developed significantly in Ahmedabad like Tata Consultancy Services opening its offices in the city as well as in Gandhinagar. A NASSCOM survey in 2002 on the "Super Nine Indian Destinations" for IT-enabled services ranked Ahmedabad fifth among the top nine most competitive cities in the country. City is the largest supplier of denim and one of the largest exporters of Gemstone and Jewellery in India.

GDP of Ahmedabad was 59 billion USD in 2010. The Government has started vibrant Gujarat program to attract more foreign investment. The states is fastest growing state in India at present. A diverse labour force of migrant workers from different parts of Gujarat and neighbouring states is integral to the economy of the city. These workers provide vital household labour and services for the city's large middle class. Ahmedabad plays a strong and significant role in providing commercial resources and market access for the economies of neighbouring cities. A majority of the working-age citizens of Ahmedabad are traders and business people. This has led to the creation of major mercantile corporations and Artisan guilds that are a key influence on the economic life of Gujarat. The city's educational and industrial institutions have attracted students and young skilled workers from the rest of India.

Demographics

{{IndiaCensusPop |title= Ahmedabad UA population |1981= 2548000 |1991= 3312200 |2001= 4362900 |estyear= |estref= |footnote= Source: Census of India }} As per the 2001 Indian census, the area under Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has a population of 3,520,085. The population of the Ahmedabad urban agglomeration (which includes the region governed by AUDA) was 4,525,013. Ahmedabad has a literacy rate of 79.89%, which is the Second highest in Gujarat After Gandhinagar With 87.11%; 87.81% males and 71.12% females are literate. According to the census for the Ninth Plan, there are 30,737 rural families living in Ahmedabad. Of those, 5.41% (1663 families) live below the poverty line. Approximately 440,000 people live in slums within the city. Ahmedabad is home to a large population of Vanias (i.e., traders), belonging to the Vaishnava sect of Hinduism and the sects of Jainism. Most of the residents of Ahmedabad are native Gujaratis. Over 12% of the population is Muslim, numbering over 600 000 in the 2001 census.

Although Gujarati is spoken, Hindi is very commonly spoken, especially in commerce, education, politics, government, shops, and road signs. According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report of 2003, Ahmedabad ranks 12th in the list of 35 Indian cities with a population of more than 10 lakh in the crime rate ratio. City's main jail is Sabarmati Central Jail.

Since its initial founding, the city has attracted migrant workers from other areas of Gujarat, including Kutch and Saurashtra, and from the neighbouring states of Rajasthan and Maharashtra as well as Hindus from the Pakistani province of Sindh. There is a sizeable population of Punjabis, Marathis, Telugu, Tamils, Sindhis, Malayalis and Marwaris, who bring their native language and culture to the city. The most recent arrivals are people from Bihar who mainly work as labourers and are attracted to Gujarat due to greater industrialisation and more employment than their native states. In addition to this, the city is home to some 2000 Parsis and some 300 members of Bene Israel Jews community. There are 2273 registered NRI's from Ahmedabad. Slightly less than half of all real estate in Ahmedabad is owned by "community organizations" (i.e. cooperatives), and "the spatial growth of the city is to the extent contribution of these organizations." Ahmedabad Cantonment also provides residential zones for Indian Army officials.

Culture

Festivals

Ahmedabad enjoys a thriving cultural tradition, being the centre of Gujarati cultural activities and diverse traditions of different ethnic and religious communities. Popular celebrations and observances include Uttarayan—an annual kite-flying day on 14 and 15 January. The nine nights of Navratri are celebrated with people performing Garba—the folk dance of Gujarat—at venues across the city. The festival of lights—Deepavali is celebrated with the lighting of lamps in every house, the decorating the floors with the rangoli and the bursting of firecrackers. Other festivals such as Holi, Ganesh Chaturthi, Gudi Padwa, Eid ul-Fitr and Christmas are celebrated with enthusiasm. The annual Rath Yatra procession on the ''Ashadh-sud-bij'' date of the Hindu calendar and the procession of ''Tajia'' during the Muslim holy month of Muharram are integral parts of the city's culture.

Cuisine

The people of Ahmedabad are fond of eating, and enjoy rich culinary traditions. The most popular form of meal—a typical Gujarati ''thali'' (meal—consists of rotli, dal, rice and ''Shaak'' (cooked vegetables, sometimes with curry), with accompaniments of pickles and roasted ''papads''). Popular beverages include buttermilk and tea; sweet dishes include ''laddoos'' and mango. There are many restaurants, which serve a wide array of Indian and international cuisines. Most of the food outlets serve only vegetarian food, as a strong tradition of vegetarianism is maintained by the city's Jain and Hindu communities. The first all-vegetarian Pizza Hut in the world opened in Ahmedabad. Ahmedabad has quite a few good restaurants serving typical Mughlai Non Vegetarian Food in the old city areas like Bhatiyar Gali, Kalupur and Jamalpur. The old city has bakeries well known for making all kind of Nankhatais (Indian Cookies) and very good Naans (breads). Now in the new city, one can also find the North American restaurants like McDonald's and Subway.

Art and Literature

Parts of Ahmedabad are known for their speciality of folk art. The Paldi area is famous for shops selling works of embroidery from the Kutch and Saurashtra regions. The artisans of Rangeela pol are famous for making ''bandhinis'' (tie and dye work), while the cobbler shops of Madhupura sell traditional ''mojri'' footwear. High-quality idols of Ganesha and other religious icons are made in huge numbers in the Gulbai Tekra area. The shops at the Law Garden are famous for their mirror work handicraft. Victorian architecture is showcased in most college, railway station and government buildings, mainly constructed during the colonial period.

Many Gujarati intellectuals migrated to Ahmedabad due to its prosperity. Three main literary institutions were established in Ahmedabad for the promotion of Gujarati literature—Gujarat Vidhya Sabha, Gujarati Sahitya Parishad and Gujarat Sahitya Sabha. Musicians and instrumentalists from across the world come to perform at the popular classical music festival held each 1 January by the Saptak School of Music. The Sanskar Kendra—one of the many buildings in Ahmedabad designed by Le Corbusier—is a city museum depicting history, art, culture and architecture of Ahmedabad. The Gandhi Smarak Sangrahalaya and the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Memorial have a permanent display of photographs, documents and other articles of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel. The Calico Museum of Textiles has a large collection of Indian and international fabrics, garments and textiles. Ahmedabad maintains a strong popular literary tradition in large public libraries maintained by the literary societies, research and government institutions and colleges. The Hazrat Pir Mohammad Shah Library has a collection of rare original manuscripts in Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Sindhi and Turkish languages.

Sports

Cricket is the most popular sport in the city. Sardar Patel Stadium, built in 1982, hosts both One Day Internationals and test matches. The stadium also hosted the 1987, 1996 and 2011 Cricket World Cups. Ahmedabad also has a second cricket stadium at the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation's Sports Club of Gujarat which is the home ground of the Gujarat cricket team that plays in domestic tournament of Ranji Trophy. City is represented by Ahmedabad Rockets in Indian Cricket League which is played in Twenty20 format of the game. Other sports gaining popularity are field hockey, badminton, tennis, and squash. Ahmedabad currently has three golf courses. Mithakhali Multi Sports Complex is being developed by the AMC to promote various indoor sports. There has been a significant increase in recent years in the number of private sports clubs, gymkhanas, gymnasia and sports teams sponsored by corporations, private associations, schools and colleges. Young people congregate in the evenings to play cricket and football at numerous public and neighbourhood grounds. Recently Ahmedabad hosted national level games for roller skating and Table Tennis. Kart racing is fast gaining popularity in the city, with facility of 380 meter long track based on Formula One concept. In 2007, Ahmedabad hosted the 51st national level shooting games. Geet Sethi, a five-time winner of the World Professional Billiards Championship and a recipient of India's highest sporting award, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, hails from Ahmedabad. Ahmedabad has produced cricketer such as Parthiv Patel who have been members of the Indian cricket team. Tejas Bakre, a chess grandmaster, is from Ahmedabad.

Transport

Air

The Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport is located 15 km from the city centre and 8 km from Ahmedabad Railway station and Bus stand. It serves both domestic and international flights to and from Ahmedabad and the neighboring cities of Surendranagar, Mehsana,Nadiad and KAPADWANJ. The airport connects the city with destinations across India and the world (Abu Dhabi, Australia, Doha, Jeddah, Dubai, Bangkok, Frankfurt, Kabul, Kuwait, London, Muscat, Newark,Chigaco,IL, Singapore, Sharjah, Dammam, Riyadh, Hongkong, Paris, Shanghai ).

It is the busiest airport in Gujarat, and the seventh busiest in India with an average of 250 aircraft movements a day. In 2008 the airport served 5,372,259 passengers. It is expected to handle six million passengers in 2010 and nine million in 2012, including both domestic and international passengers. Nearly all domestic airlines serve Ahmedabad, as do several international ones. A new international terminal coast of $31.6 million has been built to handle increased international air traffic.

Rail

Ahmedabad is one of the six operating divisions of the Western Railway. Railway lines connect the city to all towns in Gujarat and other major Indian cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Pune, Indore, Bhopal, Lucknow, Jaipur, Jabalpur, Jamshedpur,Dhanbad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad, Nagpur etc. The Ahmedabad Railway Station, locally known as Kalupur Railway Station is the city's main terminus; Ahmedabad's other stations are Maninagar, Vatva, Gandhigram, Asarva, Chandlodia, Kali gam, Vastrapur, Sabarmati, Sarkhej, Naroda, Aamli.

The state government has registered MetroLink Express Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad Company Ltd as a special purpose vehicle (SPV) for the metro rail project connecting Ahmedabad with Gandhinagar. The state government plans to use this SPV as a nodal agency to implement the metro and regional rail project based on public-private partnership for Ahmedabad Region and Gandhinagar Cosmopolitan Region.

Road

National Highway 8, linking Delhi to Mumbai, passes though Ahmedabad connecting it with Gandhinagar, Delhi and Mumbai. The National Highway 8C links Ahmedabad to Gandhinagar. It is connected to Vadodara through National Expressway 1, a 94 km (58 mi) long highway with only two exits. This expressway is part of the Golden Quadrilateral project.

Ahmedabad's main traffic arteries are the Ashram Road, C. G. Road, Relief Road and SG Highway. The SG Highway or Sarkhej-Gandhinagar Highway is also known as Ahmedabad's growth symbol. Transportation For Gandhinagar is available for 24 hours from SG highway. Auto rickshaws, Share Autos and buses are the most popular forms of public transport. The Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service (AMTS) runs the local bus service in the city. In 2005, AMTS began a drive to convert all of its petrol and diesel engine buses to run on compressed natural gas engines to reduce the effects of air pollution. AMTS runs 750 buses. Bicycles and motorcycles are a popular medium of transport with the city's young people and students.

In 2001, Ahmedabad was ranked as the topmost polluted city in India, out of 85 cities, by the Central Pollution Control Board. The Gujarat Pollution Control Board gave auto rickshaw drivers an incentive of Rs. 10,000 to convert all 37,733 auto rickshaws in Ahmedabad to cleaner burning compressed natural gas to reduce pollution. As a result, in 2008, Ahmedabad was ranked as 50th most polluted city in India.

Ahmedabad BRTS

Ahmedabad BRTS is a Bus rapid transit system for the city, maintained by the Ahmedabad Janmarg Limited (AJL). Ahmedabad BRTS is the most successful BRTS project in India compare to Delhi and Pune.A part of the first phase connecting RTO to Pirana was inaugurated by Chief Minister Narendra Modi on 14 October 2009 and the second half of the first phase connecting Chandranagar to Pushpa Kunj gate at Kankaria was inaugurated on 25 December 2009. Remaining phases are under construction and will be operational by mid 2010.

The BRTS is modelled on the international standards and proved to be highly affordable and effective in operation. It has revolutionised the system of public transport in the city. The buses are comfortable and technically advanced. The system has dedicated corridors running along the middle of the city roads in which no other vehicles are allowed.

Ahmedabad Metro

Gujarat Government and Ahmedabad Mahanagar Sevasadan had initiated the Ahmedabad Metro feasibility study.

As per latest development, the state government has proposed that 10.9 KM East-West metro line will be shifted from Income Tax—Shahpur Darwaza—Delhi Darwaza—Prem Darwaza—Kalupur Line towards Relief Road and wants it to be underground. Special Hydraulic platform with a small gradient that would gradually take a stationary metro train to the tunnel level on Relief Road—Kalupur stretch is also being proposed for this line.

Education

Schools in Ahmedabad are run either by the municipal corporation, or privately by entities, trusts and corporations. Most schools are affiliated with the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board. A few schools are affiliated to the Central Board for Secondary Education, Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, International Baccalaureate and National Institute of Open School. A large number of colleges in the city are affiliated with Gujarat University. Other deemed universities in Ahmedabad include the Nirma University of Science & Technology and the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University. The Gujarat Vidyapith was established in 1920 by Mahatma Gandhi without a charter from the British Raj and became a deemed university in 1963. Other institutions such as the Indian Institute of Management, the Adani Institute of Infrastructure Management, the National Institute of Design, the Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University, the Mudra Institute of Communications, the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, B.J. Medical College, NHL Municipal Medical College are located in Ahmedabad.

L.D. College of Engineering is a premier engineering college in Gujarat State, set with the objectives of imparting higher education in various fields of engineering. At present it runs 14 undergraduate, 12-post graduate and 4 part-time programs.

Center for Environmental Planning and Technology is a premier academic institute located in Ahmedabad. It offers undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programmes in the areas of natural and built environment and related disciplines. Recognised as one of the finest institutes of learning in the country, CEPT University currently offers three undergraduate degree programs and nineteen postgraduate programs in the fields of design and architecture, planning and public policy, arts and humanities, technology, geomatics and space applications, environment and climate change studies, to name a few.

Many national academic and scientific institutions, such as the Physical Research Laboratory, the Indian Space Research Organisation, were established in the 1960s largely through the efforts of prominent astrophysicist and industrialist Vikram Sarabhai. The Ahmedabad Management Association is a notable institution established to impart management training and experience to young students and professionals. The campus was opened with a plan to offer 100 courses in various technical disciplines. The Indian Institute of Public Health offers in-service training and courses in public health besides assisting the government in health related activities.

The National Institute of Design (NID) is internationally acclaimed as one of the foremost multi-disciplinary institutions in the field of design education and research. NID has been a pioneer in industrial design education after Bauhaus and Ulm in Germany and is known for its pursuit of design excellence to make Designed in India, the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (also known as IIMA), was ranked as the top business school in India according to the Business Today. B-School Rankings in 2007-08 and the ET B-school Survey 2007. It is now labelled as the toughest MBA programmes in the world to gain admission to as over 200,000 people apply each year for the entrance exam to get into roughly 250 places.

Media

Newspapers in Ahmedabad include Hindi dailies as ''Herald Young Leader'', ''Metro Herald'', and English dailies such as ''The Times of India'', ''Indian Express'', ''DNA'', ''The Economic Times'' and ''The Financial Express'', ''AM''. Newspapers in vernacular languages (Gujarati and Hindi) include ''Divya Bhaskar'', ''Gujarat Samachar'', ''Sandesh'', ''Rajasthan Patrika'' and ''Metro''. A large number of magazines, periodicals and journals are published from Ahmedabad. The city is home to the historic Navajivan Publishing House—founded in 1919 by Mahatma Gandhi. The Gujarat film and television industry has a small but significant presence in the city.

The state-owned All India Radio Ahmedabad is broadcast both on the medium wave and FM bands in the city. It competes with six private local FM stations—Radio Mirchi (98.3 MHz), Radio City (91.1 MHz), My fm (94.3 MHz), Radio One (95.0 MHz), Gyan Vaani (104.5 MHz) and S FM (93.51 MHz). Satellite radio was launched in the city by WorldSpace in 2005. The state-owned television broadcaster Doordarshan provides free terrestrial channels, while two multi system operator—InCablenet and Siti Cable—provide a mix of Gujarati, Hindi, English, and other regional channels via cable. Direct broadcast satellite is yet to gain popularity in Ahmedabad. A network of optical fibre cables connects almost the entire city. The city's telephone services are provided by landline and mobile operators such as BSNL, Reliance CDMA & Reliance GSM, Airtel, Uninor, Docomo, Videocon, Aircel, Vodafone, Idea and Tata Indicom. Broadband Internet services are provided in most parts of the city by the telecom companies.

Ahmedabad is also home to many publications and print houses.

See also

Ahmedabad district

DD Gujarati

Historical timeline of Ahmedabad

List of most populous cities in India

References

Further reading

External links

Ahmedabad Collectorate

Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation

Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority

Ahmedabad Kite Festival

Category:Ahmedabad railway division Category:Metropolitan cities in India Category:1411 establishments Category:Populated places established in the 1410s Category:Divisions of Indian Railways Category:Former Indian capital cities Category:Cities and towns in Ahmedabad district

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Coordinates	15°48′00″N47°54′00″N
Name	Narendra Modi
Alt	Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat, India, speaks during the welcome lunch at the World Economic Forum's India Economic Summit 2008 in New Delhi
Birth date	September 17, 1950
Birth place	Vadnagar, Gujarat, India
Residence	Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India
Constituency	Maninagar
Office	Chief Minister of Gujarat
Governor	Dr. Kamla Beniwal
Term start	7 October 2001
Predecessor	Keshubhai Patel
Successor	Incumbent
Party	Bharatiya Janata Party
Alma mater	Gujarat University
Religion	Hinduism
Website	Narendra Modi
Date	9 March
Year	2009
Source	http://www.gujaratassembly.gov.in/chiefminister.htm Government of Gujarat
Signature	}}

Narendra Damodardas Modi (, ; born 17 September 1950) is the current Chief Minister of the Indian state of Gujarat.

Born in a middle class family in Vadnagar, a member of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh since childhood, and an active politician since early in life having a masters degree in political science. In 1998, he was chosen by the leader of the BJP, L K Advani to direct the election campaign in Gujarat as well as Himachal Pradesh.

He became Gujarat's Chief Minister in October 2001, promoted to the office at a time when his predecessor Keshubhai Patel had resigned, following the defeat of BJP in the by-elections.

His tenure as chief minister of Gujarat began on 7 October 2001, and he is the longest serving Chief Minister of the state of Gujarat. In July 2007 he became the longest serving Chief Minister in Gujarat's history when he had been in power for 2063 days continuously. He was elected again for a third term on 23 December 2007 with an emphatic win in the state elections, which he had cast as a "referendum on his rule".

Personal life

Modi was born to a middle class family in Vadnagar in Mehsana district of what was then Bombay State, India. During the Indo-Pak war in the mid sixties, even as a young boy, he claims to have volunteered to serve the soldiers in transit at railway stations{. As a young man, he joined the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, a student organization and was involved in the anti-corruption ''Nav Nirmāṇ'' ("Reconstruction") Movement. After working as a full time organizer for the organization, he was later nominated as its representative in the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is a member of the Hindu nationalist right wing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)

Modi completed his schooling in Vadnagar. He earned a masters degree in Political Science from Gujarat University.

Early activism and politics

During his tenure with the RSS, Modi played several important roles on various occasions including the 1974 anti-corruption agitation and the harrowing 19-month (June 1975 to January 1977) long Emergency,declared by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, when the fundamental rights of Indian citizens were strangled. Modi was a ''Pracharak'' in the RSS during his university years.

He took up the challenging task of energizing the party cadres in right earnest. In partnership with Shankarsingh Vaghela, Modi set about creating a strong cadre base in Gujarat. In the initial period, Shankarsingh Vaghela was seen as a mass leader, while Modi was recognised as a master strategist.

The party started gaining political mileage and formed a coalition government at the centre in April 1990. This partnership fell apart within a few months, but the BJP came to power with a two-thirds majority on its own in Gujarat in 1995. Since then, the BJP has been governing Gujarat.

During this period, Modi was entrusted with the responsibility of organizing two crucial national events, the Somnath to Ayodhya Rath Yatra (a political rally through India on a converted Toyota van) of L.K. Advani and a similar march from Kanyakumari (the southernmost part of India) to Kashmir in the North. After the exit of Shankarsingh Vaghela from the BJP, Keshubhai Patel was made Chief Minister while Narendra Modi was sent to delhi as a General Secretary of the Party.

In 1995, Modi was appointed the National Secretary of the party and given the charge of five major states in India. In 1998, he was promoted as the General Secretary (Organization), a post he held until October 2001. In 2001, Narendra Modi was chosen by the party to be the Chief Minister of Gujarat after the removal of chief minister Keshubhai Patel.

During his stint at the national level, Modi was given the responsibility to oversee the affairs of several state level units, including the sensitive and crucial state of Jammu and Kashmir and the equally sensitive north-eastern states. While working at the national level, Modi emerged as an important spokesman for the party and played a key role on several aspects.

Tenure as Chief Minister of Gujarat

In October 2001, he was called upon by the party to lead the Government in Gujarat. When the Modi government was sworn in on 7 October 2001, the economy of Gujarat was reeling under the adverse effects of several natural calamities, including a massive earthquake in January 2001.

Development of Gujarat

Modi became the Chief Minister of Gujarat when its economy was shrinking and the domestic growth was stagnant. Faced with massive economic losses, he re-organised the government's administrative structure and embarked upon a massive cost-cutting exercise. As a result of the administration's efforts, Gujarat registered a GDP growth rate of over 10% during his first tenure. This was the highest growth rate among all the Indian states.

As a Chief Minister, Modi started various 'yojanas' or plans. This includes ''Panchamrut Yojana'', a five-pronged strategy for an integrated development of the state, ''Sujalam Sufalam'', a scheme to create a grid of water resources in Gujarat in an innovative step towards water conservation and its appropriate utilization.

''Krishi Mahotsav'' – agricultural research labs for the land

''Chiranjeevi Yojana'' – To reduce infant mortality rate

''Matru Vandana'' – Providing preventive and curative services under the Reproductive and Child Health Programme

''Beti Bachao'' – Campaign against female infanticide to improve sex ratio

''Jyotigram Yojana'' – Provide electricity to every village

''Karmayogi Abhiyan'' – To educate and train government employees

''Kanya Kelavani Yojana'' – To encourage female literacy and education

''Balbhog Yojana'' – Midday meal scheme for students to encourage school attendance from poor backgrounds.

Vibrant Gujarat

Vibrant Gujarat is a biennial Global Investors' Summit held by the Government of Gujarat in Gujarat, India. The event is aimed at bringing together business leaders, investors, corporations, thought leaders, policy and opinion makers; the summit is advertised as a platform to understand and explore business opportunities in the State of Gujarat. the event has been held continuously since 2003.

Gujarat earthquake

The biggest challenge which he had to face, when he took over as the Chief Minister, was the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the areas affected by the massive Gujarat Earthquake of January 2001. Bhuj was a city of rubble and thousands of people were living in temporary shelters without any basic infrastructure. For Gujarat Government's contribution for disaster management and rehabilitation, on 16-10-2003 Gujarat govt got UN Sasakawa Certificate of Merit for outstanding work in the field of disaster management and risk reduction.

Gujarat riots

As an aftermath of the riots, there were calls for Modi to resign from his position as chief minister of Gujarat. The opposition parties stalled the national parliament over the issue. Even Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and Telugu Desam Party (TDP), allies of the BJP, asked for Modi's resignation. Modi submitted his resignation to the Governor and recommended the dissolution of the 10th Gujarat Legislative Assembly. In the following state re-elections the BJP, led by Modi, won 127 seats in the 182-member assembly.

In April 2009, India's Supreme Court appointed a special team of investigators to look into the role Modi had played in the alleged anti-Muslim conspiracy. The team was appointed in response to the complaint of Jakia Jafri, the widow of ex-Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, who was murdered in the riots. In December 2010, a Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) in its report to the Supreme Court seeking answers pertaining to the Ehsan Jafri case, submitted that they had found no evidence against Narendra Modi.

However in February 2011, the Times of India reported that a confidential report from the SIT indicted Modi on several counts of alleged complicity in the Gujarat riots of 2002. Other sources have noted that the SIT report does not indict Modi for the riots due to lack of evidence. The Indian Express too said the report did not find any Modi involvement in the violence, though it did accuse him of watering down the seriousness of the situation. According to the Hindu, the report not only found that Modi tried to water down the seriousness of the situation, but Modi also implicitly justified the killings of Muslims, and failed to condemn the attacks on them. The Bharatiya Janata Party demanded an investigation into the publication of the report, claiming it politically motivated by the Indian National Congress-dominated government.

2007 elections

Modi made a speech at Mangrol in which he justified the fake Encounter of Sohrabuddin Sheikh, During the election campaign In response to Sonia Gandhi's speech calling him a "merchant of death", and referred to Sohrabuddin's killing. For this speech the Election Commission of India, a constitutional body governing election proceedings in India, cautioned Modi as it considered it as indulging in an activity which may aggravate existing differences between different communities. Modi won the election and continued his post as the Chief Minister Of Gujarat.Mr.Narendra Modi has got clear majority with 122 seats out of 182 total assembly seats.

Views and Opinions

Modi's position on terrorism

On 18 July 2006 Modi delivered a speech criticizing Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh "for his reluctance to revive anti-terror legislations" like the Prevention of Terrorism Act. He asked the Centre to empower states to invoke tougher laws in the wake of the blasts in Mumbai. Quoting Modi:

Narendra Modi has frequently commented that if the BJP came to power at the Centre, they will honor the 2004 Supreme Court judgement to hang Afzal Guru. Afzal was convicted of terrorism in the 2001 Indian Parliament attack in 2004 by the Supreme Court of India and is in Tihar Jail.

During the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, on Thursday 27 November, Narendra Modi held a meeting to discuss waterfront security along the coastline. At the conclusion of the meeting, it was decided that a number of steps be taken to improve security:

Increase the number of police stations along the coast to 50 (from 10)

Increase the number of police to 1500 from 250

30 modern high-speed surveillance boats.

2009 Lok Sabha elections

Although the BJP narrowly managed to win majority of the seats in Gujarat, the loss of the Rajkot seat, after almost 20 years of control, was unexpected. Prominent politicians like Sharad Yadav commented that the BJP's projection of Modi as a future Prime Minister affected its performance in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. Furthermore BJP criticism of Modi worries Gujarat leaders.

Awards and recognitions

30 January 2006 – In a nationwide survey conducted by ''India Today'', Narendra Modi was declared the Best Chief Minister of the country.

5 February 2007 – Adjudged the best CM for the third time in the nationwide survey conducted by India Today – ORG Marg, a unique achievement for any CM during a 5-year tenure.

25 August 2009 – Chosen as The Asian Winner of the fDi Personality of the Year Awards for 2009 by ''fDi Magazine''. The award was however withdrawn and awarded to the Gujarat state instead.

References

External links

; Official

Narendra Modi ''Official website''

Narendra Modi ''Personal blog''

; Other

Profile at ''BBC News''

Narendra Modi collected news and commentary at ''The Times of India''

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