What do you know about Gujarat?

Gujarat the land of enterprising people...the land that was shaken by earthquakes and bled during the riots...and ofcourse its CM Narendra Modi...this is what most outsiders know about Gujarat. But for most people who have never been to gujarat, a visit to the state can be a real shocker (not even an eye-opener).

My dad was transferred to Gujarat about 5 years back. My image of Gujarat was completely tarnished what with the countless media reports bout public going on a rampage and a state government that hardly bothers about development.

We landed at Gandhinagar airport from mumbai and the taxi driver drove us to our destination 70 kms from the airport to the northern part of the state. I had heard that there is a 4 lane state highway, but the driver decided to take some other route that was only 2-lane and connected some smaller towns and villages of the state...not to take me on a tour of the state but to save toll tax ofcourse :).

But to my surprise, this simple 2-lane road was much better than most potholed roads of Mumbai. We reached our destination in about 1.5 hrs....
The next 4 yrs that i spent really opened my eyes about this progressive state and i also understood that media has its own way of representing things....

Ahmedabad a city that is home to more than 50 lakh people is a good example of the rising wealth of this state and the development that Gujaratis are witnessing under the leadership of its CM...all the projects that are being discussed in Mumbai or being implemented in Delhi are already underway in this city..(mark my words 'discussed' and 'implemented' cos they tell u a lot bout the bureaucracy in the two cities)

During the Navratri revelry (a 9 day festival that is celebrated with a lot of enthu), girls return back to their homes without any fear in this Dry state (liquor is banned in Gujarat) at 2-3am at night and not one untoward incident makes it to the news in a country where frenzied news reporters are ready to pounce on any morsel of news that can help them increase their TRP's. People in the east and most parts of north India cannot even dream of this...
I feel this secure atmosphere is a very strong reason for the liberal mindset of Gujaratis...

The Narmada canal and the Narmada dam (i haven't been to the dam site...but i hear its beautiful and a human engineering masterpiece) are attempts made by the same maligned state govt to provide water to the most far flung areas and those regions that have been witnessing a drought for years now....

People say Gujaratis are rich...but what makes them rich??
Lets leave aside the NRI's and talk bout development at the grass root level...
The state highways are simply wonderful....4-lane highways with service lanes on both sides....how many states have even thought of implementing such huge projects??
There are industries being set up everywhere along these state highways bringing wealth and prosperity to the villagers living nearby...not only are they being offered employment, their farm produce can be easily sold at the right price (a supply chain masterpiece...wat say??)...i guess thats the secret to the prosperity of these villagers...

I have been to some remote villages of the state and let me tell you that their roads are much better than most of suburban mumbai roads...and pls dont think that i am exaggerating here...

Most of the villages are being provided 24 hr nonstop power supply(thus enabling irrigation)...i used to travel from ahmedabad to mehsana almost every weekend...and there used to be numerous villages on the route....not once have i seen a village in darkness...However, during a recent trip to Malshej Ghat i saw the pathetic condition of villages plunged in darkness and they are not even 70 kms from mumbai...who knows wat the condition of those poor farmers in vidarbha region is....

Modi's opponents (from within his party too) oppose him...but isn't that expected?? here is a man who is not going to let your lethargy slow down the growth of his state...and he makes you work for every paisa you earn (God only knows how much u steal)...life can be really shitty for such oppressed people ;) and this includes most ministers and bureaucrats....

You really have to see it to believe it...am lucky to have stayed in Gujarat for 4 years, else even i would have fallen prey to the media that has become nothing more than puppets in the hands of their patrons who will go to any length to promote their hidden agenda and help their political affiliations....

The only frightening thing is that, somehow this one man makes you believe that autocracy is the only way to tame the irresponsible and uncivilised minds of some of us Indians...i sincerely hope i am proved wrong on this count...