| When I got onto the train at Borivali, I
had one thought running at the back of
mind - I'm going to a village with cows
and dung everywhere. When I got here, it
was silent and soft and sober. I was in an
unfamiliar zone because I was used to
travelling in crowded trains and people
all around wherever you go. So frankly,
the first few days of Vadodara were
awkward. |
|
| But all of it has changed for the better - I
found peace here - this peace of mind
was missing in Bombay. It has given me
the space and time to think and
understand who I am - it has helped me
work both physically and mentally and
prepare myself for various kinds of
challenges. After dinner, I go for a walk.
It's like the most important time of the
day for me and here the air is clean; no
honking of cars or for that matter, no
cows and dung on the streets. I can sleep
for 8 hours with no traffic noise to disturb
me. The ambience is great. The people |
|
|
| are awesome - far more decent and welleducated.
It's safe on the roads - you can
go for walks and drives late at night
without the fear of getting mugged or
hassled in any way. There's a lot of buzz
during the day - it acts like any metro
during the day and at night, it's relatively
quieter. So it has both flavours - those of
a big city and those of a small town. |
|
| There are lots of hotels and joints so
every Sunday you can enjoy a different
variety of food - Punjabi, Gujarati,
Mughlai, Kathiavadi - it's all there. I once
tasted ten different kinds of Pani Puri,
Vada Pav - I'm from Bombay and my
perception about these has totally
changed. |
|
| My first choice will always be Mumbai
no matter where I am, but that aside,
Vadodara wins hands-down. I've been
to a lot of places but there's just
something about this city that keeps
pulling you back. |
|
