I am pleased to say that finally I have moved to our own domain. the new web address is http://www.vibrantahmedabad.com/
I will not be posting any more posts on this blog so may request you to kinldy update your Bookmarks.

Also keep on visiting www.vibrantahmedabad.com for new articles.

Amdavadis love watching movies. There are not many discos or pubs as the club culture is not much famous here. The best means of entertainment in Cinema. People have great taste for Bollywood movies, various multiplexes and cinema halls are located in the city which are visited by hoards of people. You can choose the one which suits your pocket best. Entertainment Productions of drama and music are held regularly at the Kankaria Lake theater and are well worth attending.The mutiplex theatre concept started in Ahmedabad. Ahmedabad boasts of Drive in Cinema which is also a very good option in Winters specially with small kids.

You can log on to http://yellowpages.sulekha.com/ahmedabad/arts-entertainment/movie-theaters/163.htm for addresses and telephone nos for theatres in Ahmedabad.

You can also lon onto http://www.google.com/movies?hl=en&near=ahmedabad&dq=cinema+theatres+in+ahmedabad&sa=X&oi=showtimes
&ct=title&cd=1 for for show timings.

Gujarat International Finance Tech-City is India’s biggest major planned skyscraper being built in Gandhinagar which is 32 kms approx from Ahmedabad. It is Gujarat’s first major commercial skyscraper, and one of the biggest single megaprojects in India!
Boasting 17 high rise commercial buildings — the tallest being the signature 80-storey, 400m “Diamond Tower” — as well as an artificial island, integrated mass transit and dedicated expressways, residential townships, and dedicated power supply, the 500 acre GIFT aims to be Global Financial Services hub.
For more details log onto http://indianskyscraperblog.wordpress.com/2007/12/09/gandhinagar-gujarat-international-finance-tec-city-gift-400m-80-fl-310m-x-2-200m-x-10-app/

Gem and diamond testing laboratories are to be set up by the Gujarat government across the state in anticipation of the 2009 Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit. The state is planning to establish cooperation with the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), which offers grading services to gem, diamond and jewelry merchants all over the world. The GIA will now hallmark products of the jewelry industry in the state.
The General Manager of Projects and Technology at the Industrial Extension Bureau (iNDEXTb), Chandan Chatterjee, stated: "The state already has a jewelry testing laboratory and grading system through some private companies and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). Since we are hoping to attract investments worth over Rs 500 crore during Vibrant Gujarat, an international standard of grading is imperative to lure foreign buyers. We are looking to set up a gem testing laboratory in collaboration with domestic players."
The laboratories will be established at an investment of around Rs 1 crore each, with the partial financial support of the state government. Surat, Ahmedabad, Jamnagar and Rajkot are likely to house these laboratory centers.
With the aim of developing inclusive manpower in the jewelry sector, the government plans to create more gem and jewelry parks all over the state. Plans also include upgrading training institutes in cities such as Rajkot and Ahmedabad.

Gujarat is the only Indian state where alcohol is prohibited. You are allowed to drink only if you have a non-Indian passport, you can get an alcohol permit from the government that allows you to buy and consume alcohol legally from licensed liquor shop at specified hotels.
Bootlegging is rampant but it carries a risk as well. Amazingly but almost all brands are available though you have have to pay a slightly higher price and buy from a know source. Beer is difficult to come by (this is where your permit comes in handy) as is wine.
But booze is strictly a private affair and don't expect to order a drink at a restaurant (obviously there are no bars here) and you will have to drink in your hotel room or at someone's home. If someone invites you to a party, there is a good chance you will be offered a drink there. You can be arrested or detained for consuming alcohol illegally. However it is best to consume alcohol at your hotel room or at a very close friends place. Majority of the guests staying at a hotel consume it in their rooms and there is always an implied consent from the hotel who will serve you ice, soda and glasses.
Many small shops sell lassis and chaach which is made out of yogurt. You have a lot of choice: sweet, salty, with almonds. Farki, Jalaram, Girish Cold Drinks and Krishna Dairy are some of the famous ones. Apart from this, Janta Ice Cream and Cold Drinks offers cold Chocolate Coco, a chocolate flavored thick - shake. Shambhu is very popular for coffee. Most of the small shops on roadside along with food offer Cold coffee for just Rs. 15/. There is also a very wide variety of fresh fruit juice available. You have lot of roadside lorries selling fresh coconut water. Besides, Ahmedabad is a place where most Ice Cream is consumed in the world. You would love to test many of the local brands like Havmore, Patels, Chills Thrills & Frills, Rajsthan Ice Cream, etc.

The Water in Ahmedabad is hard and generally everybody uses RO system to purify water. You can either install a RO machine or buy 20 ltr cans of water. Normally all localities have water cans supplied to your home by local suppliers which can be consumed for drinking.Mostly all resturants serve bootled but you should exercise care when drinking at smaller places.

The World Bank has included Ahmedabad in the list of Indian cities for a ranking on 'Doing Business in India - 2009'. The World Bank, which brings out the report in association with the International Finance Corporation, agreed to include Ahmedabad after the Gujarat government made a strong representation for including the city in this survey to determine the investment climate across India. The World Bank's earlier report 'Doing Business in India - 2007' did not take into account Ahmedabad while it covered Bangalore, Bhubaneshwar, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Chennai, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Mumbai, New Delhi, Patna and Ranchi. The survey for the 2009 report too by passed Ahmedabad, even as it listed cities like Jaipur, Hyderabad and Bangalore. When officials in Gandhinagar came to know of it, they fought for its inclusion and have finally succeeded. World Bank officials will be coming to Gujarat next month to make an initial survey, talking to businesses based in Ahmedabad. The state government has quickly moved in to do some window-dressing. A state-level committee has been put in place under the chairmanship of chief secretary Manjula Subramaniam, with state industries commissioner Sujit Gulati as member-secretary, to improve procedures to meet the 10 parameters. (see box) A notification issued on Friday also instructed all state departments and agencies to identify critical areas of public interface and device a roadmap to reduce time and cost. The departments are expected to study best practices within the country and abroad, and suggest improvement mainly through e-governance. The objective is to introduce greater accountability within the system to eliminate red-tape and bring about greater efficiency.

Amdavadi people love to cook and eat! Their variety of cuisine is famous all around. During the weekends, most of the people eat outside, and there is a big wait list. If you are not eating, you can see families and youngsters hanging around ice-cream. One thing is for sure that everyone enjoys Sunday evening out.
Some of the famous food joints are Honest, Sankalp, Mirch Masala, Ras Ranjan, Sheeba Vishala, Rajwadu, and Goverdhan Thal. You have Dairy Don, Vadlilal, or Havmor for ice-cream delicacies, and Pizza Huts, US Pizza, Domino's or Greens for salad and pizzas. Try Upper Crust and Barista for baked goods/coffee delights. But nothing can beat the small roadside mobile lorry/vans that serve hot/spicy pav bhaji, bhel dabeli, gotas, bhajias, or the yummy pani puri. Gathiya Jalebi of Gathiya Rath is yum.
I think each day of the year you could eat at a different joint in Ahmedabad.
For Fast food Pav vada of Jai Bhavani on CG Road, Pavbhaji of honest, Dalvada of Gujarat Dalvada at Parimal crossing, Dabeli at Karnavati Dabeli, the 6 flavoured panipuris at any of the vans, pani puri at Ras ranjan, tea at the tea stall outside IIM gate, Bhajia outisde Ahmedabad and Raipur Bhajia House at Raipur Darwaja , Bhelpuri and Sev puri at any of the roadside guys, pastries at TGB bakery, paneer chilly puff at Reliance Mega mart.
For Continental vegetarian food I think TGB is the best place. For South indian food Sankalp, Dasaprakash and Murugan express. Swati Snacks on Law garden serves gujrati snacks. Panki and Dalkhichda are few of my favourite dieshes. Tomato's offers good continental veg and non veg with a list of mocktails to choose from. For vegetarian Punjabi food Epicurian Alley at Ashram Road and Jungle book a theme restaurant are worth trying. Gormoh on Judges bungalow Road also serves great punjabi food. Mirch Masala on SG highway is very popular for its veg and no veg cuisines. Dhuaan open restaurant on the terrace of The Grand Bhagwati hotels has a very good ambience and lovely vegetarian food. Please do try the juices there. For Veg and non veg sizzlers, Ikobo near Drive in Cinema is really good. Round the corner - Upper Crust at Vastrapur also serves sizzlers which are worth trying. Chavla,Curries and Flavours are famous for Nonvegetarian indian dishes. Sanjha Chula on the way to Gandhinagar serves excellent punjabhi food. Barbeque Nation near Drive in Cinema offers the concept of Live Grills at the covers where guests can barbecue food themselves to get an authentic feel. One can choose from Mediterranean, American and pan-Asian cuisines.A household name for ice-creams is Patel and for kulfis the indisputable market leader is Asharfi.