Am traveling to India next month and plan to spend a few days in Ahmedabad.
Has anyone visited Kahn's Institute of Management before? What sort of arrangments need to be made beforehand? is there security, or can one just walk onto campus?
Also what other sites, both architectural and non-architectural, are there to see in the city? Where could I stay?
Le Corbusier designed the Mill Owners Association Building
and the Ahmadabad Museum as well as the villas Sarabhai and Shodan, (those two are still private residences so you probably won't be able to see those) There is the visitors center and museum at the ashram of Ghandi designed by Charles Correa. Ahmadabad is also the site of spectacular step wells - handsome carved stone wells reached by descending a series of ornate stone steps. Definitely go to those, but it's a drive. The Mohedra Sun temple is also great, again a drive.
I'm not sure if you need arrangement to get into IIM, I was there on as part of a studio so most things were prearranged, but it is a college campus and if you look like a student then it may not be too difficult to just walk in, there is one main gate.
Go into the old city and just walk around it's fascinating.
We stayed at the Hotel Klassic Gold, yes, that is klassic with a K.
i loved ahmedabad, but it can also be a very difficult city. i stayed at a place called the house of mg. great hotel, like nothing i had experienced in india, in a refurbished industrialist's mansion - best bathroom i have ever seen - relatively inexpensive for the experience. you can easily walk into the institute of management campus. there's no security and many of the rooms are unlocked and open to the outside. corb's millowner's building is spectacular and also open to the public. balkrishna doshi's office is there and well worth seeing. gandhi's ashram on the sabarmati is beautiful. the museum was designed by charles correa. while you are there you may as well also drop in on the ahmedabad school of architecture and the national institute of design. i recommend getting a driver. it will make transportation much easier, though not all drivers speak english, and you may need to find someone to help translate all your destinations. have fun and enjoy this great city.
Yes, now remembering the name, I would recommend staying at the House of MG, it's right across the street from on of their famous Jallie's (sp?) (stone carving) of a tree, I believe the mosk is called City Ciad Jallie, or something like that.
Oh, also, don't buy bottled water from street vendors, they have a tendency to fill up the bottles with tap water and open the bottle for you when you buy it so you don't know it's been opened.
jafidler, I dont know when you were last in Ahmedabad, but getting into IIM is not *that* easy, these days...well it all depends on who is at the gate! But do carry a letter saying which school or office you are from etc. in addition to the ID. That will make things much easier. I will write more later about all the places to visit in/around ahmedabad, but most of the comments seem spot on.
Aframe, when do you go there? I am from ahmedabad, and although I dont live there now, I know many people who could be of help (mostly architects and architecture students). In India, it always helps to know someone local!
Anyone checked out the couchsurfer online community? A lot of my friends in India seem to be on it....
same, it was about four years ago. it was in june, incredibly hot, and i don't think classes were in session. we hardly even saw any students, so security was probably very light. we just walked right on campus, into the library, walked the halls and wandered into some open classrooms. it probably was a highly unusual experience, and your advise to take a letter or get permissions is well taken.
it is possible to visit the sarabhai villa, just not that easy, but it is so so worth it. (well it was just over a year ago)
before we reached ahmedabad we got english addresses for all the architectural sites we wanted to visit (corbu, kahn and doshi) and then on our first day went to the tourist office (I can try and find this address for you if you like) and got them to translate all the addresses into hindu (or maybe it was gudjarati) but anyway this helped with rickshaw drivers(who didnt tend to speak much english in ahmedebad) they also told us the days and times that the sarabahi villa was open. as for the mill owners, and management institute we had no problem accessing them, corbu's museum is also worth looking at, although it is in somewhat of a state of disrepair.
jafidler, ever since some 'terrorist' attacks that happened in Ahmedabad, everything has, sadly, but probably for a reason, gotten a bit stricter. I had to show my Business Card etc. for getting into the Mill Owner's building also. Ditto for IIM as well as CEPT (the college of architecture)
I highly recommend carrying a letter from the college/office etc., as that just makes the case more legit.
Aframe, let me know and I can put up a list here with names and addresses that you can use to visit...
Aframe - I lived in Ahmedabad for about 4 months the winter before last. All of the above are great sites to check out. However, there are plenty of spots off the beaten path woth checking out. Definately spend some time in manek chowk over in the old city, it changes from market to dining and hangout later in the day. I was studying at CEPT Institute, just around the corner from IIM, and there was a student who did a time lapse study of the space that was very interesting. There are several large mosques in the old city and just outside the city is a very nice mosque compound (unfortunately, i'm blanking on the name). The city overall is a fascinating coexistance of hindu and muslim populations, separated by the river.
Other things to check out nearby; adalaj stepwell, and ghandi's ashram in the next town over, Ghandinaggar.
I'm sure there is a ton of sites and local hangouts I'm not remembering. It'd be worth your time to swing by the CEPT campus and talk to some students, everyone is very friendly there and increadibly helpful. They usually have a bunch of foreign exchange students there as well. Feel free to email me if you want more info.
Hey! I'm also planning a trip to Amedabad, actually in like a weeks time. I'm currently in Chandigarh photographing the Corbusier work. I am a professional architectural photographer based in New York. I am here in India to work on some other jobs and I am taking some time out to go to see these great buildings. I have emailed IIM for permission, but haven't heard back yet. If anyone has another contact who might be able to grant me permission to access the campus that would be wonderful.
Hello all fellow architecural pilgrims, I'm in ahmedabad now, sunday feb 15. I will be here through thursday the 19th. I'm staying at a hotel in the center, near MG house. Top of my list to see and photgraph is IIM.
Let me know if any of you have ideas or would like to meet up,
Thanks,
James
Feb 15, 09 1:07 am ·
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Ahmedabad Architecture: Institute of Management
Am traveling to India next month and plan to spend a few days in Ahmedabad.
Has anyone visited Kahn's Institute of Management before? What sort of arrangments need to be made beforehand? is there security, or can one just walk onto campus?
Also what other sites, both architectural and non-architectural, are there to see in the city? Where could I stay?
Thanks.
Le Corbusier designed the Mill Owners Association Building
and the Ahmadabad Museum as well as the villas Sarabhai and Shodan, (those two are still private residences so you probably won't be able to see those) There is the visitors center and museum at the ashram of Ghandi designed by Charles Correa. Ahmadabad is also the site of spectacular step wells - handsome carved stone wells reached by descending a series of ornate stone steps. Definitely go to those, but it's a drive. The Mohedra Sun temple is also great, again a drive.
I'm not sure if you need arrangement to get into IIM, I was there on as part of a studio so most things were prearranged, but it is a college campus and if you look like a student then it may not be too difficult to just walk in, there is one main gate.
Go into the old city and just walk around it's fascinating.
We stayed at the Hotel Klassic Gold, yes, that is klassic with a K.
i loved ahmedabad, but it can also be a very difficult city. i stayed at a place called the house of mg. great hotel, like nothing i had experienced in india, in a refurbished industrialist's mansion - best bathroom i have ever seen - relatively inexpensive for the experience. you can easily walk into the institute of management campus. there's no security and many of the rooms are unlocked and open to the outside. corb's millowner's building is spectacular and also open to the public. balkrishna doshi's office is there and well worth seeing. gandhi's ashram on the sabarmati is beautiful. the museum was designed by charles correa. while you are there you may as well also drop in on the ahmedabad school of architecture and the national institute of design. i recommend getting a driver. it will make transportation much easier, though not all drivers speak english, and you may need to find someone to help translate all your destinations. have fun and enjoy this great city.
Yes, now remembering the name, I would recommend staying at the House of MG, it's right across the street from on of their famous Jallie's (sp?) (stone carving) of a tree, I believe the mosk is called City Ciad Jallie, or something like that.
Oh, also, don't buy bottled water from street vendors, they have a tendency to fill up the bottles with tap water and open the bottle for you when you buy it so you don't know it's been opened.
jafidler, I dont know when you were last in Ahmedabad, but getting into IIM is not *that* easy, these days...well it all depends on who is at the gate! But do carry a letter saying which school or office you are from etc. in addition to the ID. That will make things much easier. I will write more later about all the places to visit in/around ahmedabad, but most of the comments seem spot on.
Aframe, when do you go there? I am from ahmedabad, and although I dont live there now, I know many people who could be of help (mostly architects and architecture students). In India, it always helps to know someone local!
Anyone checked out the couchsurfer online community? A lot of my friends in India seem to be on it....
same, it was about four years ago. it was in june, incredibly hot, and i don't think classes were in session. we hardly even saw any students, so security was probably very light. we just walked right on campus, into the library, walked the halls and wandered into some open classrooms. it probably was a highly unusual experience, and your advise to take a letter or get permissions is well taken.
it is possible to visit the sarabhai villa, just not that easy, but it is so so worth it. (well it was just over a year ago)
before we reached ahmedabad we got english addresses for all the architectural sites we wanted to visit (corbu, kahn and doshi) and then on our first day went to the tourist office (I can try and find this address for you if you like) and got them to translate all the addresses into hindu (or maybe it was gudjarati) but anyway this helped with rickshaw drivers(who didnt tend to speak much english in ahmedebad) they also told us the days and times that the sarabahi villa was open. as for the mill owners, and management institute we had no problem accessing them, corbu's museum is also worth looking at, although it is in somewhat of a state of disrepair.
jafidler, ever since some 'terrorist' attacks that happened in Ahmedabad, everything has, sadly, but probably for a reason, gotten a bit stricter. I had to show my Business Card etc. for getting into the Mill Owner's building also. Ditto for IIM as well as CEPT (the college of architecture)
I highly recommend carrying a letter from the college/office etc., as that just makes the case more legit.
Aframe, let me know and I can put up a list here with names and addresses that you can use to visit...
Thanks for these informative and enthusiastic responses. Now I am very excited about my stay in Ahmedabad.
Please let me know if you have any other thoughts--
Balkrishna Doshi's offices (Sangath) is a nice little oasis. Very friendly and would definitely welcome visitors.
As mentioned by others, the old city is great. You could do just that for days and still be entertained.
Swaminaryan Temple is nice. Worth the few hours of your time.
Mahatma Gandhi's Ashram (though this is less sensational than other parts of the city).
Stepwell at Adalaj is awesome...if you can make it there, it's totally worth it.
Calico Textile Museum if you want to buy some really nice textiles...Obviously, Ahmedabad is known for it's textiles industry.
Have fun.
Aframe - I lived in Ahmedabad for about 4 months the winter before last. All of the above are great sites to check out. However, there are plenty of spots off the beaten path woth checking out. Definately spend some time in manek chowk over in the old city, it changes from market to dining and hangout later in the day. I was studying at CEPT Institute, just around the corner from IIM, and there was a student who did a time lapse study of the space that was very interesting. There are several large mosques in the old city and just outside the city is a very nice mosque compound (unfortunately, i'm blanking on the name). The city overall is a fascinating coexistance of hindu and muslim populations, separated by the river.
Other things to check out nearby; adalaj stepwell, and ghandi's ashram in the next town over, Ghandinaggar.
I'm sure there is a ton of sites and local hangouts I'm not remembering. It'd be worth your time to swing by the CEPT campus and talk to some students, everyone is very friendly there and increadibly helpful. They usually have a bunch of foreign exchange students there as well. Feel free to email me if you want more info.
Hey! I'm also planning a trip to Amedabad, actually in like a weeks time. I'm currently in Chandigarh photographing the Corbusier work. I am a professional architectural photographer based in New York. I am here in India to work on some other jobs and I am taking some time out to go to see these great buildings. I have emailed IIM for permission, but haven't heard back yet. If anyone has another contact who might be able to grant me permission to access the campus that would be wonderful.
If you are curious about my work you can view examples on my website at www.jamesewingphotography.com
Thanks,
James
hey, will any of you be there the last week in Feb?
I will be in Ahmedabad February 22 & 23. Sorry that I'll miss you both!
Hello all fellow architecural pilgrims, I'm in ahmedabad now, sunday feb 15. I will be here through thursday the 19th. I'm staying at a hotel in the center, near MG house. Top of my list to see and photgraph is IIM.
Let me know if any of you have ideas or would like to meet up,
Thanks,
James
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