Manek Chowk: A Wondrous Neighborhood of Ahmedabad
Manek Chowk, a local neighborhood of Ahmedabad is said to be quite efficient in the implementation of certain public services. Generally, public services largely include education system, parks and recreational activities, safety measures.
Talking about the education system, the following are its characteristics:
There are approximately 148 schools, closely adjacent and observed in almost each street of the neighborhood.
All schools are run by either government affiliated trusts or private organizations.
Schools are affiliated to varied boards such as ICSE, CBSE, State Board, etc.
Most of the schools over here are only till the primary level and few are the ones running till the higher secondary level.
Next, we talk about the parks and recreational activities done by people.
Talking about parks and public gardens, as per the current data, there are approximately 33 gardens and parks in Manek Chowk.
Some of the famous parks include Riverfront Flower Garden, Ashaval Garden, Lokmanya Tilak Bagh, etc.
There is strict regulation of hygiene and sanitation in all parks and there is a large span of greenery observed in all of them.
Comparing Manek Chowk with a Modern Neighborhood of Ahmedabad, Satellite
The Satellite area of Ahmedabad is a highly developed and industrial neighborhood of the city. It comprises of some of the major industrial firms, food joints and is considered one of the most prosperous localities of Ahmedabad. This neighborhood is very efficient in terms of the implementation of the public service characteristics such as recreational activities, safety measures, hospitals, clinics, sanitation facilities and public administration.
• The people residing in this neighborhood take up recreational activities in their leisure time.
• The recreational activities include visits to amusement parks, visits to the cinema halls for watching movies, gathering at fancy restaurants and food joints with friends and family and a stroll in the public parks and gardens.
• Satellite has many public parks and gardens for recreational activities, some of these include AUDA gardens constructed by the government, Varahi Public Park and so on.
• This neighborhood is also quite efficient in the educational facilities. Some of the well-known schools in this neighborhood include the R.H. Kapadia High School, A-One High School, H.B. Kapadia High School, etc.
• The level of safety in this neighborhood is very high, since most of the families residing over here are from prosperous and upper middle class to upper class populations only take up this neighborhood as a permanent settlement location.
• Talking about the healthcare facilities, there are some of the most advanced hospitals and clinics which provide world class treatment facilities with a highly qualified staff of doctors and medical personnel who are devoted to serving quality treatment with the most advanced technologies. Some of the super specialty hospitals include Shalby Hospital, Sangini Hospital and Concept Neuro and Spine care hospital.
• With the transformation of this neighborhood from a residential one to a commercial one, the cleanliness and hygiene maintenance measures became even more stringent.
• For instance, the area near the hospitals and schools and the offices is maintained and cleaned on a regular basis and a high level of sanitation is maintained her. But, at the same time, the residential apartments and buildings lack in sanitation and cleanliness measures at times due to a lack of administration at the society level.
• Satellite area is also known as the food hub of Ahmedabad as it comprises of the major restaurants and food joints of the city including fancy coffee bars, food truck parks and street food stalls.
Also, there is one specialty of this neighborhood that the markets over here are
All of them have been constructed by governmental authorities such as Ahmedabad Municipal corporation.
Interesting Features about Manek Chowk You Didn’t Know!
Now, we come to the implementation of safety measures in the neighborhood.
The neighborhood of Manek Chowk is visualized as one of the safest areas of the old city of Ahmedabad.
The neighborhood has its famous Khaogalli or Food Street which opens after 10 pm every night and different street vendors open up their food stalls in the open street there. So, in accordance with that the area is completely safe and it remains open even after midnight.
But, while talking about safety, one must be careful about pickpockets roaming over there. There are some chances of your wallet or your wearables getting stolen mysteriously. But, otherwise there is no imminent threat observed over there.
The vendors and even local people over there are very friendly and cooperative by nature and are always ready to help a new visitor in their neighborhood.
Also, there is one specialty of this neighborhood that the markets in the streets are put up according to the timings and particular products.
For instance, in the morning there are vegetable markets, in the afternoon there are cloth and other handicraft markets and in the night, there are food stalls put up. Some of the most popular food items available in the local street market of Manek Chowk at night are Gwalior Dosa and Sandwiches filled with cheese and butter. The Gwalior Dosa is a local favorite delicacy which includes a savory pancake which is stuffed with loads of butter and served hot with a coconut dip and tamarind sauce. The buttery and soft texture of this pancake makes it among the most demanded products of the market. It is truly surprising to observe that the locals step out simply to relish street food post midnight and return home only after satisfying their cravings! The lively atmosphere and energizing aura of this neighborhood makes it among the most visited and talked about localities of Ahmedabad City. It is truly rare to observe this level of enthusiasm and passion to eat food in another city or town!
What makes Manek Chowk an attractive neighborhood apart from its architecture and local street markets is its steady insistence on preserving the local heritage of the city. By encouraging local craftsmen, weavers and jewellers to pursue their business amidst a small but trusted community of buyers is commendable in today’s era where multinational companies are taking over most of the business revenue of third world countries! In addition, the arrangement of the streets makes it an enigmatic neighborhood, forcing the explorer to delve deeper into the history and geography of each individual street and understand its significance in shaping the entire neighborhood. It is also considered among the oldest neighborhoods of Ahmedabad, where most residents of the western suburbs of Ahmedabad venture in order to relish their favorite street food in the nights as well as look for good jewellery options in the jewellery shops of the neighborhood. It is said that the finest quality of gold and diamond jewellery is manufactured in Manek Chowk and all residents of Ahmedabad do visit the jewellers here at least once in their life before looking for other alternatives!
An even more interesting charm of Manek Chowk is that architecture students visit this town to draw inspiration for their projects and also to sketch the different building structures in detail. You could easily find an architecture student in different corners of the neighborhood streets, observing the minute details of each building and sketching the smallest bits of the structure in front of them. Apart from maintaining a close-knit community and inclusiveness, this neighborhood is the most treasured possession of the Heritage City of Ahmedabad.
Whenever you are in Ahmedabad, your trip is truly incomplete without venturing into the neighborhood of Manek Chowk! Be it daytime or midnight, this neighborhood never sleeps and is always lively with the crackling laughter of the locals and the energy of the vendors and sellers! Do visit this area once by adding it in your bucket list and be assured that your adventure shall not be disappointing! In fact, you shall carry tons of memories and wonderful insights about local heritage from this small neighborhood of Ahmedabad!
