There is much affluence and at the same time immense poverty. On the banks of Sabarmati stands Gandhi's ashram, a world symbol of non-violence, yet in this same town, bloody riots have destroyed peace and the city psyche forever.

Yet, dusty, crowded and chaotic though it may be, it has an identity and a character all of its own. And this city should be discovered. For its food, its people, its breath-taking architecture, the ancient havelis, the mosques, the temples, the ordinary houses in the pols, labyrinths of by-lanes, a heritage walk.

Ahmedabad founded in 1411 AD by Sultan Ahmed Shah (hence its name), is the biggest city of Gujarat state and the sixth largest of India, with four million residents. It is an amazing place, with a tantalising mix of ancient and modern, with its pot pourri of Hindu, Muslim and Jain communities, contributing in no small measure to its culinary delights, the reason for our sojourn.