Anand

Anand is perhaps the most beautiful city in the world. Someone will say "He is from Anand. So obviously! Whats so special about Anand?" No river, no mountain, no hills, no sea/ocean, no waterfalls. Whats so special about Anand?

Well firstly it is my hometown. So obviously I have a deep connection with it.

Anand is a small town in central Gujarat located in an extremely prosperous area called "Charotar" which comprises of Anand district and certain parts of Kheda district. It is called the Milk Capital of India. Its here that the famous Operation Flood has its roots. The cooperative movement which completely change the face of rural industry in India was started in Anand by Dr.V.Kurien.

A small village near Anand called Karamsad is also the hometown of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Iron Man of India. Vallabh Vidyanagar is famous educational township which houses the S.P.University and has students coming from all over India to study. Anand is also home to famous institutions like IRMA, NDDB and GCMMF.

So coming back to the question, What makes Anand so beautiful? Well its basically the lifestyle. For a small town, it has got all the modern infrastructure and amenities that one can possibly hope for. Starting from continuous electricity, very good schools, a public transport system, restaurants, multiplexes etc. But despite all this, there lies a serenity in the lifestyle which is very rarely found in modern cities or which you just hope to find in villages. Hardly any major industry, so its almost pollution free. Very few high rise buildings (though the number is steadily growing up, the rate is much lesser than elsewhere). A sense of general well being.

The people of Anand are this easy going creatures who love to enjoy their lives. They are not as hard pressed like those you find in modern cities. Every locality has an open park or ground where you can see children playing cricket and parents watching them, major part of the city (except the AV road) is almost deserted after 8 pm (even earlier in winters). Most of the people staying with their families or meeting their friends.

First thing you will note about Anand is its general prosperity. You can see some of the most beautiful bungalows u can imagine. Some of them on Kurien Enclave or on V.V.Nagar-Karamsad Road are mind boggling. Also there are several good places for foodies. I have several friends who come from nearby cities like Vadodra to eat specially at Flavours or Icy Spicy or a thali at Purohit!

You walk on the road of the city and you will realize that you are in a part of the world where people still love to smile, people still dont mind saying a hello to a stranger, where a father still plays with his kid, where a grandfather still takes his grandson to a park and treats him with a ice cream, where a person still knows the name of his neighbour, where its still we who dictate our lives and not allowing the life to dictate us.

I believe that a city becomes beautiful not by the number of tourist attractionn it has but by the people living there who gives it a character. And moving in Anand you will realize that despite having a vastly cosmopolitan social structure. People here still have a distinct "Anandness" in them.