the future of ahmedabad: cranes, metros, and my weird sleep-deprived take on it all

i've been in ahmedabad for six months now, shooting whatever pays the rent and trying not to melt in the summer heat. as a freelance photographer, i'm always chasing that perfect light, but here the sun feels like it's trying to win an argument with your retina. anyway, i'm here to talk about the future of this city because there's a crap-ton of construction and i keep running into cranes with my wide-angle lens.

first, for context, here's a scribble of where we're at:

this is one of my recent snaps from the sabarmati riverfront, which is finally getting the love it deserved after years of being a concrete gutter.

the ahmedabad metro is the talk of the town. i've been trying to get a clear shot of the tracks near motera for weeks, but the security guys are ruthless. the first phase is about 40 km with 31 stations, running from motera to thaltej and from apmc to mahatma mandir. they say it'll open by 2025, but i've heard it might slip to 2026. still, it's a game-changer for a city that currently relies on rickshaws and cars that go nowhere in traffic. imagine zipping from the east to the west without breathing exhaust. i'm cautiously optimistic, though i wonder about the maintenance and the ticketing system - will it accept my credit card or only cash? we'll see.

> 'my brother works in the metro office, he says they're testing the trains at night and they're whisper quiet, but the tracks creak like an old house,' a local bike rental owner told me, smirking.

the sabarmati riverfront was a massive project. it used to be a filthy, narrow stream with illegal settlements. now it's a wide, beautifully lit promenade with parks, amphitheaters, and fancy food trucks. i did a shoot there during the kite festival, and the reflections off the water were insane. the government poured something like 1,200 crores into it, and honestly, it shows. but i've also heard rumors that some of the funding was misused. still, it's a fantastic public space. i often see couples, joggers, and the occasional drunk guy singing at 2am. it's become the city's living room.

then there's the mumbai-ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor. that's the bullet train, y'all. it's being built with japanese tech, and it's supposed to cut the travel time between the two cities to under three hours. the station in ahmedabad will be at the existing cb station area, and they're building a massive depot. this thing is a monster project - 508 km of tracks, with viaducts and tunnels. the cost is astronomical, around 1.1 lakh crores. i overheard a consultant at a café saying that the land acquisition ate up most of the budget and the timeline is slipping. but if it happens, it'll put ahmedabad on the high-speed map and boost business like crazy. think about it: you could have dim sum in mumbai and thali in ahmedabad for lunch and dinner on the same day.

> 'my cousin's friend is a contractor on the bullet train, he says they're using chinese steel because the japanese stuff got delayed, but no one's admitting it,' whispered a student nursing a chai at the local stall.

the ahmedabad brts, which started in 2009, is actually pretty decent. i use it sometimes to get across town cheaply. they've got those shiny red buses with dedicated lanes, but the lanes aren't always respected by cars. still, it's a lifeline for budget travelers like me. the city is also part of the smart city mission, so they're installing led streetlights that dim when no one's around, surveillance cameras that probably watch me sneezing, and free wifi spots that work about half the time. i'm not sure if all that tech makes the city smarter, but it gives me more things to photograph at night.

here's another shot, a different angle of the same river, but with construction material in the background.

talking about cost of living, i pay 12k a month for a tiny 1bkw in a shared flat near gujarat university. that includes water and electricity. i know a couple of graphic designers who splurge on places in bodakdev for 25k. it's still way cheaper than mumbai or bangalore. safety-wise, i've never felt threatened, but i do avoid the narrow lanes of the old city after dark, especially alone. the city has a decent police presence, but some areas are just dimly lit. the job market? photography gigs are seasonal - weddings, events, and some corporate work. but i've seen a lot of my friends switch to coding because the pay is better. there's a startup boom in it and e-commerce, and the city's infrastructure push is creating construction jobs. so if you're a freelancer, you might find work in real estate marketing or architectural photography. it's not a gold rush, but it's manageable.

the weather here is a character in its own right. may is a furnace, like someone turned on an oven and left the door open. june brings the monsoon, which is a relief but also turns the streets into rivers for a day or two. october to february is actually pleasant, with clear skies and a chill in the morning that makes you want to hug a chai wallah. i've shot sunrise at the riverfront in december and it was magical. as for neighbors, ahmedabad is just a few hours from the desert wonders of rajasthan - pushkar, udaipur, jodhpur - all within a four-hour drive. you can also catch a cheap flight to delhi or mumbai in under an hour, which is great for escaping the heat.

i often lurk on r/ahmedabad to see what people are really complaining about. also, tripadvisor has a decent list of things to do, and yelp helps me find cheap eats. here are some quick links:
tripadvisor - ahmedabad attractions
yelp - ahmedabad restaurants
r/ahmedabad

> 'some old timer at the spice market told me, 'this city will eat you alive if you're not careful with the traffic and the heat.' he wasn't wrong.'

anyway, the future looks busy. all these cranes and concrete mixers are a sign that ahmedabad is trying to step up. i'm excited to see how the metro changes the rhythm, how the bullet train connects us to the world, and if the riverfront will finally stay clean. as a sleep-deprived photographer, i'll be there, camera in hand, trying to capture the chaos before it becomes too polished. until next time, keep your lenses clean and your water bottle full.

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