See you at night...near Nehru bridge?

TNN / Apr 17, 2006, 20:55 IST

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Take a spin around any of the bridges of Ahmedabad or the pavements of upscale area and Amdavadis are taking in the night air.

AHMEDABAD: I know what you did last night �� or for that matter the previous night and almost every other night. There's no big secret about it, is there? You either hung around a bridge, a traffic island or just strolled along the pavements, watching the world go by.
With no dance bars, night-clubs or watering holes in the cities of Gujarat, night life is all about innocent pleasures �� just walking around leisurely.
And that is the common link between Mustafa Khandwawala, Kalpesh Viththlani, Vicky Singh, Rahil Subedar, Kamini Shah and Dheeraj Sharma.
These students, traders, housewives, bank executives and social activists from Ahmedabad, Surat and Vadodara share the same passion �� they love to spend their late evenings by the city bridges, traffic circles or the humble pavement.

Take a spin around any of the bridges of Ahmedabad or the pavements of upscale area and Amdavadis are taking in the night air. Mittal Shah, an SY B Com student, just sits on a pavement on CG Road, preferably near a paan shop.
"It is not as if there is a great deal to talk about, but we like chilling out on the road outside the confines of our home," says Shah. Vicky Singh, 25, from Westend Park on SG Highway, likes to spend some quiet moments late at night with a cigarette on Nehru bridge.

"The glimpse of an illuminated Ellisbridge reflected in the stagnant waters of the Sabarmati river recharges me," Singh says. For social activist Rahil Subedar, spending evenings on Nehru bridge, lost in a world of ideas and dreams, is an activity that goes back to his childhood.
Just ride by Shyama Prasad railway overbridge that connects Vejalpur and Satellite and you will find people from the neighbourhood converging at the spot around 10 pm.
Kamini Shah, 35, of Jeevraj Park, says, "Late every evening, my husband and I sit on the pavement to enjoy the cool breeze and watch the world go by. It is very rejuvenating."
Zoom down to Surat, and there are plenty of people around the four main bridges in the city. Mustafa Khandwawala's favourite spots are Sardar bridge or Vivekanand bridge. And he has been doing this ever since he was a child.
Kalpesh Viththlani, another 'bridgewalker' says, "I like to take my family there for fresh air and a pleasant view in the evening."

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