Portrait Of An Amdavadi

It is necessary to be in constant touch with the Amdavadi to understand him completely. In the course of time you will find four salient features of an Amdavadi. He is wise, calculative, enterprising and economical. An Amdavadi knows value for his every penny spent.

Cities like Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai have grown under the direct influence of the Britishers. We can see the influence of British rule in their development. But the progress of Ahmedabad depends solely on the efforts of its citizens, and we are really proud of this fact.

After Sheth Ranchhodlal Chhotalal started the industrial revolution in Ahmedabad, the other industrialists who followed him were residents of Ahmedabad like him.

At the heart of their hearts, the Amdavadis have sharp business acumen. Amdavadi is a big or a small businessman. A real Amdavadi is one who takes steps after examining the situation from all the angles. He would never step back once decided to proceed further. He is industrious; he is not ashamed of working himself. He has the quality of simplicity. He does not believe in self - praise. He keeps himself away from controversy. He avoids quarrels. If at all there is a situation for quarrel, he would prefer to settle the matter peacefully through negotiations.

Three major political movements took place in Gujarat after independence namely 'MahaGujarat movement' in 1956, Nav-Nirman movement in 1974 and the movement against government's reservation policy in 1985. All the three movements were spontaneous and the people of Ahmedabad have played a vital role in all of them. This depicts the revolutionary nature of an Amdavadi.

The Amdavadis are kind hearted people. They believe in helping others. They believe in charity. The tradition of giving food to street dogs, cows and birds is an evidence to this fact. This is the reason why there are ample chabutaras in the city. The charitable cowsheds also get a good amount of money for their maintenance. Amdavadis believe in charity and they wish to be at pinnacle in every activity. There are numerous charitable trusts in the city. The citizens in general and business community in particular believe in mahajan tradition. The mahajans and the sheriffs have contributed substantially in the development of the city.

The citizens of Ahmedabad do not lag behind in blood donation too. The Indian Red Cross Society of Ahmedabad has got awards for the consequent five years for collecting the highest number of units of blood. Amdavadis are well known for their integrity and honesty.

Thus the spirit of Amdavad exists in every Amdavadi.