Week 3. Historical Heritage of Ahmedabad, India

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Ahmedabad is the largest city and former capital of the Indian state of Gujarat and was first established by Sultan Ahmed Shah, in 1411 A.D. About seven million people live in the city and the population is expected to grow to ten million by 2030 . Ahmedabad is located on the banks of the Sabarmati River. The river is located in the middle of the city and divides it into east and west regions. The British colonial period saw the expansion of the city to the western side, which houses educational institutes, modern buildings, multiplexes and a new business district. The eastern side is home to the Old City and is also where Ahmedabad’s famous textile industry was developed. Since the factories have been closing down in recent years, people are working any job they can find to support themselves and their families. While the majority of the population is Hindu, there are also Muslim and Jain communities. We have learned that tension exists between the Muslim and Hindu community, causing Muslims to be discriminated against and face a myriad of disadvantages. In 2002, a train in Godhra was set on fire and 58 Hindus were killed, triggering riots between the Hindu and Muslim communities. An estimated 2,000 Muslims were killed and thus many Muslim families were dislocated to the western region.

We also learned that the caste system still affects Indian society to this day. At the top of the hierarchy are the Brahman. They are traditionally seen as godly people who have reached their status through actions in their past lives that have made them worthy. Below them are the Kshatriya, who are traditionally seen as the warriors. Then there there are the Vaishya, or businessmen and the Shudra, the serving class. The largest group, the Dalits, are not included in this pyramidal structure because they are seen as untouchables. In our site visits and through our guest lecturers, we have seen that the Dalits are truly the most disadvantaged group as a result of their caste status. They are the street sweepers, animal skinners and sanitation workers in Indian society. Although the government has affirmative action in place for people in the lowest caste, much of this money never reaches them.

As we continue to learn about Indian society and the city of Ahmedabad we hope to dig deeper into the repercussions of the city’s geographical divide, tensions between Hindus and Muslims and the caste system.

Alex Perez ’17 and Eli Valenzuela ’17

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