Be-ites Gujarat Industrial Trip

Be-ites Gujarat Industrial Trip

On 9th January, 2017, an all-girls group of 37 students and 3 teachers from the Bhawanipur Education Society College left from Kolkata for a journey spanning the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra.  It was primarily an industrial visit but little did they know it was going to be an unforgettable experience.

The train journey was enjoyable & entertaining,  with all the young girls chatting away and pleasantly marked by surprise seeing the streets of Nagpur oranges and food packets from different stations. Upon reaching Jalgaon station on 10th January night we were led to our hotel cosy cottage and at 11pm we were greeted in a family friendly environment by the wonderful hosts, the family of Mr Chaubey.

Next day 11th January our visit to Raymonds factory and Jane food Park was due. The tour of the factory gave the students an idea about how it all starts with a thread which is then sifted, and is converted into a woollen wear. Raymonds also offered the girls a view of the expensive pashmina shawls displayed inside the factory. This was followed by a brief shopping spree at the Raymonds factory outlet.

Jane food Park is the second largest micro Irrigation Company in the world spread over a span of 2000 acres and Mr Bhavarlal H Jain is the founder. They specialise in drip and sprinkler irrigation systems, tissue culture plants and green energy. Biogas and all the wastes from the Park are processed and used up. Banana, mango and food processing was shown to us inside the plant and then students were lead to a treat of pure mango pulp. They were also toured to the green energy plant. An added bonus was the Gandhi Teerth(Gandhi Research Foundation) built in Jane food park itself. And audio visual conducted by them was enlightening and opened our minds to the life and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. The park is difficult to cover in a day’s trip and we wish we had more time.

Upon insistence from our host we decided to trek down from viewpoint to the Ajanta Caves. We did not regret that trek one bit since it was a picturesque and breath-taking. Our visit to the Ajanta Caves was an enthralling experience. The caves were mysterious and yet gave a sense of life back in the second century B.C void of electricity. The rock sculptures and paintings filled the caves which even have the detailing of expressions and Jewels of men and woman of ancient times.

On 13 January, an early morning Road trip to Surat in a double-decker sleeper was an added delight for the students. Upon reaching the hotel in the evening we moved to the textile industry visit. Textile industry was an interesting experience as they showed us how saris are made from scratch. One of them was ChandraLal Manicklal Zariwala dealing in synthetic and polyester clothing. Then we visited Randhir Dying where we were shown how saris are dyed and printed. The girls were taken by the hosts on a short yet exhausting shopping spree at and local shop where they splurged on saris and dress material, Surat being the textile hub.

Another fun road trip lead us to Ahmedabad from Surat to experience the kite festival on 14th January. The girls participated in the kite flying and enjoyed Gujarati snacks on this day. Keen on sightseeing the students were taken to the famous Sabarmati Ashram this was one of the residences of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhiwho lived there for about twelve years along with his wife, Kasturba Gandhi. Followed by the Ganga real lake was a pleasure visit since the students engaged in rides and boating available in the beautifully maintained Park.

15th January we headed for Amul dairy in Anand which was another great experience altogether about the entire range of products and seeing the methods of processing butter was a joy for all. After an Amul ice cream treat the students also indulged in purchasing chocolate for their friends and family. In the evening shopping was overdue on the cards which led us to the Law Garden, a market famous for all Gujarati attires for girls. And this being an all-girls trip the law garden visit was in evitable.

Sun Pharmaceuticals in Vadodara was the last stop on the 16th for us in our array of industrial visits. Firstly we were shown a presentation on the history of Sun Pharmaceuticals which was educational for all, followed by a question answer session. Informative session was held since they could tell us about different genres of medicines produced and processed and how the research tells that cancer can be cured if detected early. Next the tour showed us how medicines are made after much careful testing and research by the scientists.

This last industry was it and was followed by an unlimited pizza lunch at the famous Neapolitan pizza. Lastly a visit to Induben Khakhrawalawas the icing on the cake. How can the trip be complete without a bag full of delicious Gujarati snacks?

17th morning the group of tired girls yet with heavy hearts bid goodbye to Ahmedabad to head back home. Starting from the train journey to the flight back home it was nonetheless than an adventurous and memorable excursion. It felt much like when we were young and read Enid Blyton – The Famous Five and wish we were one of them going off to mysterious places and discovering new things. This time to sum up it felt like the industries were our places of new discoveries and Ajanta Caves worth the mysteries.