A welcome drink, a lunch spread with delicacies like undhiyu and til-chikki, hand massagers to work out the kinks from the shoulders, and music, masks, hats and vuvuzelas (plastic horns) to celebrate a win.
As the two-day Uttarayan, celebrated in north India as Makar Sankranti, inches closer, Old Ahmedabad gets as competitive about “terrace tourism”, as it does about flying kites during the festival on January 14-15.
With most residents of Old Ahmedabad, which was given the UNESCO World Heritage City tag in 2017, moving to the other end of the city, across the Sabarmati — where terraces are rare, have been taken over by solar panels or are at a distance from each other — contests in the skies continue to be more exciting in the walled city.
During the two days of the festival, intense kite fights take place on these rented terraces, where victors’ shouts of “kai po che (I’ve cut the kite)” are accompanied by bewigged and masked spectators blowing vuvuzelas.
Though the concept of terrace rentals has existed in Old Ahmedabad for a few years, travel firms have now started offering a range of packages for those interested, including people from across the city, different states, other countries and even corporates.
Ajay Modi, who runs a travel firm and owns three houses in Old Ahmedabad’s Khadia locality, says, “Many people from pols (localities in the walled city) migrated to other parts of Ahmedabad over the years. Since last year, I started offering terrace tourism packages because the atmosphere in pols during Uttarayan is unique. By renting out their terraces, house owners earn some money, while people who want to enjoy Uttarayan here, do so with such packages.”
Stating that he rents out all three of his terraces, Modi says, “Each of my terraces can accommodate a maximum of 12 persons. They can be rented for Rs 3,000 per person on Uttarayan (January 14) and for Rs 2,000 per person on Vasi-Uttarayan (January 15).”
Prakash Bhavsar is a resident of Khadia who facilitates terrace rentals. “People who want to rent terraces contact me and I put them in touch with the house owners concerned. I have already facilitated four deals this year. Though women from some houses in the walled city are involved in gruh udyog (home enterprises), they rarely use their terraces. Terrace rentals are a great way for them to supplement their income,” says Bhavsar.
Ketan Vyas, a resident of Dariapur in Old Ahmedabad, says he rents out his massive terrace, which can accommodate between 30 and 50 persons. His package, which includes a host of features, costs Rs 3,800 per adult and Rs 2,400 per child. Like Modi’s, Vyas’s terrace package comes with a host of facilities. However, he says, it offers something that few can — parking facilities.
Modi, whose terrace package does not include parking facilities, says, “Since parking space is very limited in the walled city, I tell my guests to either take a taxi or an auto rickshaw.”
Hemant Bhatt, a doctor based in Khadia and the secretary of the Khadia Itihaas Samiti (KIS), which promotes the heritage of the walled city, says only a few homes and havelis in the area used to be rented by corporates during Uttarayan. “Terrace tourism took off in a big way over the past two years. Thanks to this trend, old houses in pols may now be conserved. People are now motivated to preserve their homes in pols instead of selling them or turning them into a place of business,” he says.
The demand for terrace rentals has spiked this year, says Modi. “There are around 400-500 good terraces in the walled city. I have already rented out all three of my terraces. I have received enquiries for 100 more terrace rentals. So far, I have helped 25 house owners rent out their spaces free of cost. I am functioning as a terrace bureau these days,” he says, visibly pleased with the moniker he has coined for himself.
Listing reasons why people rent terraces in the walled city, Modi adds, “At times, terraces in western Ahmedabad have hurdles in the form of a mobile tower nearby or solar panels. Or there is a tree nearby, making it difficult to fly kites. So they prefer to come to the old city with their family. Then, there are NRIs or people from outside Gujarat who just wish to savour Uttarayan in the old city. Even corporates rent terraces to celebrate Uttarayan with their clients.”
Bhupen Shah, 60, a Mumbai resident who had rented Vyas’s terrace in Dariapur during Uttarayan last year, says, “I had heard a lot about Ahmedabad’s pols and the celebration of Uttarayan there. So I decided to rent a terrace for Uttarayan last year. It was a fantastic experience.”
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