Sunday ho yaa Monday Roz Khao Unde is the catch line best administered by street food vendors along the fence of Maharaja Sayajirao University Road in Vadodara. If I were to believe locals the same is true for all of Gujarat, with best of bests being in Ahmedabad.


For a Delhite, who has not known any other form of egg other than boiled, half-fry, and omelet, a list of preparation of eggs running into more than 25 renditions is not only mouthwatering but also astonishing. All these various avatars of an egg are supported only by small size buns (half of the size we get in Delhi). In some cases, egg goes between the two buns while in others bun stands on the periphery of your plate whereas egg is swimming in the gravy of mashed tomato, onion and coriander.


A glance through the menu tells you how well read these vendors are as they have Egg renditions in Muglai (Egg Khima, Tikka, Pulav etc.), Italian (Egg Pizza, Sandwich, Burger), Baked, South India (Egg Dhosa), Mumbai Street (Egg Bhajia). I am sure I must have missed a few. 


The amazement does not end here! Three of us sat together to eat (Ameet, our chauffer, and myself). We ordered enough to leave behind in our plate not because we did not like some of what we ordered, just that we were too full to finish. The bill that came to our table was a paltry sum of Rs. 102/- for quite a few richly made, delectable preparations of eggs from. It was hard to believe such variety available for such a reasonable price.


Having been paying exorbitant amount for two eggs cooked in butter for the common and mundane taste of omelet all my life, Rs. 102/- for the kind of variety and fresh taste seemed far too less. I for a moment went back in my mind to where we had the breakfast and I realized that the menu list on the metal sheet hung on the wall read somewhat similar – very less prices for dishes which you would usually get for double the price in Delhi. And not even for a minute can you doubt the quality or hygiene of the food as it is all too good.


Let me spill the beans here for you, Rs. 2 in the bill of Rs. 102 is for the two pouches. The pouch here means polythene filled with RO water which you get for Rs. 1. Mind you, at these hawkers you will not get Bisleri, Aquafina, or any other brand of distilled water. I was a little cautious of drinking water from the pouch as it is looked down upon in Delhi and to an extent perceived to be unhygienic. Ameet looked at the bemused look on my face and suggested that I look around the place. I raised my head and saw everyone drinking the same water. Then I had no reason to hold myself back.


Ameet, who hails from Mumbai and had been in Gujarat for about two years during his MBA days and then for his first job, is all praise for the city and the state of Gujarat. He shared some facts which made me ponder over further. He referred to a survey which suggested 60% of the families in Vadodara have one or more members living abroad, mostly in US and UK. The foreign exchange money stashed in banks in the city is the largest in Gujarat and to a surprisingly high level when compared to other cities, including metros. 


A look around the city will tell you that it is by no means a small town. The City has all the major Indian and international brands and outlets of food, clothing and accessories. In fact, what caught my attention on my first visit last month were the Autos and the traffic circles. Let’s first talk about Autos - they all seem to be competing with each other for the best interior. You will find really good looking autos – many having picturesque landscapes, posters of popular film stars, colorful and comfortable upholstery. The luxury in auto is not only extended to passengers; even drivers have very well made support for their backs. 


You must be thinking that these auto drivers must be making merry on the road. Let me tell you something here, the diameter of the city is just 14 kms, a fact I attribute to mu colleague Ameet and further validated by our chauffer. One can cover the city end-to-end in 30mins or even lesser. The autos run by meter and will charge you Rs.11/- if the meter showed Rs. 11/-. Isn’t it all amazing?


Now, coming to the traffic circles, every circle you pass by has a unique architecture. Some circles have interesting statues; some having a scene depicted of an incident of historical significance; and some will be as innovative as boundaries, in other words queue managers, made in shape of power transmission towers.


I had only heard about how revered Mr. Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat, is in the state. A past few visits to Vadodara has given me enough reasons to believe that the affection towards the CM is justifiable. Among all the small cities and towns I have travelled till date I rate Vadodara very high on various parameters. I only wish the city had a night life. It gets very hard to find food joints open after 11:30pm.