Vipul Valand

My name is Vipul Valand and I stay in Ognaj. It’s a bit outside the main Ahmedabad city, more toward the Daskoi side. My place is A-2 in Brahmani Nagar Society. It’s quieter out here compared to the city center, which I like. You get more space to breathe. The air feels a bit different than the dusty city. I’ve been here for a while, and most people in the village know each other by name. It’s the kind of place where you can’t walk down the street without saying hello to five people or stopping for a quick chat about the weather. My work happens right from my home. I don't see the point in commuting hours every day through the traffic. The society is peaceful, except for the occasional wedding or festival celebration that goes late into the night. I’ve set up a small area to handle my daily business. It’s got everything I need like my desk and some old filing cabinets. Sometimes the internet is a bit slow when it rains, but we manage. I spend my mornings checking on things and then usually have a long break in the afternoon when it gets too hot. People come by the house if they need anything. We don’t have a big receptionist or a waiting room with magazines. You just walk in and we talk. It’s a very local way of doing things. Ognaj is developing, though. New buildings are going up everywhere. But Brahmani Nagar still feels like the old days. I plan to stay here.