Indian Institute Of Technology, Gandhinagar

We spend most of our days out here in Palaj. It’s a bit out of the way from the main city, which makes things quiet most of the time. We have the Sabarmati river nearby, and you can usually see it if you walk far enough toward the edge of the grounds. The buildings are relatively new, made with a lot of brick, and they get quite hot in the summer months. Most of us just try to find some shade under the trees when we aren't inside working on something. There are a few small shops around for tea and snacks, but not much else in the immediate area. It's a long commute if you live in Ahmedabad, so a lot of people just stay here on site in the housing provided. The dust can get everywhere when the wind picks up, especially during the dry season when everything is parched. We see a few peacocks running around the gardens early in the morning before it gets too loud. Sometimes the internet is a bit slow in certain corners of the labs, but we manage to get things done eventually. It feels like a small village of its own once you get settled into the routine. We don't have fancy malls nearby, so we just make do with whatever we have here. It’s mostly just students and faculty walking around with backpacks, looking a bit tired but keeping busy. Life moves at its own pace in this part of Gandhinagar. We just go about our business day by day.