Was in Rajkot from 16-18 June and quite disappointed with the architecture – or lack of it. Expected to see beautiful Havelis and old style houses but my hopes were dashed on the concrete boxes that have sprung up like weeds in an unkempt garden.

On a single trip to the town of Wankaner I didn’t get an opportunity to visit the old Palace – it was undergoing repairs for the damage suffered during the terrible earthquake of 26 January 2001 – our first Republic Day in the new millennium. I’m talking about the real start of the 21st century and not Y2K. I hope there isn’t still some confusion about that!

On a personal note, I took the monsoon there with me. It poured cats and dogs (and fish and frogs) in Rajkot – an area that suffers from almost perennial drought. I hadn’t even carried an umbrella and I encountered low-level flooding on the streets!