Ahmedabad, the fifth most populous city of India is the largest city of Gujarat and its former capital with a total population of 5,50,000.The city is located at 174 feet above the sea level towards north-central part of Gujarat on the banks of the Sabarmati River. Ahmedabad functions as the headquarters of the Ahmedabad district, and also as the judicial capital of the state. Gujarati, the official and majorly spoken language of the state is written in Gujarati script, which is one of the variants of Devanagari script. The total population of the district is 7.2 million, out of which 36 percent belong to the working age group. 16 percent of the workers are engaged in the agriculture sector, 2 percent in the household industry and the bulk 82 percent are engaged in the services sector, industrial manufacturing, trade and commerce for employment. The district is famous for its garments, textile industry, gemstones and jewellery, Ahmedabad is one of the important producers of cotton and is considered the industrial and economic hub of the district. Cultivation of wheat, rice and fisheries provides employment to workers in the primary sector and contributes to the local economy. The Dharoi dam on the river Sabarmati provides continuous irrigation and is an important source of power generation. The Construction & Transportation sectors are also large employers in the region. The city is famous for its Indo Saracenic architectural style. The city played an important role in the freedom movement. After his return from South Africa in 1915, Mahatma Gandhi selected Ahmedabad for his base in India. It was here that he established the Sabarmati Harijan Ashram from where most of the events of the national movement were directed and formulated. The famous Dandi March/ Salt Satyagrah started from here in 1930.
