Anand district is a compact one. Kheda lies to its north, Vadodara to the east and Ahmedabad to the west, and the Gulf of Khambhat closes it in the south. The town of Anand is the district headquarters and the base of the Kaira milk union that sells under the Amul name, and the National Dairy Development Board has its headquarters here too. The Institute of Rural Management, Anand Agricultural University and Sardar Patel University at Vallabh Vidyanagar add a steady flow of vehicles, supplies and event equipment. The district is made up of eight talukas: Anand, Anklav, Borsad, Khambhat, Petlad, Sojitra, Tarapur and Umreth.
Farm produce gives the roads their rhythm. The Charotar tract, which covers Anand and Kheda, is called the golden leaf country because of tobacco, and rice, cotton and wheat also grow on its fertile soil. Dairy collection runs through the year, and cattle feed, equipment and supplies travel the other way to the villages. Vithal Udyognagar, the industrial estate beside Vallabh Vidyanagar, fills the roads with machine parts and fabricated goods. In all this movement, a lot of equipment is not on a vehicle with an ignition wire. A trailer waiting for its load, a harvester between fields and a pump set on a farm are good examples.
Khambhat gives the district a very different side. It was once a busy port and a trading centre, and the harbour silted up over time, so trade moved to other places. Today the town is known for agate and carnelian work, for kite making, and for salt and fishing along the gulf. The gulf has some of the highest tides in the country. Goods from Khambhat go by road to Anand, Ahmedabad and Vadodara, and the town is a good example of a business that depends on small consignments, long handovers and many different drivers. Such a chain is easier to follow when the vehicle or the crate is visible on a map.
