About Surat, India
- Surat is one of the fastest growing cities in India. Economic data places Surat at the very top of the fastest growing cities in India, with an annualized growth rate of 11.5% over the last 7 years. Located on the west coast of India, about 300 kilometers north of Mumbai (aka "Bombay") and almost an equal distance (273 km to be precise) south of Ahmedabad, the city is known for its diamond trade and textile industry. Population: 4 million (2nd largest city in Gujarat state, 9th largest in India)
- An airport for Surat!: Ironically, the fastest growing city in India had to go through a long struggle to get an airport. The Surat airport (STV), when it did finally take shape, belied the stature of the city and its economy. The fourth airport in Gujarat is limited to 3 destinations— New Delhi, Jaipur, and Kandla; has no mass transit connections, nor any connecting flights from Mumbai (BOM), the international hub on the west coast. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is yet to update its map to provide an indication of the city having an airport!
First international chartered flight to land at Magdalla airport
Update: With Surat airport getting its first international chartered flight, can scheduled international flights be far behind? Although Mumbai's cool and all, the 4-6 hour road trip to/from Mumbai (which can easily stretch out to be much longer... ) simply to catch an international flight can be such a drag!
Yes, there's a Surat group on Facebook, with about 220 members when this link was added. Go SURATIS!. [Update: The Facebook group has grown to a whopping 2003 members as of September 10th - almost a 10-fold increase in a very short time!] 
| Dying for a Surat darshan?: Gotta love this way cool tour of Surat on YouTube! This will make you feel so into it, with funky music transitions to boot! :) Meanwhile, we'll continue the quest for cool videos from Surat!- More about Surat, India, on Wikipedia
- TIME magazine on Surat's diamond industry: "Uncommon Brilliance"
- Surat Municipal Corporation
- Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- If you're in SoCal (Southern California), you've probably enjoyed fine farsan at Surati Farsan Mart in Artesia. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to have a NorCal equivalent, but you can order online. Dulhan Grocery in Fremont does have some yummy khaman, and other great stuff!
Elsewhere in the world...
- Another place called Surat? Yes— Thailand has a province called Surat Thani. More on Wikipedia
Enquiries: info at surat dot com
