The Calico Mills was one of Ahmedabad’s earliest textile mills established in 1880. It closed in 1998 and a public auction in 2010 saw the land, plant and machinery sold. For half a century, under the stewardship of Ambalal Sarabhai, the Calico Mills became one of the most modern and extensively diversified pacesetters of the Indian cotton industry. Calico was the first Indian mill to give shareholders cloth at concessional rates. It was the first Indian textile mill to make cotton sewing thread, and later 100% synthetic sewing thread.