INDIA BEGINS HERE...!!!

                                                                                          The Golden Temple

                                                                                                                                    By Vaish & Amu

  It’s really good to be back here and if you’ve been here before, it’s always a pleasure to have you back!

This time, it was towards the north that our curiosity had taken us, towards the land that may have the most happening and courteous people, full of energy and also devotion to the fullest, PUNJAB! The name itself brings many different pictures to your mind, the temples, gurudwaras, Wagha / Attari border, the people there, Clubs and pubs for Entertainment and many more. The tour had started on 19^th September 2019 from Mumbai Airport heading straight to Amritsar from where it was supposed to begin.

As it was going to be an early departure from Pune to catch the flight scheduled from Mumbai airport, we had booked a Cab from ‘https://www.goibibo.com/’. It is obvious that early morning journey often can turn risky because one has to get rid of his most affectionate routine, his sleep, but thanks to the excitement, we didn’t sleep that night! Also, the Cab had arrived just on time, which showed https://www.goibibo.com/'s policy of commitment and timely service.

The flight took off at 11:30 hrs and we reached Amritsar airport by 14:00 Hrs.

Cruising Through The Skies

Amritsar airport is always known as one of the busiest and it was no different that day. After we got down, we quickly left for our Hotel ‘S. B. Residency’ which was 14 kms from the airport requiring a half an hour ride to reach, after which it was a quick check-in and fresh up session, and we moved out for the expedition.

CHAPTER 1: AMRITSAR CITY

That day we decided to put in ourselves in a typical Punjabi attire because it’s good to follow the local ethnicity in a particular place especially when you are a tourist! It gets you the local vibe and you feel belonged, so make sure you too follow this whenever you visit any new place, try to be one of them as much as you can, it not only feels great for sure, but also helps you to imagine yourself as a different person for a change! So we were on our way in our cab and stopped by at our first decided place –                 

Jallianwala Bagh:                                                                     

Jallianwala Bagh

The name needs no explanation as it carries a goose bumping history behind it when Brigadier-General Dyre had blocked all exits and ordered his troops to fire at the unarmed crowd of civilians assembled there, killing almost 400 people including children.

       

The place does make you emotional when you stand there imagining the situation then, it brings the actual footage of people running around to save their lives, trying to climb up the long and heighted walls, some even jumping into the well present inside just to escape the firing not realizing that death would be waiting for them there too, it must’ve been a horrifying situation then, may their souls rest in peace. 

It was tough being there but we did want to see the place and after a while we headed further to ‘Wagah – Attari border’

Wagah Border:

It was an approximate one-and-a-half-hour ride and we reached just when the sun was about to set. We were in time as we were able to witness the ‘Flag lowering ceremony’ which is performed daily by the security forces of India and Pakistan.

   

Wagah Border

I guess this day of ours automatically got dedicated to patriotism! Although we didn’t have this in our minds while planning but it turned out to be like this one! The atmosphere there was full of patriotism and love for the country, it was like a temple where you just have one thing on your mind and that’s God, similarly the crowd over there was all about devotion and pride for the country. As both the countries are involved in the ceremony, the people there who attend, always have a feeling of sportiness in them as they shout slogans for their respective countries. The intensity is always at the peak which is why not even once you find any sort of negativity around, it becomes a myth. The ceremony starts by a parade performed by the soldiers from both sides, the main attraction which we loved the most was the part of raising of legs as high as possible by the soldiers of both the countries which is described as ‘colorful’ as we got to know, and it symbolizes the rivalry and also brotherhood & Cooperation at the same time.

Watching the ceremony helps one pump in a lot of positivity within and  after that we happily marked our day as ‘well spent’.

                                                                                   The Golden Temple

On the way back it was time for some blessings from the Golden Temple. Surrounded by a small pool or Sarovar, as they call it, stands tall a structure, plated with gold which is also a nominated UNESCO World heritage site. This beautiful temple is also known as ‘The Harmandir Sahib’. The word Harmandir composes of two words: Hari – God and Mandir – a place of worship. It is open for all men and women from all walks of life. The structure is almost square in shape surrounded by the Sarovar and it also consists a Langar i.e a communal free kitchen run by the Sikh community which offers simple vegetarian meal to all the visitors free of cost.

Everyday almost 10,000 people give a visit to this holy shrine. We found the people here (all the hosts) to be very polite while interacting and also very helpful. It showed that they were there for the noble cause of serving and that is done without any discrimination or even special attention to anyone. I have always found this quality very interesting about the people of Punjab, they all are very hardworking and also at the same time they are into such acts which shows the humanity that exists in them. We were really lucky that we got to see this place and to interact with the people around. One more thing that was eye-catching was that at significant spots inside the arena of the temple, we got to see the concept of ‘wealth from waste’ like plantation done in plastic bottles and many more like these.

There was a local market close to the temple so we went there for some shopping. Specialties included clothes (‘Chunari’ being the specialty) and jewelry (Kada – a heavy bracelet normally preferred by the local people) and to some famous eateries to satiate our hunger. 

Cultured Theme

We tried out some locally famous dishes which included ‘Kulcha Paratha’, ‘Sweet Lassi’, ‘Chach (buttermilk)’, Chole bhature and many more. These are some of the ‘must try’ dishes from the land of Punjab, make sure you have them on your list. We really had a great day.

      The Delicious Kulcha

                                                CHAPTER 2 – CHANDIGARH

Journey started at 05:00 hrs in the morning when we caught a bus for Chandigarh, our next stop. The city is known internationally for its architecture and urban design as it is a pre-planned one, done during the period after independence. On our way we stopped by a ‘DHABA’ called Haveli, it was a perfectly traditional themed place where we were greeted on the entrance by the stewards in their traditional Punjabi attire, the warm welcome gave the vibe that we stopped by the right place! The atmosphere inside was lively with the Punjabi essence spread out and depicted wherever one could see, let it be the paintings on the walls, or the food and even the courtesy of the staff towards the customers, the place was perfect. It had many options of snacks, Chinese, South Indian, Punjabi etc. as we were there to sunk into the Punjabi culture, we had some yummy and lip smacking ‘Chole Bhature’ along with the ‘Punjabi lassi’, some of us decided to stick with their daily routine and preferred south indian and also sandwiches which were equally tasty.

 The journey continued further and after a 3-hour ride, we reached Chandigarh and checked into our pre-booked hotel ‘PARKVIEW.’ Why this one? Because it had got a good reputation for its service and we experienced the same as the rooms were perfectly clean and welcoming. After a good refreshment we headed our way out.

Rock garden: 

                                                                                   One Of The Sculptures

Once entered, you get to see a short film on how the park came into existence and all the other details about it. This was created by ‘Mr. Nek Chand Saini’ and the park was said to be inaugurated for public in 1976 by the government. One of the peculiarities of this place is that it was made by him in his spare time and that is why it took him almost 18 years to bring his work to existence. Spread over an area ranging around 40 acres, this garden has definitely secured a spot in the ‘must visit’ list of tourists visiting Chandigarh. It consists of various sculptures of animals, humans, some in dance steps and many more which we couldn’t even identify but they looked amazing, and they were all made out of different waste materials specially from the demolition sites, some of them which we could figure out, were glasses, broken pipes, bangles, pots etc. 

it was indeed a clever use of free time then, which was not just eco-friendly, but also it proved to be fruitful and that too to such an extent that this place today has thousands of daily visitors. One more thing which easily catches one’s attention was that the instructional boards displayed at various places inside. They had instructions in English as well as in French language which could cater for the clarity of many ‘Francophones’ as well. It took us 4 hours to take a good look and it was a treat for the eyes as such a huge area had been incorporated for the proper use of waste materials in a creative manner which makes this place so special. We enjoyed being here. It was a bit tiring, but worth.

Sukhna Lake

Further it was time for Sukhna lake, this can be said as an inseparable part of the city. It is also a sanctuary for many exotic and migratory birds as well, like the Siberian Duck, storks and cranes found here normally in the cold months of winter. This lake has been declared as a protected national wetland by the government. It was a cool place where we were able to chill out and relax for a while after all the walking done in the Rock garden. It was a good cooling down session for the mind.

Ok now, what is the most obvious thing that we tend to do whenever visit any new place? Go local shopping! Nowadays it’s cool to just ‘google’ something and find a solution within seconds but how about going old school sometimes? Pretending to not have mobile phones? Talking to local people, what is this place famous for, which is that one place that we should go empty our pockets to some extent, what are the local cuisines that we should be trying out? These are the things that ‘exploring minds’ do when they are on the run. Try it out whenever you’re out, it’s always more fun than just going all ‘technological’! 

Palika Bazaar

Palika Bazaar is where we ended up after performing the above mentioned activities! It was a huge market place located in sector 19, easily accessible by cabs / rickshaws, it was budget friendly, had varieties of things, so many that it could take the shopping ninja out of you! Numerous clothing outlets – Sarees, bridal wears, dupattas, footwear, jewelry were some of the things that attracted us as one of us was planning to get hitched very soon then, we were on the roll for spending as it was also pocket friendly at the same time. It was a 2-hour activity for the girls, ending with the boys getting the unwanted privilege of picking up the bags.

The day was about to be declared “DONE’ so it was time for some rest as for the next day, it was going to be The Lotus temple in DELHI...!!

The Lotus Temple

Situated near Nehru palace in Kalkaji we found the lotus temple to be the most secular one as it is open for all people irrespective of their castes or religion or race. Any sacred writings could be read or chanted by the visitors there. The monument is spread out in an area of 26 acres which can easily accommodate around 2000 – 2500 people. It is one its kind because of its iconic lotus shape which has helped it win many awards and recognitions. It was indeed an honor to have received a chance to be here in this masterpiece, the hall was quiet, where people were in their own personal space with their eyes closed, praying. The only thing that we would’ve wished and prayed for that time would be for this trip to not end! But being here did add to our perfect ending, it was unfortunate that we had to conclude the voyage but it was a good thing that we took the decision of being here before we depart.

Being a working professional whenever you tend to move out, mind often suffers inertia which makes it difficult to accept the fact of going back to the corporate life that goes on, but there was a satisfaction that another place had been done right and we could happily cross it off from our ‘to do’ list and we were now free to plan our next venture! Lastly, if you guys are planning trip shortly, I guess you should definitely give this place a try and visiting here in the winters would just turn out to be cherry on the cake! HAPPY TRAVELLING..!!