Amritsar Through my Eyes 🛕

November 18, 2021

4:30 pm, in the train

We’re on board our train to Amritsar after an eventful 30 minutes with running, praying and adrenaline rushing through our veins. We look for our seats and settle down, grateful that we made it in time. I spend the six-hour-long journey playing Atlas, eating snacks, singing and listening to songs, eating some more and binging Netflix. I enjoy the journey, and find out that Aamir Khan is right when he says, “Yun hi kat jayega safar saath chalne se”!

10:30 pm, Amritsar

We’ve reached our destination. We climb into a cab and soak the scenery in. Amritsar seems to be a warm and welcoming city. After checking into the hotel, I grab a copy of a Punjabi newspaper and try to guess the news by looking at the pictures. Looking at characters you can’t read really fills you with a sense of sonder. Exhausted after a long journey, we go to bed. It’s already past midnight and I fall asleep before my head hits the pillow.

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November 19, 2021 4:30 am, the Golden Temple

Here I am, up again! It’s Guru Purab, and we want to visit the Golden Temple early in the morning to avoid a large crowd. I’m excited (and half asleep) and quickly get ready. We get an auto-rickshaw and are dropped off near the Golden Temple. It’s pretty cold, and after the ride, I’m wide awake. We still need to walk a little before we reach Harmandir Saheb. The market near the place is spotted with majestic statues and neat, cute little shops that sell souvenirs, Phulkari suits, kadhas, food and anything and everything in between. Most of them aren’t open yet.

Just outside the main entrance, we remove our shoes, wash our feet and enter. The Golden Temple is… breathtakingly beautiful. It’s still dark and the Spiritual Centre of the World is lit up. The water of the holy Sarovar reflects the temple and with it the belief and dreams of a million people. We complete the darshan, revel in the peace and tranquillity of the place and have the delicious prasad. The Sun has risen by now, and more and more people are reaching there. Seeing thousands of people chant ‘Wahe Guru’ in unison gives me goose bumps. None of them is impatient or in a hurry for the darshan. They’d wait for as long as needed with a smile. You can really feel the love and good vibes at the place.

8:00 am: Breakfast time!

We have a delicious meal, with the food ranging from local delicacies to continental dishes. We decide to rest for a while before being on the go again (but only because tourist spots open around eleven-ish)

10:30 am, Jallianwala Bagh

The next place on the list is Jallianwala Bagh. We enter to the sound of some peaceful patriotic music. It’s hard to believe that a hundred and two years ago, innocent people were shot at this place.... people like you and me. Humming to ‘Saare Jahan se Achha’, I look around. I observe the bullet marks and the square that said ‘People were Shot at from Here’. We go to the galleries and see statues, paintings, newspaper clippings and informative movies. The whole experience, and thinking about the sacrifices made by our freedom fighters makes me value the independence of our country even more.

1:45 pm, Lunch

We decide to have lunch at a popular local restaurant, Brothers’ Dhabha. The food in Amritsar is delicious and the people, caring. It’s a wonderful place to visit. After eating, we roam around the market for some time and then leave for the Wagah Border. The prospect of seeing the amazing parade I’ve heard of so often gives me butterflies in my stomach.

4:30 pm, Wagah Border

The atmosphere at the Wagah Border is electric. There’s patriotism in the air, and hearing everyone chant, ‘Vande Matram!’, ‘Jai Hind!’ and ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai!’ gives you a moving sense of unity. You can see the flag of India against the orange sky, fluttering gracefully. As the sun sets, the iron gates at the border are opened and a well-coordinated parade follows. The flags of India and Pakistan are lowered simultaneously. The flags are folded respectfully and the ceremony ends with a retreat that involves a brusque handshake between soldiers from either side, followed by the closing of the gates again.

Observing our soldiers march with confidence fills our hearts with pride. Words are not enough to describe how I felt at the Wagah Border. You need to be there to understand.

7:00 pm, Sadda Pind

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to travel back in time? Well, we go to Sadda Pind next, and it was like we have turned the clock back! The place truly reflects the colourful culture of Punjab. It is made to look like a village of the 1950’s, complete with the houses of the Sarpanch, Daarji, Vaidji, Potter, delicious food (tea, saag, gulab jabun, chhole-matthi- you name it, they have it) and traditional music. The place has posters of old movies and homes with all the old-time furniture. It is fascinating. We also enjoy fun games and rides, and buy cute souvenirs. It is a day well spent at a wonderful, wonderful place.

(Click the little black arrow to see more pictures 😉)

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November 20, 2021

We start with another early morning visit to the Golden Temple (we just can’t get enough of it) and then spend the rest of the day shopping. There are beautiful Phulkari chunnis, suits and juttis here. After spending some more time in city, we get ready for our train. We smile and say Goodbye and Thank You to Amritsar… Till the next time.

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Lots of Love

Goohika ✨