If there is an Indianised version of Mills and Boon, I am pretty sure
that the plot unfolds in the midst of Punjab’s ‘sarson ke khet’! But then what
is Yash Raj Films if nothing but a symbol of the Indianized Mills and Boon?
You know where I am going with this.
Yes, I am thinking of DDLJ – my first visual on and of all things
Punjab that was partially successful in overwriting the images of
Green-Revolution-Punjab that my school text books had impressed upon me.
But that was when I was in school. A really long time ago. Prior to
this unspoken challenge I have now on going with myself: to visit each of
India’s 29 states by my 29th year – which by the way I’m already
losing unless my north east India trip finds itself a sponsor!
But it’s this same challenge that brought Punjab back to the fore for
me.
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The Golden Temple at sunset | Amritsar, Punjab (April 2016) |
There are places that people sometimes presume you’ve definitely
travelled to. Because, well, you are a traveller!
But then you haven’t and it causes eyebrows to disappear into
foreheads.
Hampi was one such place.
Amritsar was another.
There are more. *draws out plans for Pondicherry*
But I digress.
Amritsar
I’ve missed two boats to this one in the past. So the third time
opportunity came knocking, I grabbed it (and took a train instead
#ExcuseTheLameJoke)
Amritsar
Historically speaking, because of the Jallianwala Baug massacre.
This remains a blot in the annals of history for the mass slaughter of weapon-less protestors during the pre-independent India era. 97 years later walking through the same premises was an eerie reminder of how much we’ve taken our freedom and independence for granted while further perverting it.
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Bullet holes in the wall dating back to 1909 | Jallianwalla Baug massacre | Amritsar, Punjab (April 2016) |
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Walls and windows stand by today as they did then | Jallianwalla Baug massacre | Amritsar, Punjab (April 2016) |
Amritsar
Culturally speaking, because of The Golden Temple.
But when I finally stood within its premises, I recall my allure towards it seeming misplaced. I experienced calm. In spite of the throngs around me. The last time something like this happened I was at
Bodh Gaya in Bihar.
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Where sacredness and sanctity meet | The Golden Temple | Amritsar, Punjab (April 2016) |
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Sitting by the Golden Temple at dusk as the lights start to come on | Amritsar, Punjab (April 2016) |
Amritsar
Politically speaking, because of the Wagah border.
But I watched as armies from both sides engaged with each other in a boisterous display of aggression for the audience – not before I also witnessed the audience themselves display a Bollywood brand of patriotism (also known as people grooving to the tunes of Chak De and Jai Ho while waving the Indian flag).
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That being this close to one of the most tenuous borders known - Wagah | Punjab (April 2016) |
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The throngs at Wagah displaying the Bollywood brand of patriotism | Punjab (April 2016) |
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The parade itself and the lowering of the flags on either side of the border at sunset | Wagah, Punjab (April 2016) |
But Amritsar was more than that for me.
It was about farm-stays and fields of wheat
Sure my ancestral house back at my own native town was right in the midst of a field alongside a river, but I was ecstatic about a farm-stay experience on the outskirts of Amritsar city.
Virasat Haveli was a far more enhanced version of my ancestral home no doubt but it certainly kept us close to the natural environs. Our two night stay was not without a tractor ride around the property, numerous moments spent gazing directly into the fields of wheat and live bhagra-gidda performances in the evenings.
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The farm-stay : Virasat Haveli | Amristsar, Punjab (April 2016) |
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Of wheat and fields of wheat | Amritsar, Punjab (April 2016) |
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Of wheat and fields of wheat | Amritsar, Punjab (April 2016) |
Amritsar was about chopdi parathas, chole and lassi
Were it not for the obstinance of my friend, the rest of us would have
been mostly content without ever wiping plates clean at Kesar Da Dhaba or
chugging tumblers of milk cream thick lassi at Ahuja’s. No matter how hard
pressed for time, never underestimate what savouring local food off the streets
can do for your well-being!
*Sorry no photographs because well, it's food ;-)*
But mostly it was about the people.
People I met in the train. People I met while walking around the
village. People everywhere who were willing to share something about them. It’s
moments like these than enrich my travel experiences.
I’ll let the following photo posts do the remainder of the talking.