A tribute to Amritsar
June 14, 2006 | Filed Under Travel
I have this site for quite some time now and I didn’t want to start off with a random post. I have been going through a patch of writers’ block and writing is not coming to me as easily as it once did.
Last year me and Sidd had gone to a trip to Delhi – Dharamsala – Palampur – Amritsar. While all four places have their unique memories for me. Off late I have been remembering the Amritsar part a lot. We were in Amritsar barely for half a day, but the kind of surge of emotions that I went through in that short time is still very vivid in my mind.
The morning at Palampur
We planned to start off from Palampur early morning, take a bus that arrived early in the morning just outside the hotel gate and take it all the way to Amritsar. God had other plans though. Since the time we got up that day, it was raining very heavily. So heavy that the brief walk till the gates of the hotel would completely drench us, and it was the kind of rain that didn’t show any signs stopping. The bus was a passing-by bus and we were not sure at the time it would arrive. There seemed no point in going till the gate and be drenched in the rain till the bus came. Me and Sidd, did a quick calculation of the money we had and realised that we could afford a cab till Pathankot and then a cheap bus ride to Amritsar. The ride from Palampur to Amritsar was one of the most scenic ones I have ever been on. Tea gardens, flowing water, mountains, and lots of greenery. The man who was driving us was an absolutely amazing person. People of Himachal are very helpful and sweet and treat you like you are their guest, we felt special throughout the trip.
There was this guy at a small tea-shop at Palampur, whom we asked if he knew any ‘hire a taxi person’ who could take us around the place. The tea-shop owner said he would do it himself. He would shut his shop the next day and take us around in his car. His car was a dilapidated Fiat and he wasn’t sure if it was working either. It was funny, sweet and scary all at the same time.
It was raining all the while on the drive from Palampur to Pathankot, it got a bit cold and then we realised that we all needed to pee. So we decided to stop, and it was probably the most scenic peeing spot in the world.
Pathankot to Amritsar
Our real journey started from Pathankot. Our cab driver dropped us at a bus-stop, where we got a bus to Amritsar almost immediately. But we didn’t take a very good bus. In fact that is an under-statement, the bus ride was quite scary. Firstly, it was one of those buses that takes long halts at bus-stations and where the drive itself is shorter than the halts calculated cumulatively. Secondly the bus was one of the low-end state transport buses and although at first it seems largely empty as the stops keep coming it gets more and more crowded than a bombay local train in peak hours. There is no space for luggage really, so u had to keep all you had on your lap or your feet. Sidd has a short built and it may not have been as uncomfortable for him as it was for me – a 6 foot long mass of 100 kgs. And thirdly – the scary part – the Sardarji who was driving the bus had an obsessive compulsory disorder of driving on the wrong-side of a national highway. He probably was America returned, but if you are sitting right behind him and watching vehicles come straight at you and he only turning at the very last moment, it can get very scary.
The good part of the journey was that we saw a bit of Punjab, driving through the small towns. We travelled on the Grand-Trunk road, a road that connects Karachi to Kolkata, so much history that road probably has. Sidd is the informed one amongst the two of us, being the avid quizzer and all, he would tell me about things and it was good to hear so much information and if you get bored you automatically go to sleep. Another good thing about the bus was that it was a cheap ride. I think just about 100 Rs for the two of us. In retrospect it was fun.
What a welcome to Amritsar!
At Amritsar, Akash’s in-laws were going to help us plan our itinerary. Akash is an ex-colleague of Sidd and his wife’s family have the most lovable people. As soon as we reached Amritsar they picked us up from a bus-station. (Amritsar was extremely hot, and it was an atmosphere shock for me coming from Palampur to Amritsar.) They took us home, they switched on AC, gave us delicous food, told us what the plan was and said how it was all going to work out.
Wagah Border
We were in Amritsar coz Sidd wanted to see the Wagah border ceremony, so the primary aim was to get there at the time of sunset and see the removing of flags and closing of gates of India and Pakistan. Everything else to be done in Amritsar was secondary. Aunty told us that if we could have come a little early we could have gone to the Golden temple and Jalianwala bagh before we went to Wagah as Golden temple has its unique charm during daylight as well as during the night and the Jalianwala Bagh is closed for visitors after 7.30 (not sure). That meant we were going to miss seeing the Jalianwala Bagh. I felt a little disappointed.
We just handed ourselves to the loving care of our hosts and let them decide everything for us. Uncle and his daughter first drove us to see the Wagah border, it takes about 45 minutes to reach the border. It’s quite a spectacle to see. Two countries making a show of their ego, it’s quite awe-inspiring. It was nice to see that everyone present there was caught up in this fervour of jingoism and we all were equally bull-headed and silly. I wonder how the show keeps going on every day and how no one gets tired. I shall blame it on our value system. But the drama and melodrama is worth a watch. I would rate it a 4/5. Sidd had happily filmed the entire thing, the reason he had bought the camera for. But it was far from being the high-point of amritsar, leave alone it being the highlight of the trip.
The Temple with a heart of gold
We were then taken back to the house where aunty had kept some snacks ready for us. Aunty like all Indian mothers thought we young boys would like to gorge on food. WHile both me and Sidd kept light when we traveled, though that day we couldn’t refuse. The food was very tasty and it was home food after 7 days. We were then taken to the Golden Temple. We didn’t have too much time though, we had to quickly go inside and come out as we had a train to catch and there was also a little time kept aside to eat dinner. We went inside the temple, and there was a unique energy inside, a peace probably that couldn’t be described with words. I guess it was the energy that emanated because of people’s belief in God. We couldn’t go inside the main temple as there was long line and prayers were going on inside. We drank water, sweet water that one gets inside the temple, am sure there is a story to it. When we came out a group of small kids surrounded us and started asking for alms. In return of which they said they would pray that we get Skoda Octavias and Mercedes Benz. Well I gave the kid some money for his novel way of asking money and for still having God in my thoughts.
Will we miss the train?
On our way back the car broke down, we had to take cycle-rickshaws home to collect our bags and rush to the station it was getting late and we could possibly miss the train. We reached and the dinner was packed for us. Without which we would not have been able to leave Amritsar. Since the car had broken down, aunty’s brother was called with his car and asked to drop is to the station. We profusedly thanked everyone for all they had done for us. And yes I still fondly remember them.
We got the train. And we sat and ate the lovely chicken curry inside the train. And while I was in the train, I was thinking to myself as to how people to whom we were strangers went out of their way to make us comfortable in their city. And how it was so oppositte of what we saw at Wagah Border.
It was a trip of beautiful places, beautiful food and beautiful people. What else is there to life?
(Photo Credits – Siddhartha Sinharay)
If you want to hire a cab in Palampur. Here’s the number and address of a very nice driver.
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5 Responses to “A tribute to Amritsar”
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Was wondering where you’d disappeared…….
I went back to your old blog to read the early bits of this travellogue and re-read so many other posts…..I’ve missed your writing
Good to see you back!
-Sana.
Thanks, for sharing with us your experience. It is incredible how strangers in our country, can become friends for life in seconds of knowing them. We are programmed as a nation to make friends, no matter where we are. I had a man in a shop in Goa give me his bicycle for three days, and not once did he ask me, which hotel did i live in. The implicit trust and faith of the people must be celebrated.
Wow, you’ve been gallavanting! Good to see you here!
Hi sheece-was wondering where u had vanished
I have some fond memories of Palampur
It is a fantabulous place.
Keep blogging…