12 Hours in Amritsar

Amritsar is a place which beckons a person to explore his/her own spiritual self. It amplifies with the underlying aura of the best Punjabi street food and the sense of national pride. And for me, it stayed true to its name.

College days are those times where one has a lot of time but not enough money to enjoy that time. We have heard this so many times. But let me tell you the bitter truth behind this and how it changed this trip by 180°.

A trip that was being planned for 2 people suddenly grew and in the end, there were 10 of us going on this trip. This is basically what happens when you discuss your plans in front of friends.

We spent total 3 days in traveling- to and fro. Accordingly, we got only 12 hours to spend in Amritsar itself. A stupid plan- I know, but I was ready to spend as less as I could just to visit Amritsar. And that’s what we all did. Just like the maxim goes,’To gain something you have to lose something’.

Our train journey was tiring without a doubt but it was all brushed off due to our togetherness. We wouldn’t have enjoyed such an enduring journey if we all weren’t together. That is the kind of magic possible when you have friends with you!

Upon reaching Amritsar we all sat in a tuk-tuk (it could accommodate all of us) and went to pay our respects at the Golden Temple. It was quite a walk until we reached the temple. But the road didn’t bore or tire us even with the sun over our heads. On both the sides of the pathway, there were numerous shops selling dupattas, dresses, kirpan, small figurines of golden temple etc., many restaurants offering the sweet aroma of butter, selling lassis, softy in cones and so much more. It was a city in itself. On top of that, there were Sardars who were handing out drinking water in bowls to pedestrians so that they didn’t dehydrate themselves. That is what I love about Punjabi’s, they have a very big heart and are ready to serve other people without caring for themselves!

Out of respect and devotion, you should never enter a holy place without performing ablutions on yourself. And as we weren’t getting any rooms in the Dharamshala’s situated on the backside of the Golden Temple ( Dussehra festival was going on and it was overbooked) we decided to wash in the public washrooms provided at the temple. And it was one hell of an experience. Waiting in queue for others to get done with their rituals and accidentally encountering unspeakable scenes. As the washrooms all over India are infamous for being dirty and under poor conditions these surprised us by being uber clean and quite satisfying. It felt like home, literally.

As you enter a Gurudwara it’s a tradition to cover your head with any piece of cloth out of respect and wash your feet before you put your first step inside the gurudwara. And the moment we did, in front of eyes was the mighty structure of the Golden Temple. The temple got its name as it is entirely covered in gold foil.

We were quite famished so instead of seeking blessings from the Adi Granth we headed towards the langar. Langar is basically a free Sikh community run kitchen, that serves vegetarian food to everyone without any discrimination. As we sat down to have food we were served a very simple but equally delicious platter which consisted of two different dals, rice, roti and kheer. We never had such tasteful free food in our lives. Here, at the langar one can volunteer to help serve, cook or clean up the dishes if that is something you are into. As we had limited time we didn’t get to volunteer. But it is an experience in itself to be able to do something for the masses.

And then obediently we stood in the long line to acquire blessings and pray for our wishes and well being to the Guru Granth Sahib. It is a religious scripture which is looked upon by the Sikhs. Once we were done with the darshan we left for Jallianwala Bagh which was along those tiled pathways outside the Golden Temple. Jallianwala Bagh is a place where hundreds of innocent people were ambushed and massacred by General Dyer of the British Army. And this contributed as one of the factors that ended the British rule in India.

Later on, we girls shopped to our heart’s content while the boys lazed around or asked for our help in choosing the perfect gift to take back home. I don’t know how, but girls always know first hand what to buy, how to bargain and so on and so forth. Must be that it runs in our blood, passed on from generations of intellectual women.And Amritsar is galore for such pretty dresses, dupattas, juttis and everything beautiful.

Apart from being a shopping paradise, it is celebrated for the exquisite cuisine it has to offer- all from the buttered laccha paranthas to hot piping jalebis. Served on the roadside thelas, it is without any doubt on top of a food lover’s list. And just like that, we stuffed ourselves, gorging on all these feasts. And we were more than satisfied as we had already crossed the thin line between being full and overeating. But in my defense, it is quite thin.

As we filled our eyes with the last glimpse of the Golden Temple shimmering like a bride about be married, its glory stayed etched in our minds with a goal of staying there forever! Due to the time crunch, we weren’t even able to visit the Pak – Indo border – the Wagah Border to witness the lowering of the flags. But if you do visit Amritsar it should be a must on your to-do list.

Subsequently, we caught our 9 pm train back to our hometown. And this is where the trip took a complete U-turn for me. I was quite happy and fulfilled with the successful holiday, but then my world stopped when I woke up the next day and found my mobile missing.

The previous day everyone was talking about taking care of personal belongings as Delhi was known for thefts. I had disregarded it and had kept my mobile under my head while sleeping on the lower berth. And then in the morning, I was completely devasted as I had not just lost my mobile but even all my content, photos, and work. We sought help from the police on duty on the train, but they weren’t ready to file the FIR. And that’s when the TC suggested that we take this matter to twitter and it gave us instant results. They signed the FIR when they were pressurized from above.

So a trip that was supposed to be affordable became my most expensive trip ever. If I go to see, I always learn something new from all my travels and this one stood out on the list. It taught me to listen to people, however irrelevant they might seem and to always trust instincts however trivial they might seem. I did lose my mobile but I gained a very important lesson and I am grateful for that.

My Amritsar vlog :