Travel

Going Home

by RUPINDER KAUR DIGWA

 

 

What do holidays mean to you?

For me it was the chance to return to the place where my grandparents were born and grew up. It's where my religion, Sikhism, started out. It was a journey that showed me the importance of cultural identity, the sacrifices that people made that enabled me to see the real Punjab and India.

Think India and images from Slum Dog Millionaire probably come to mind:– a diverse mixture of extreme poverty, shanty towns and rich fabrics. But amongst all the poverty, India is a country that brings light to the soul. The beauty of Punjab's cities and its people is a real escapism from the hectic ways of life.

We landed at the New Dehli airport around 3 am.

We followed signs for customs to get our passports stamped. A stern looking man sat behind the desk. "Next!"” he said, as he slammed my passport down. I was hoping for a “welcome to India and a "How was your journey?"” or at least a smile. 

The air smelt like a bonfire. We were looking hrough rows of people to see our relatives whom I had seen from only photographs. Bebe ji, my grandma's sister, and her husband were supposed to collect us from the airport. People were shouting and waving signs. They would stare at every 'foreigner' who walked through, as if they were aliens. I was surprised they could tell that we were the 'angrejhees' -  the English.

Bebe ji greeted us with garlands made out of pink carnation flowers.

The hotel where we stayed for most of our holiday was in the heart of the city centre. It was opposite a cinema. There were also dhabhas - small food stalls - selling paraunthas, samosas and aaloo tikkis. There were also a McDonald's, KFC, and Pizza Hut nearby, in case we missed food from back home.

Though the experience in the local McDonald's was somewhat different to that in the U.K. They do not sell beef or pork that are prohibited by the Hindu and Muslim religions, respectively. [But then, shouldn't they have a McDonalds's for Sikhs?] Only the wealthy, mostly families and the young and educated were allowed to eat and work there. A security guard stood at the entrance making sure the restaurant maintained its standards.

The next day we hit the main shopping market. Tilak Nagar is a 15-minute scooter-rickshaw ride from the hotel. It was a sea of colours - red, green, yellow, purple, orange - you name it, it was there. The handmade stitching was even more striking - jerkins with diamond-like stones, sequins ... I wanted to buy everything.

Though the constant hassling from shop keepers was getting annoying.“ "English Madam, look beautiful ... only 700 rupee!"

However, their customer service skills were fantastic. They would order you a drink, have knowledge of every single item they sold. They would even make you stand on a cushion which was positioned right under a light, switch the fan on, “smile .."Beautiful, absolutely beautiful!". Okay, they wanted me to spend my money but it made shopping even more worth it.

Having spent most of the morning shopping, we finally stopped for some lunch at a restaurant. The mixture of spices smelled so good. They served a range of authentic Punjabi savoury and sweet foods. I ordered the popular classic channa bhatura, which is chick peas marinated in sauce, with a blend of mouth watering spices, served with the bhatura, which is a seasoned fried chapatti. And I had the scrumptious gulab jamun for dessert.

The next few days were spent visiting other major cities. Our first stop was Jaipur, a main tourist attraction. The architecture of the buildings was mesmerizing. My favourite had to be Hawa-Mahal built in the 18th century by Maharaja Pratap Singh. It is a pink sandstone structure which is five stories high. It is covered with little windows with lace screens to let the wind blow through the passages, which is why it's been given the name 'hawa' which means wind. It served as a grandstand for the royal ladies.

We also visited the captivating city palace. The design of the architecture was a mixture of Rajasthani and Mughal style. The interior was coated with little mirrors. When the hall way is closed it creates a large diamond shape. The palace was built by Raja Sawa Singh - it was used to serve the royal guests. Jaipur  was definitely a city which had great beauty and a strong cultural history which still remains today. The traditional Rajasthani clothing was most prominent. It was an extraordinary feature of the land.

Our final trip was to Amritsar in the Punjab to visit Harmandar Sahib, 'The Golden Temple'. This had to be my most special and memorable experience of our trip to India.

It gave me a real understanding of my cultural and religious roots. Visiting Harmandar Sahib is  important - all Sikhs should do it. Amritsar is a sacred city to Sikhs not only because of the Golden Temple, but the fact that Sikh identity began here. The construction of the building began in 1574 by the fourth Sikh Guru, Ram Das. In the 1800s, Maharaja Ranjit Singh contributed the gold and the marble work.

However, over the years Sikhs have fought and sacrificed their lives defending against Moghul and Afghan invaders who have tried to destroy the temple. In more recent times, during the 1984 Blue Star attack, orders were given to the Indian army to take tanks in and fire at the pilgrims. Many parts of the building were destroyed and thousands of innocent Sikh men, women and children were killed by evil Mrs. Gandhi's troops.

Harmandar Sahib is still a peaceful and safe place to visit. It welcomes people from all religions, creeds and cultures. As soon as I entered, I felt an instant warm feeling inside. It was breath-taking! The golden shrine glistened and reflected on the pool of nectar. Beautiful hymns rang through my ears and I could smell 'langar' - the food being being prepared in the communirty kitchen.

It was a magical moment.

I was at peace.

 

[Rupinder is a student journalist at Southampton Solent University.]

[Courtesy: The Mail]

March 22, 2010

 

 

 

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