Amritsar — a city of narrow lanes and big hearts

With its bustling bazaars and miscellany of old architectural houses, Amritsar is a city with narrow lanes but big hearts, always ready to embrace you with its warmth and hospitality, even when you might not have anything to offer in return.

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Often considered as the cultural heart of Punjab due to its history of Partition and Sikh religion, in this holy city love gets redefined in terms of consistent selflessness and service, constantly discarding discourses of cultural divide and hatred.

Having recently moved here, this city, brimming with tourists, holds a symbiotic relationship with people. On the one hand, it inspires them with its painful but courageous history of Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Partition and sacrifices of the Sikh Gurus, and on the other, it charms them with its robust local cuisine and vibrant colours of tradition, transporting them into a cultural paradise of pluralism and diversity.

Ashima Gupta, Amritsar