When Sector 17 memories brought cheer to evenings in Kashmir

My favourite memory of Sector 17 was that it was a place of bright lights and wide avenues with inviting showrooms. This memory always brought me cheer during the bleak winter evenings when we returned to Kashmir Valley.

We had lived in Chandigarh for a few years when my father attended a professional course at the PGI.

The City Beautiful had the vibe of a thriving metropolis and Sector 17 was its heart. To my naive eyes, it was the Manhattan of the North. All minor celebrations, all professional victories were celebrated at the Indian Coffee Shop there.

Some years later, I had to visit Shimla. A stopover at Sector 17 was but mandatory. I was reminded of the melodious voices of Kishore Kumar emanating from Deepak Radios, and Peter Andre and Jennifer Lopez from Planet M, because many happy hours had been spent in these shops as a teenager, buying CDs or simply soaking in the environment.

Window shopping, gazing at the beautiful clothes, standing in queue to enter the Trendsetters and promising myself that one day in future I will shop at the Gulati's with my own money — all comes rushing back whenever I visit Sector 17.

Till date no visit to Chandigarh is complete without a trip to my favourite haunt, just to relive those nostalgic memories — of having piping hot cutlets, masala popcorn and the twin softy, poring over books at Capital Book Depot. Sector 17 remains an iconic landmark of the city. For me it is the meadow of memories where pearls from the sub-conscious mind resurface to make my evenings memorable.

Dr Shruti Anand, Hamirpur