Noted travel writer Inder Raj Ahluwalia visits Khalsa College

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 4

In a world crowded with Insta-travel bloggers, Inder Raj Ahluwalia comes as a relief, among the rare documentarian, who has been trotting the globe for almost four decades. The famous travel journalist, a recipient of the Mark Twain Travel Journalism award, and an author visited the historic Khalsa College for a brief discussion and shared the experiences of his latest book, ‘The blessings seeker’.

`Blessings Seeker’ is a compilation of the historic gurdwaras in Punjab and primarily North India, which he dedicated to the 550th Parkash Gurpurb (birth anniversary) of Guru Nanak Dev. The book documents the historic gurdwaras in and around Amritsar, Anandpur Sahib, Ponta Sahib, Amb Shaid, Patna Sahib and in Mathura and adjoining areas. The book took almost four years to come into shape.

Based in Delhi, Ahluwalia said the tourism sector was the most upcoming field in the world and India’s economy could take a fillip if the focus was diverted to explore the potential of tourism in the country. He said his main focus was writing on travel, tourism, hospitality, food, lifestyle and aviation for the past 40 years and he travelled to more than 50 countries.

“My first love is travel, apart from propagation of the Sikh religion and philosophy. I have contributed over 3000 features and articles, published in leading international and Indian newspapers and magazines,” he said. Travelling and gathering stories all along his 35-odd years into the profession, Ahluwalia has an unending trail of interesting tales and anecdotes. Some of them he compiled in his three books ‘Meet at the Border’, ‘Travel with Turban’ and `The Sikh in Snow’, which had been received well internationally.

His extensive travel stories in Switzerland and France earned him the prestigious Medaille d’Or du Tourisme (Gold Medal of Tourism) by the French Tourism Ministry, for exceptionally brilliant and comprehensive writing on France. He is nominated to the Singapore Tourism Board and his writings were also recognized by Malaysia.

“Wherever I went, I received respect and honour due to my turban,” he said, adding that he travelled to remote South African lands and Europe’s outlands but found no problem of facing any discrimination due to his turban.