Sangrur: A dive into history and culinary memories

Though I was born and raised in Ludhiana, Punjab’s industrial heart, my roots trace back to Sangrur, as both my parents belong to this quiet town.

Sangrur carries a regal legacy that sets it apart from the industrial buzz of Ludhiana. Historically, Sangrur served as the capital of the Jind princely state, one of the Phulkian dynasties that shaped Punjab’s political landscape in the 18th and 19th centuries.

As a child, the contrast between Ludhiana’s hustle-bustle and Sangrur’s stillness was striking. With little more than Banasar Bagh to explore in the evenings, Sangrur felt slow, almost sleepy in contrast. Yet, nestled in its calm were moments that stayed with me.

Dad’s school in the town always figured in our visits, and we’d wander through the bustling bazaar lanes just for a glimpse. Both my maternal and paternal villages lie a few km outside Sangrur. This made shopping trips into town almost a necessity. But for us kids it was more like a celebration, as there were many attractions. There was the unforgettable charm of a modest tea shop serving the most delicious fruit cake, a sweet shop near the bank which offered gajar paak so divine that nothing since has matched it.

Even now, every visit to Sangrur includes a ‘pilgrimage’ to buy this gajar paak—while the cake shop, like much else, seems lost in time.

Seeing a vehicle with the Punjab 13 registration, Sangrur’s very own, feels like spotting a familiar face in a crowd.

Because these numbers are more than just plates — they’re memory triggers. The world may feel quite vast, until a Punjab 13 zooms by, and suddenly, it’s not so far after all.

While Ludhiana may race ahead with factories and flyovers, Sangrur quietly holds onto its soul — a place where history whispers through its lanes and nostalgia blooms in every bite of gajar paak.

Manav Mander, Ludhiana