Ambarsar’s special memories… patriotic, culinary, sartorial and beyond

My earliest memory of Amritsar is when I was five, hopping on the black and white tiles of the Golden Temple’s parikrama as I ran ahead of my parents. In the process, I got lost in the sea of devotes there. Little scared, I sat on a staircase, waiting to be discovered, which my worried parents, luckily, did soon enough.

Since then, I have never remembered any visit to Amritsar without visiting the Golden Temple, or Jallianwala Bagh and the Attari border, for that matter.

There are other ‘musts’ too like gorging on Amritsari kulche, chhole bhature and Amritasari fried fish, which is almost mandatory, as is shopping at Hall Bazaar for papad, wadiyaan, phulkaris and Punjabi jootis.

I am now settled in Chandigarh and am a part of the conscious and healthy eating, jeans-clad brigade of the city. However, every visit to ‘Ambarsar’ at any stage of life, holds special memories, ranging from the sublime to the patriotic, to the culinary, to the sartorial and much more. My love affair with Amritsar continues.

Devpreet Singh, Chandigarh