When festivities glowed not glittered in Amritsar

There was an era in Amritsar — the luminous ’80s and ’90s — when festivities were woven with affection, not affluence. The city glimmered with genuine warmth; laughter spilled across the lanes of Hall Bazaar and Katra Jaimal Singh, where life moved to the rhythm of relationships. Weeks before Diwali or Gurpurb, homes brimmed with the aroma of pinnis and besan laddoos, and the pride of donning a new Bata sandal worth a hundred rupees felt incomparable.

Today, the landscape gleams differently — glitter without glow. Celebrations have turned into exhibition of stature; luxury cars and lavish gifts parade where sincerity once walked. We are buckled, not by belts, but by burdens of pretence — curated smiles, rehearsed greetings and digital façades.

My city once taught that festivity was a feeling — unspoken, unfiltered and shared from heart to heart. Perhaps it’s time we unlearn the artifice and return to that simplicity.

Simi Gandhi, Amritsar