After 5 years I finally get a chance to revisit my motherland .. India.
India
Davi and I had been planning on this trip for nearly a year and we had decided that we would avoid staying with relatives and do a mini yatra (pilgrimage) of the Gurdwaras in and around Punjab and if possible Hemkunt Sahib and Hazur Sahib as well.
We landed at Indira Gandhi Int’l Airport at like 800 hrs on Thursday morning .. the 13th of September 2009. Excited was definitely an understatement as to what we were experiencing!! Jaggy was also with us and well his state was like that of a small kid let loose in a candy shop ! The temperatures were in the mid 30s and the humidity unbearable .. but this did not lessen our joy!
Although we would have preferred a train ride to Punjab .. but coz we didn’t do any reservations beforehand, we had to take a 8 hour taxi ride .. this can be fun if you aren’t too jet-lagged or sleep derived .. heehee .. ! We were totally knackered after the 12 hour journey so slept most of the way .. Got to Jalandhar late in the evening and were pleasantly surprised to meet our cousins from Canada!! Bhuaji’s house was like a family base that night .. we had a re-union that I don’t think we are likely to forget any time soon!!
Day 2: Amritsar
Got up like at midday having spent the better part of the catching up amidst the buzzing of mosquitoes and electricity rationing and trying to fan ourselves with hand fans – commonly knows as pakhees .. hehehe! For those who have never to this rich country just know that for most the day doesn’t begin before 900-1000 .. at least not in Punjab .. so we had a leisurely breakfast / Lunch at 1400 and then left for Amritsar .. the Holy City of the Sikhs and home to the Harmandir Sahib – Golden Temple.
I am blessed to have been born in Amritsar .. this is where my maternal grandmother used to live before her demise last year .. this was my chance to bid her my final farewell .. we got to the bus ‘adda’ (station) around 1700 and called mamaji (uncle) to come and pick us up .. and knowing mamaji is 5 minutes were likely to become half an hour!! So we decided to introduce Jaggy to his first auto-rikshaw (tempoo) ride .. living life the tourist style! Damn! Can’t remeber the last time I enjoyed life and its simple pleasures so much! We literally took pictures of each and everything around us .. and yes we were nearly beaten up for supposedly taking a guy’s wife’s picture!! heehee
Mamaji was waiting for us at the main entrance of mum’s home and boy-oh-boy I am out of words to describe the state of emotions when I saw nanima’s house .. amidst the greetings and noise we nearly forgot to take our luggage out of the auto .. yup trust us to be responsible .. so yeah anyways .. getting the greetings, hugs and tears out of the way we made our way inside and the first place I peeked in to was nanima’s room!! It felt like she was still there .. yes she wasn’t there physically but it wasn’t hard trying to remember her sweet voice and kind love-filled eyes … Need to stop here before I get uncontrollably emotional :,(
To be cont/…
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