Amritsar

The kids.

This barber 'shop' was right outside the parking garage. No overhead here.

The sights and people on the street.

Monday, March 19^th.

Today we left the foothills and drove down to Amritsar, which is situated in the heart of the fertile plain known as India’s ‘breadbasket’ and the centre of Sikhism in India. We made a stop just off the highway for a pitstop and we were surprised when Prerna introduced a man in a military uniform as her fiancée. She had arranged to meet him here because his base is near here. Unfortunately, we couldn’t take a photo of them as he was in uniform. She will see him one more time on the next tour before their marriage in April. Also at that stop I met a group of children who wanted to pose for me. In the background you can see the shacks and tents they live in. 

When we arrived in Amritsar the traffic congestion was incredible and it was amazing how our driver got through it. We parked in a parking garage and walked about five minutes to our hotel. This place is amazing. We walked along a pedestrian mall and were overwhelmed with the number of people on the street. They were going everywhere. I was fascinated with the sights of the people and what they were doing. We checked in and immediately met up for lunch which we ate at a local restaurant across the road, after which we had a couple of hours to just wander around independently to continue seeing the people and immersing ourselves in the vibe of the city. Amritsar is 70% Sikh and always has large numbers of Sikh tourists who come to see and pray at the Golden Temple.

The area we were in is very artificial in that it is a very touristy area, for both foreigners and Indian tourists who are on a pilgrimage to the Golden Temple and the Partition Museum. The road between the two is a pedestrian walkway and kept quite clean. However, if you venture off onto the side streets or anywhere out of the area, you are immediately immersed in the chaos that is India, people, traffic, horns, cows, dogs, and filth.

We met up at five and Prerna had us all sit in the lobby where she took about a half hour to talk to us about the caste system, arranged marriages, Sikhism and the Golden Temple. She emphasized that the caste system has four main castes, and that although it is still very important in the remote rural areas, it is becoming less prevalent in the cities. She also told us that the father of the country, Gandhi, tried hard to eliminate the ‘untouchables’. Families still try to either marry within their caste our marry up, and the woman’s family has to pay for most of the ceremony and a dowry. She said the about 85% of marriages are arranged, although some young women, like her, are deciding that they would rather marry for love. The arranged marriages are organized by the families and before they the couple even meets their marriage is evaluated based on the characteristics of their two horoscopes. If they don’t align then the marriage never happens. This too, is being waved more and more with ‘love’ marriages.

She also told us about the history of the Sikhs who are about 2% of the Indian population. They have been persecuted a number of times and their Golden Temple has been attacked too. She told us that they were fierce and loyal warriors who fought well during the World Wars and were involved in a number of victories for the British.

(continued on the next post)