I really don't know how to describe my trip to Amritsar- it was definitely very different to most of the food-centric holidays I /we have taken so far.
We went to the Golden temple locally known as Harbinder Sahib, Jallianwalla bagh ,a symbol of India's freedom struggle and the highlight of the trip- beating retreat at the Wagah Border (between India and Pakistan)
And of course we had a brush with Salman Khan unfortunately not in the way his fans would have wanted . He was on the same flight to Amritsar.. first we yelled at the girl from Deccan Air who cut across the queue escorting his sister in law(we did'nt know who she was?!), and then Sohail khan, his brother heard us bad mouthing him at the golden temple (hard to believe, but we really did'nt want him to hear that!). If looks could kill we would be dead meat.
The Wagah border gate closing ceremony is something every Indian should see. The place is teeming with people from various parts of India from various socio-economic backgrounds, at least 2 hours before the ceremony actually begins . There is a small stadium where you sit and watch the ceremony.But the stadium is way too small for the crowds that show up each day. The BSF guys we spoke to said that there was a sudden spurt in the numbers showing up to watch the ceremony in the past few months.They said that the government has earmarked 5 crores to upgrade the place but they haven't seen much of the upgradation yet.there is a lot of slogan shouting from both sides as the flags are lowered and the gates are closed for the day. It is an eerie feeling standing at the border and watching the Pakistani soil on the other side. It is just few feet away and so much diffrence in everything- culture, mindsets, religion.
Apparently one of the eligibility criterion for the jawans posted at the Wagah border is that they should be over 6' tall.They parade is a short one, enthusiastically performed, with a emcee coordinating the show. The jawans are treated like celebrities after the show, with people talking to them or clicking photographs with them
will post the pictures in a couple of days or as son as cleo uploads them.
3 comments:
Hi there:
Nice to see you traveling by Air Deccan. I handle Revenue Management at AD.
Best wishes,
AJ
Anurag, I'm just so glad you commented here, care to tell us how Deccan refunds tickets? I bought tickets of Deccan for my parents and had to cancel the tickets and am not really sure about how they will be refunded or how long it will take.
Thanks!
Hi:
For canceling the ticket, if you booked it on internet, pls goto the website and click Cancel Bookings on the left. Follow the process and the money will be credited back into your credit card. Allow a few days for it to show in your credit statement.
Anurag
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