First Visit to Punjab!!

Punjab is a colorful land full of cheerful and ever helping people, be it for strangers or own family.

Being from the Land of Five Rivers and never actually visited my motherland for the past twenty-six years of my life, it was an immediate decision to visit this colorful land at the first available chance.

We started from Delhi via Shatabdi which passes through various stations, stopping at the major ones only. Nevertheless, when it is the first visit, even the passing glances of the villages and various mustard or sunflower fields, all green and yellow in the month of August was a delight to the core of the heart.

It touched a nerve that this is your motherland and definitely brought out all the patriotism within me and remembered that our ancestors would have lived here years ago.

The journey itself was exciting and definitely fulfilling as the rail catering officials were offering us snacks and meals the entire four and half hour stretch!

The moment we reached our destination, the city of Jalandhar, it was something altogether a different experience. One cannot compare any other city in another state of India with this city of Punjab. I felt at home instantly with the city, as if I have never moved out from there. This was my first thought, even though I was neither born nor lived there at any moment of my present life. I could well imagine the different perceptions that may have been felt by the so called Non Resident Indians who return to their motherland after staying abroad for several years. It certainly brings out various emotions within an individual.

We were staying with my Dad’s eldest brother’s family – one big, happy family. I met my cousins, their wives and sons for the first time, who were equally excited and happy to see me too! They had met my elder sister some years ago, and were eager to meet me too, since I was the youngest in my Dad’s family – with Dad being the youngest amongst his brothers.

Since we reached late in the city, that day ended with just an early dinner and then we slept. Next day, my first morning in the city was nice and sunny. We began our day with desi parathas cooked by my sister in law, which were truly yummy in spite of all the ghee splattered on it!!!

Afterwards, we went on a tour starting with a nearby Gurudwara, and then to my cousins’ factories and the city’s many attractions – the biggest of all was the replica of the Vaishno Devi temple at Jammu.

At the end of a nice and tiring day, we returned home and had a yet yummy dinner and thus the day ended with all the tales to be mentioned at the dinner table.

Next day was spent at home, since the evening we had to return to Delhi by the evening train.

On the return journey, thought to myself, though a short visit, it was truly worth it – and promised that I would soon return to this wonderful and colorful land of the five rivers – Punjab!!