Amritsari Part 3 ;)

Amritsari Khaana: When in Amritsar, you have got to have Amritsari food. I’m a vegetarian, and so while I could not taste some of the extremely popular Amritsari fish and chicken, I did manage to dig my teeth into other, more animal-friendly delicacies. 😉 Kadhai Paneer, Malaai Kofta, Daal Makhani, Laccha Parantha, and if that were not enough, the tastiest Pheerni I’ve ever had in my life.

Amritsari Guideline #3: CaUtioN::Those, on a diet, and especially those who love food, should NOT visit Amritsar. Food is so delectable, you might(for sure!!!) even end up ignoring the thousand odd calories you take in with every meal. Believe me, I could see the ghee dancing around in my plate, but paid no attention to it! 😐 😛

Another one of the specialties we found there, were the Kulchas. Kulchas are basically crispy stuffed bread pieces(paranthas) served with copious amounts of butter, ghee(home-made fat) and chole(chick-pea curry) on the side. I was done with three quarters of a kulcha(gosh! they were so heavy!!), but my sister claims, she still has the taste lingering in her mouth! 😛

So, after all that food, we were back on the road. The Jallianwala Bagh Memorial, is situated in the same complex as the Golden Temple. Amidst the jostling crowd of the surrounding market, it’s almost inconspicuous, located right at the corner of the lane.

I had actually laid the foundation of my trip to Amritsar, on my visit to the Jallianwala Bagh.

So much has been written and publicized in context of this fiercely historic garden. One can’t find too many Indians, who haven’t either heard or read about the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, it’s consequential effects on Bhagat Singh, and the shooting of General Dyer, atleast not now, after the film Rang De Basanti earned such widespread accolades.

The Massacre which occured on April 13th, 1919, marked the beginning of a new era in the Indian Independence struggle, and today, the Jallianwala Bagh memorial, marks the very soil, which bore the brunt of that radical change.

There is only one narrow lane, opening into the huge garden, and that is just about it as far as connecting with the place as it must have been nearly 90 years ago is concerned.

I wouldn’t lie that the visit disappointed me. The garden is extremely well maintained, no doubt, with a memorial monument in the form of an obelisk, situated between fountains, and lights which are employed in conducting the light and sound shows. The whole ground is cemented, with benches, and rose bushes, hedges and trees have been planted across the entire compound.

Well, I entered the place, and my first reaction was, “Why, God, why?” Why does everything have to be commercialised? Don’t we have parks, amusement centers, and pubic gardens to lounge around on the grass in? I would rather visit the Rose Garden at Chandigarh if I were in the mood for a stroll amidst rose bushes! And aren’t there enough shops in the market outside, to buy chips, biscuits, soft drinks and chocolates?

I was expecting a more derelict environment.

Maybe a flat ground of soil, nothing exactly to see, except a few demolished walls, the historical well, and the air, reminding you of all those who died, just because General Dyer had the soldiers, and the ammunition to finish them off.

There are a few things which do fascinate you though. Walls which were shot at and bear the bullet marks have been retained. They speak of the hundreds of bullets that left their nozzles, unsure of their destination, but putting an end to what may have been normal lives. I collected soil from near the walls, took a piece of broken brick, and collected whatever i thought my be old, 90 years old, and not a figment of the newly established memorial park.

Then there was the well. It still makes me shudder to think of the angst that must have crossed the people’s mind that they resorted to drowning in the well, just so they wouldn’t have to inflict upon their conscience the shame of courting death at the hands of the British ranks. It’s miraculous in a way, a choice between the better of two evil, or less painful of two mortifying situations.

The well has been caved off, grilled, and only just visible as a well, probably to prevent any more patriots from giving up their lives in it…

I took soil from the adjacent Peepal tree.

A plaque on one of the walls read “The soil of this garden is saturated with the blood of the millions of the martyrs who died at the hands of the British firing.”

Despite the disappointment, it was worth the visit.