One of the perks of being a corporate trainer is the opportunity to travel to new places on work, and few days ago I was at Bhatinda.
And I make sure to utilise every moment of the time, before and after work to get to know the local place better.
When I asked the speciality of Bhatinda to my driver all he said was about the refineries and the artificial lakes, which has become a kind of picnic spot in the evenings.
But what was more interesting for me was the old Bathinda fort or Qila Mubarak with its imposing entrance gate. On a hot afternoon there were very few people inside, taking rest in the small ancient gurudwara, which had been visited by their holy Sikh Gurus too. This was the place where the first female Empress of India Razia Sultan was imprisoned. The high fort walls, the gardens within, the old cannons stood in mute testimony to a bygone era.
In complete contrast to the ancient calmness within the fort, was the cacophony of local markets outside the fort. The old Dhobi Bazar had a variety of small shops selling almost every local item that was demanded.
I spent three evenings in a row, exploring the quaint street markets which stood in defiance to the many branded outlets and new malls in the city.
I fell in love with the local embroidery work called phulkari, and just had to purchase few sarees, dupattas and embroidered Kurtis.
I enjoyed walking along the bylanes on my own, purchasing fruits and spices and interacting with the jolly good natured local people.
On the last morning I made sure to visit the mazaar of Peer Haji Ratna, this was situated next to a gurudwara and is a rare combination of a muslim and sikh place of worship next to each other, signifying the harmony in which the two communities lived with each other.
It was cute to see boards all over the city saying ‘I love Bathinda’. What was also surprising was the number of boards offering support to prospective immigrants to Canada, then I remembered that I had really seen a large number of Sikh residents during my last visit to Canada.
There was pride for Punjab displayed in statues at many roundabouts in the city. One big Hanuman statue watched benovently over the whole city.
I returned to the comfort of my hotel Sepal, supposed to be the oldest 3star hotel in Punjab. And then I decided to forget about my diet for a few days and indulge in the typical local tasty food of Punjab.
And I smiled as I cherished the parathas and paneers and maa ki Daal, with gratitude in my heart for the chance to see so many sides of my beloved country.
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