By Ekta Bhatnagar.
Ferozepur, oftentimes called the province of martyrs, has gotten lost somewhere inwards our history books. It is hither that Shaheed Bhagat Singh, i of India's greatest liberty fighters, was buried. And hither that parts of the famous Bollywood movie, Bhag Milkha Bhag, were shot. The existent charm of Ferozepur though, is that it offers an intimate glimpse of life inwards Punjab without the pretense of a tourist destination, consummate alongside mouth-watering sarson da saag as well as makke di roti, a riot of colors, as well as big-hearted Panjabi hospitality.
As somebody who lived inwards this edge town for 2 years, I'll effort to brand a illustration for you lot to see it on your adjacent Punjab trip:
1) It is a riot of colors.
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| Harike plane sanctuary. |
Ferozepur, similar much of Punjab, is a province of colours. Yellow sarson plants swaying inwards the fields. Pretty women walking inwards their brilliant kurtas and pleated Patiala salwars, adorned alongside the alluring colours of their intricately patterned phulkari dupatta. Punjabi mundas as well as sardars wearing shiny ‘Khiladi 420’ type kurtas as well as blinding neon pagdis.
What sets Ferozepur apart is its edge town location, which when coupled alongside the brilliant yellowish mustard fields, instills a 'being desi' feeling inwards the urban Indian. You tin spot colors of a dissimilar form at the Harike Bird Sanctuary,
2) The people know how to celebrate life
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| Happy-go-lucky, the people of Punjab! |
I read somewhere that Punjabis receive got the lowest plane of stress. And it brought a smiling to my human face upwardly because I couldn’t concur more. I receive got had my fair percentage of beingness inwards Punjab as well as experienced their civilization somewhat closely. Punjabis are happy-go lucky people. They are rich inwards their hearts. They ever welcome guests alongside large smiles, huge hugs, a tall steel drinking glass of total cream lassi and a expert hearty repast of butter chicken as well as naan- makkhan marke! They believe inwards earning as well as spending lavishly. They are happy alongside Panjabi movies, dancing Jats as well as Juliets as well as a fair percentage of Jimmy Shergil; they savor dancing as well as partying to the tunes of Yo Yo Honey Singh. In short, they know how to savor their lives as well as receive got no worries whatsoever.
3) It is an of import component subdivision of India’s history
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| The state of war memorial inwards Ferozepur. |
Let us expect at roughly other side of Punjab. Punjabis are likewise famous for beingness a vital component subdivision of the Indian defense forcefulness forces. They receive got been truthful liberty fighters as well as no even of our liberty struggle is consummate without the shout of Punjab as well as its people.
I spent 2 years in the faraway edge metropolis that is Ferozepur, on the edge of Bharat as well as Pakistan. Though seldom frequented every bit a tourism destination, it holds an extremely of import house inwards India’s struggle for freedom, as well as inwards roughly way, is a score of friendship betwixt the 2 contender nations. It is hither that you lot witness the ruggedness of Punjab as well as a to a greater extent than soulful display of emotions at the border, than what you lot run across at the Wagah edge at Amritsar.
Ferozepur was founded past times Sultan Feroze Shah Tughlaq of the Tughlaq Dynasty. Centuries later, the British Raj established command as well as gained much of North-West Bharat as well as Pakistan, setting upwardly the Ferozepur cantonment every bit the largest cantonment inwards Bharat during the their rule. Today, this cantonment features Serenity Park, offering peace as well as serenity to those looking to meditate.
The province of martyrs, every bit Ferozepur is called, has gotten lost somewhere inwards history books. The liberty struggle of Bharat has had many martyrs from Ferozepur; iii heroic martyrs of India, who were killed for raising their vocalisation against the British - Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Shaheed Rajguru as well as Shaheed Sukhdev receive got their concluding resting house on the banks of the Sutlej inwards Ferozepur. H5N1 memorial dedicated to Shaheed Bhagat Singh has been built hither to score the patriotism shown past times the brave men.
4) The edge ceremonies bear witness that Islamic Republic of Pakistan isn’t the enemy everyone thinks it is
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| Across the white describe of piece of employment from Pakistan. |
I visited the Wagah edge inwards 2006. Though the experience was unforgettable, I found that the Hussainiwala edge at Ferozepur is smaller as well as attracts less crowds. I could experience the parade from only a foot’s distance from Pakistan; exclusively a white boundary describe of piece of employment separates Bharat as well as Pakistan.
The retreat ceremony stirs something within of you. Observing the spectators, you lot realize that they are non dissimilar from each other - why would they be? The soldier standoff is a salubrious competition, cheered past times the crowds on the respective sides, every bit to who tin accept their legs upwardly higher, who tin stomp their feet louder as well as who tin exercise improve facial expressions. This is the lighter side of the Indo-Pak relationship, cricket non withstanding!
5) You tin store till you lot drop, literally!
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| Cooling off alongside a chilled lassi, the author Ekta. |
The Sadar Bazaar market of Ferozepur is a favorite amidst ladies for beautiful salwar suits as well as phulkari work, every bit good every bit Karachi function sarees as well as dupattas. Mind you, the temperatures tin hold out extreme, alongside over l degrees centigrade inwards summertime as well as below zip inwards winter. Make certain you lot deport plenty H2O as well as warm clothing so you lot don't drib shopping, literally!
How to make Ferozepur: Ferozepur is good connected past times trains to the residuum of India. It is an overnight prepare journeying of vii hours from Delhi, as well as at a driving distance of 2 hours from Amritsar, Bhatinda as well as Jhalandhar.
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AUTHOR BIO: Ekta's dearest for go was ignited past times her father, who used to accept her to dissimilar places every twelvemonth during schoolhouse holidays. Since then, she has tried to capture the places she has travelled to alongside her photographic idiot box camera as well as the pen. Now she is married to an Army officeholder as well as gets to satisfy her quench for travelling past times exploring novel destinations every 2 years! She is a dreamer, a writer, a go enthusiast, as well as an ultimate foodie. She tweets @ektabhgr.
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