Punjabi Paradise

Sata Sri akala! Can you guess where I'm right now?

Yes, you're right....this is the land of muscular Sardarjis downing pitchers of milk and Malai lassi along with piping hot paranthas smeared with melting homemade butter. Ladies stroll around in colorful glimmering patiala suits on the roads, buzzing over the veggies.

It was a tiring 6-hour journey from the heart of Delhi City to Chandigarh. To refresh ourselves, we stopped at Pahalwan Dhaba for a khatti roll and Sitara Dhaba for a lassi and buttery parantha-

The crispy outer crust and the moist warm potato-filling is the star of the limelight. Though it was finger-licking, the parantha was so heavy on me, especially since I was on a long taxi trip. For my lactose-intolerant buddies out there, you might just throw up on your way if you're not so used to animal fat. It's a major no-no if you're doing the same.

The meal was followed by 4 hours of sightseeing in Punjab and Haryana and non-stop Punjabi bale-bale music🎵🎶👳. Trust me, Punjab doesn't end with only its yummy food. The land is blessed with vast areas where golden wheat glow in the soft sunshine, all ready to be harvested. The quiet hamlets are dotted with peepal and banyan trees.

Few hours later, we reached Sector 11 of Chandigarh, where my cousins were living. It was a joyful (and tearful) reunion with my aunt, Uncle and two of my nine cousins.

After a lot of experimenting with herbs from the lawn, photography, games, cycling, etc. we truly had a great time after so many years of separation.

It was a great day, relaxing and sunbathing on terrace, reading a interesting Enid Blyton novel...

We all slept soundly, completely exhausted after all the merriment we had.

(To be continued.....)

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