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So here is a closer look at the erstwhile Amritsar Town Hall- it was closed at the time. The building now houses the Partition Museum, a fascinating collection of records and documents pertaining to the partition of India into India and Pakistan back in 1947. More on that later in this album.The Amritsar Town Hall was completed in 1870 and the building of the Government School in its neighbourhood was completed in 1873. Other historic buildings in the area, but outside the walled city are the Railway Station, constructed in 1859, and the District Courts and the Treasury in 1876. (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
Our Amritsar trip is now technically over, and we now have to wrap up our visit. But my sis in law had one more chore up her sleeve- to pick up some woolens, which Amritsar is famous for. Out tuk tuk driver told us not to shop in the scores of shops in the old city. Instead he took us to the retail outlet of OCM Mills, one of the oldest factories in India. You will better much better quality there, he said. We agreed, for quality is what we always look for. But that meant a slightly long-ish ride to a more modern part of Amritsar town. I was now shooting out of the moving tuk tuk. On the way I spotted lots of hard working trishaws like this one here. This poor trishaw driver is hauling a pretty mean load, considering his frail appearance and the wobbly wheels of his contraption. (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
The architecture style changes yet again as we continue along on our Amritsar heritage walk. The sheer diversity of diaspora in old time Amritsar was nothing short of mind boggling. Notes about this phenomenon appear in one of my subsequent captions. After a while we gave up trying to keep up with the various architecture styles.
Only missing probably was Islamic style of architecture- Pakistan is just over 40km away, and hundreds of thousands of Moslems escaped into Pakistan after the partition. (and vice versa with the Hindus). Thanks to the ill will and animosity generated as a result of the partition, most of the Moslem era buildings ended up getting demolished and redeveloped more in keeping with local architectural styles in subsequent years. (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
Twilight beckons in a charming town near Hakone Yumoto Station, with shops casting a cozy light for evening wanderers.
We have reached a large intersection now and another horse drawn wagon appears. Pictures of local transport are blurred as I have been shooting out of a moving tuk tuk. Amritsar's traffic was certainly from a different era- it was like a live lesson in history, or turning the pages of a history book. We had horse drawn wagons or 'tonga's in Poona (Pune) way back in 1971 when we moved to the city. Today, spotting a horse drawn wagon in Poona (Pune) is probably akin to spotting today a live dinosaur on the high street! (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
My sis in law finally yields to the temptation of glass bangles in Amritsar, and here she is, smiling triumphantly after bagging her prize catch! Despite the several stores we had seen earlier, which seemed to specialize in glass bangles (earlier in this album- see previous pictures), our tuk tuk driver recommended this store, for the best deals and better quality of the product on offer. It was a bit isolated, away from the main cluster of shops in the congested old city quarter. (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
Continuing on the Christian theme, here is a rather Victorian looking piece of architecture in one of the ancient buildings in the congested Amritsar old city quarter. The diaspora in the good old days was mind boggling- most of those ethnicities have left now. Note that almost all the balconies are rendered in wood, testimony to the Sikh carpentry skills at that time. Just to remind you, we are on our Amritsar heritage walk, through the old city quarter of Amritsar in northern India. (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
Gracias a 7 lunares podéis ver looks ideales para Primavera-Verano con colores que sientan genial, sobre todo si ya tenéis algo de color. Este vestido es muy sencillo pero elegante, pues los flecos le dan el toque ideal para un look de fiesta con unas sandalias altas como estas llenas de color c...
So our fascinating Amritsar heritage walk starts right here- this is our entry point into the bowels of the congested Amritsar old city district. No, no that closed door- that door was firmly shut with several padlocks. Our walk starts right here, so after viewing this ancient door, we now turn left to enter what is called Quila/ Katra Ahluwalia (Ahluwalia fort). Brief notes appear in subsequent captions. (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
Our friend the tailor had told us that there had once been a jail at the far end of this street, which was called Jail Road. Well, the end of the street was just metres away. And as informed by the tailor, the erstwhile jail,dating back to the days of Ranjit Singh (the founder of Punjab) has been knocked down now and has been redeveloped. Well, the buildings did look more modern. But here again was yet another contrast between Amritsar and where we come from= Bombay and Poona (Mumbai and Pune) in Western India. There, the street would have been widened a bit, and a bit more redevelopment done. But not so here. Despite the new buildings, the street was as narrow as it would have been during the days of Ranjit Singh!(Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
Shooting out of the moving tuk tuk on the way to the woolens showroom, I felt that going around in Amritsar is like stepping back in time. While in other parts of India, local intra city freight is hauled mostly by pick up trucks and other light commercial vehicles, here in Amritsar a wide variety of vehicles is used. We saw goods being hauled on trishaws, here now is a tractor trailer combo- these vehicles ideally belong on rural roads. Horse carts are another popular mode for transportation of goods within the city. The tractor is Eicher.
Starting off primarily as a tractor builder, Eicher is now an important producer of trucks and bus chassis in India. This ageing tractor is hauling a mean load of what appears to be grey cloth for making blankets. In other parts of India, the two chaps riding atop the load wouldn't be allowed either. (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
I spent a morning taking photographs at my local butchers. I like the traditional look of the subjects and surroundings and it makes a unique and interesting place to take portraits. I chose here to take portraits for my college portraiture project as i like an interesting background and things to be happening in my portraits, also to portray sides of a person not often shown in a portrait.
Wholesale shop- for Coca Cola, Fanta, and ?
The Souk is the great draw for tourists, including tourists from other parts of Morocco. But these smaller places are where the locals buy goods and services.
We were so mesmerized by the interesting commentary of our guide about the history of this place that we nearly missed this garish hop on-hop off bus which suddenly rolled past. I did manage to catch catch up and photograph it later. (we did not ride it though). We would eat later in the day at a place called Brothers' Dhaba- a famous local eatery in Amritsar. We were to learn from our tuk tuk driver that that was a branch of the original after the two brothers who own the place quareled and separated. The original old Brothers Dhaba is called Brothers Dhaba # 1. We spotted it later the following evening- it is directly behind the bus you see here. (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
A closer look at the small store in a small by-lane behind Amritsar's icon the Harmandir Sahib/ Golden temple which sells Hindu religious symbol. You see here the mace, shields and the cobra (snake) with open hood,all of which are associated with different Hindu gods. The Swastika behind the shopkeeper is an auspicious symbol for good luck and fortune in the Hindu religion (and also in Buddhism and Jainism). Westerners are however perplexed to see this symbol as this in the Western world is a sinister symbol of evil as it had been adopted by the Nazis under that evil lunatic Hitler. I'd read somewhere that the Nazi Swastika is inverted, but I've found the Hindu swastika oriented either way in different Hindu temples and establishments. Hindus sometimes place a dot in each of the open jaws of the Swastika to make it even more auspicious. (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
© I m a g e D a v e F o r b e s
Engagement 900+
In Cupar Fife
A photo of this this lovely presented Greengrocer stall outside a shop in the ancient town
I am in a large gift shop on the narrow pedestrian lane running from the bus stop to the Kiyomizu-dera shrine in Kyoto, Japan, looking for a kimono top that my niece had asked for. Well, I had no idea how long that garment is supposed to be, in fact I had not even heard of kimono tops until that moment, but the top appeared to be a very rare commodity. The one I'd seen the previous day was not up to much, but I eventually found it here, in this shop. Now I had to send a picture to my niece to make sure this was what she wanted, so the store assistant was kind enough to wear it and show me that it would look like. eventually made the purchase, though the one I bought had a slightly different pattern. The garment appears to be rather long on this lady but my niece assured me that it fits her perfectly. (Kyoto, Japan, Apr/ May 2019)
A vendor of fresh flowers in the northern Indian city of Amritsar. I loved the way he was simply overwhelmed with the fresh blooms. I had taken one picture initially and then decided to zoom in a little more and take another one. Poor chap, he agreed readily to my request to photograph him, but then looked away, probably a bit camera conscious or shy. The fresh blooms are, in all probability, for temple offerings. The famous Harmandir Sahib or Golden Temple is nearby and so are a couple of small Hindu shrines. (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
I spent a morning taking photographs at my local butchers. I like the traditional look of the subjects and surroundings and it makes a unique and interesting place to take portraits. I chose here to take portraits for my college portraiture project as i like an interesting background and things to be happening in my portraits, also to portray sides of a person not often shown in a portrait.
I spent a morning taking photographs at my local butchers. I like the traditional look of the subjects and surroundings and it makes a unique and interesting place to take portraits. I chose here to take portraits for my college portraiture project as i like an interesting background and things to be happening in my portraits, also to portray sides of a person not often shown in a portrait.
There is a word in Hindi- 'jugaad'. It literally means patchwork. Generally used in the context of vehicles, a 'jugaad' is either a temporary repair job (like fitting a sheet of metal with a hole in it in place of a broken windshield), or a vehicle assembled with cut and paste technology, using parts (usually salvaged) from other vehicles. Here is a perfect example of a 'jugaad'- a lorry made out of odds and ends taken from other vehicles. The driver is proudly perched quite high above the ground and although the canopy and foot board offer him minimum protection, this is at least better than zero protection of three guys riding atop a tractor as we saw earlier in this album! Used for local transport, this 'jugaad' cut and paste vehicle is running empty. The last time I'd seen a similar contraption was in Cambodia, back in 2014. Speeds of these vehicles are painfully slow, and they may not even by passed or registered in some of the larger cities in India. (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
"Pressing des Amis"--- hmmm....
I think it must be a drycleaners shop.
The Souk is the great draw for tourists, including tourists from other parts of Morocco. But these smaller places are where the locals buy goods and services.
Make an impact this Father's Day -- buy local!
Download this poster in high resolution here: www.independentwestand.org/wp-content/uploads/Fathers_Day...
Many women have nose piercings and so here is a tiny jewellery store in the narrow by-lanes of Amritsar which specializes in nose piercings. It also lists various styles of piercings available,none of which I am actually familiar with. Now where did our innocence go! We are so much bombarded with videos and news about gays, hippies and other freaks who pierce their noses and stuff that that is the first thing that crosses your mind when you see a sign like this. Freaks here, in a holy city? Well, it happened to me at least. It's then that you realize that there is also the normal world which exists, a simply mom and pop store which provides simple services like this to Indian ladies, nose piercings for many of whom is simply the local culture and tradition! (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
Amritsar is, among other things, also famous for 'jutti' or traditional Punjabi leather sandals. They are as inseparable with Punjab as Kolhapuri chappals (sandals) are to Maharashtra. Unlike the Kolhapure sandals,which are strapless sandals, the Punjab jutti is more shoe like, much like moccasins or low slip on shoes. Everything in the Punjabi jutti is leather, including the sole, and sometimes (though not always) even the stitching. Traditionally, Punjabi juttis used to have a tip curving upwards, like a dog's tail, but in keeping with modern trends, (no one nowadays will wear a jutti with a tip curving upwards!), more contemporary designs have been put out,
including some which look just like proper leather shoes. I did buy similar 'jutti' like slip ons in Turkey (the Turkish style), but rarely wear them as they offer no padding to the soles of the feet and the scope for wearing them is very limited, especially in Dubai, where I currently live. I therefore decided to pass on the jutti and did not buy any here.
My sis in law picked up a pair or two though. (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
A woman walks past the two jutti (Punjabi leather sandals) stores near the Harmandir Sahib/ Golden Temple in Amritsar. We found several stores selling these juttis all over Amritsar but the patronage left mush to be desired- almost all of the stores were totally devoid of customers, barring one we saw near Hall Gate the following day. The lack of patronage probably explains why the shop to the right has also displayed a few sneakers and running shoes- these are modern footwear and have nothing at all to do with the traditional juttis of Punjab. (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
Although notes about the Amritsar historic quarter appear later on in one of the subsequent captions, the sheer variety and styles were simply mind boggling. Many people from many areas in India came to Amritsar to trade- the diaspora in the earlier days was very diverse, and every ethnicity brought with them their own architectural or building style. Although most of these structures are fairly decrepit and crumbling, we were hoping that some of these would be restored instead of being knocked down and replaced with more modern structures, a lot of which is already unfortunately happening. Here then is a quaint 'hand' sculpture on this balcony. We could not gather which diaspora was responsible for this but the hand was fascinating in itself! (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
We were in a puny tuk tuk on a busy highway, so stopping was not an option. So here is a shot, from the tuk tuk of the gorgeous building of Amritsar's famous Khalsa College. This is a historic educational institution in the northern Indian city of Amritsar. Founded in 1892, the sprawling 300-acre campus is located about eight kilometers from the city-center on the Amritsar-Lahore highway (part of the Grand Trunk Road), adjoining Guru Nanak Dev University campus, to which Khalsa College is academically affiliated. More notes in the next caption.
(Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
A store in Amritsar's Hall Bazaar dedicated to turbans or 'pagri'. Amritsar is the holiest place for followers of the Sikh faith, due to it's being home to the celebrated Harmandir Sahib or Golden Temple. The Sikh faith makes it mandatory for it's followers to use/ sport the five 'K's- Kada (stainless steel bracelet), Kirpan (dagger), Kachha (boxer shorts), Kanga (small wooden comb) and Kesh (uncut hair). The 'kesh' bit means that the hair is neatly tied into a ball on top of the head,which necessitates the wearing of a pagri or turban. This is one reason why Sikhs always wear a turban. (there are shaved Sikhs as well nowadays though). So this is actually a revered store for the locals as it carries one of the major requirements for followers of the faith. (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
A man on a motor scooter rides out of Quila/ Katra Ahluwalia as we walk in after photographing that ancient door. (see previous pictures). Not much remains of the original fort now, as many of the buildings have been knocked down. Some people loosely refer to Quila/ Katra Ahluwalia as the 'Marwari' quarter. We are on the Amritsar Heritage Walk, which takes one back in time. During the walk, one can witness traditional trades and crafts being practiced in the same place and in the same manner as has been done for centuries. The town planning and architecture of the age are pretty impressive, especially the intricately carved wooden facades of some of the buildings. This walk is an opportunity to explore more intimately the heart of the city and to feel part of the magnificent heritage of Amritsar, the Holy City of the Sikh Gurus of long ago. (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
Once again I've got nothing really to show for my day, photographically.
It's a bit of a filthy night, but the step count meant that I had to go walking, and so off I went. One my travels I passed this corner shop which loved up to it's name, and more!
Dawn till Dusk was open well into the darkness hours!
This was the totally rustic tea stall our good guide Gurinder picked to have a cuppa after our long heritage walk. It had been most interesting! Although minuscule, (there is hardly room in the cart for the stove and milk pots- the vendor has to stand outside), the tea stall was very well subscribed and it took quite some time for a lull in the almost non stop flow of customers before I could manage this picture of the indside of the stall as well as of the owner of the shop. Very friendly he was! In fact I found the men folk in Amritsar pretty friendly. It was the old ladies who tended to physically push you out of the way in crowded places like inside the Golden Temple or when they were distributing 'prasad' (blessed temple food offerings) at the temple. I had experienced unruly old women pushing me out of the way earlier in Beijing in China as well in May this year. (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
Taken in Tučepi, a very nice resort on the Makarska Riviera in Croatia. It really was nice: no litter, no graffiti, people left their bicycles unchained. Then you see a sign like this in the local supermarket and remember that only a few years ago Yugoslavia was in the middle of a very nasty civil war. I then thought back to when I last saw anything similar: it was about 15 years ago in Reston VA at the entrance to the office complex where I was temporarily working. It wasn't as colourful or graphic, just a simple sign "No Firearms".
Buy local this Father's Day!
Download this poster in high resolution here: www.independentwestand.org/wp-content/uploads/Fathers_Day...
Fresh pomello juice anyone? We are on our Amritsar heritage walk,
through the congested old city quarter and have briefly emerged out into more open territory skirting the congested inner city district on one side and the fabulous Harmandir Sahib/ Golden Temple on the other. On the way we passed this cart selling fresh pomello juice. I initially thought these were oranges, or sweet lime as they call it in India. But no, they were pomellos alright. Reminded me of my trip to Vietnam last year. I knew India has pomellos in the South, but I somehow never associated them with this part of the country. (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)