CURRENT MISSION

To make new friend, learn about new cultures and make this world a better place to live!

ABOUT ME

Myself a very social and a friendly person. Like to learn very keenly about the new cultures and friendly people.

My family includes my wife and two kids. My parents also live with us.

PHILOSOPHY

Trust in people.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I recently joined CS, I don't know how old is CS but long back in the year 1984, when I started my new hobby (as an amateur guide) to foreign tourists coming to Amritsar. In 1984 I just completed my 10th grade and was just 16 years old. I had a wonderful experience during that time. Many tourists were my guests at my home and I showed them around in Golden Temple and other parts of the city at that time. This continued for almost 3-4 years. Then I was busy in my studies and later had to leave Amritsar, due to my job.

When I came to know about CS recently,(introduced by two tourists from London, who came to my shop) the same thing which was left behind so many years ago, again inspired me to start my interest again after 28 years.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Oh Wow! A real dream come true.

Interests

Worked as an amateur guide to tourists. Still do the same in my spare time. Electronics is another subject i love, Eating and cooking good food.

• arts
• culture
• singing
• folklore
• architecture
• beauty
• dining
• cooking
• breakfast
• cheese
• dieting
• drinking
• electronics
• shopping
• politics
• reading
• surfing
• hinduism
• sikhism
• history
• journalism
• languages
• religion
• tourism

Music, Movies, and Books

Indian classical, western classical, rock, pop, jaaz, R&B

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Interviewing the highest Sikh priest inside the Golden Temple, with one of the Journalist Couch Surfing friend, where I acted as a interpreter. Its a very high honor to talk to such a big personality. (The position of this sikh priest is comparable to the Vatican Pope).

Teach, Learn, Share

I enjoy meeting the people who are knowledgeable about their culture, lifestyle, who can educate me and learn from me about the same. We can share our views of mutual interests and can talk on varied subjects.

" AMRITSAR -The Holy City Of Golden Temple" .
People who get a chance to visit the Golden temple are indeed very lucky in their life. This is a heritage city with many tourist attractions like: Golden Temple, India- Pakistan Border, Jaliawala Bagh, Durgiana Temple.
This city is famous for the rich, yummy, mouthwatring food of this region. The Amritsari Kulcha's are world renowned to be the most mouth watering breakfast ever made.The hospitality of this city is something the residents are proud about.
Believe me if you are visitng this place i can bet that this will be your greatest and most memorable trip of your life.

Some thing about Amritsar:

Well Amritsar is known as gateway to india. It shares its border with Pakistan. Amritsar is a historical city with its known history of 450 years. It is the main center of Sikh religion & politics. The famous Golden Temple one of the wonders of the world is situated here. As many as 75,000 people every day visit Amritsar to see Golden Temple and the place is purely heaven. Golden Temple is a unique place on this earth having no match with anything else. You can see the people from every nook and corner of the world coming to pay their homage. More than 50,000 people eat daily from the community kitchen and that too without any cost. The atmosphere inside the temple is so calm and serene that one get immense peace and internal happiness.

(HISTORY OF GOLDEN TEMPLE)

Sri Harmandir Sahib, also known as Sri Darbar Sahib or Golden Temple, (on account of its scenic beauty and golden coating for English speaking world), is named after Hari(God) the temple of God. The Sikhs all over the world, daily wish to pay visit to Sri Amritsar and to pay obeisance at Sri Harmandir Sahib in their Ardas.

Guru Arjan Sahib, the Fifth Nanak, conceived the idea of creating a central place of worship for the Sikhs and he himself designed the architecture of Sri Harmandir Sahib. Earlier the planning to excavate the holy tank (Amritsar or Amrit Sarovar ) was chalked out by Guru Amardas Sahib, the Third Nanak, but it was executed by Guru Ramdas Sahib under the supervision of Baba Budha ji. The land for the site was acquired by the earlier Guru Sahibs on payment or free of cost from the Zamindars (landlords) of native villages. The plan to establish a town settlement was also made. Therefore, the construction work on the Sarovar(the tank) and the town started simultaneously in 1570. The work on both projects completed in 1577 A.D.

Guru Arjan Sahib got its foundation laid by a muslim saint Hazrat Mian Mir ji of Lahore on 1st of Magh, 1645 Bikrmi Samvat(December,1588). The construction work was directly supervised by Guru Arjan Sahib himself and he was assisted by the prominent Sikh personalities like Baba Budha ji, Bhai Gurdas ji, Bhai Sahlo ji and many other devoted Sikhs.

Unlike erecting the structure on the higher level(a tradition in Hindu Temple architecture), Guru Arjan Sahib got it built on the lower level and unlike Hindu Temples having only one gate for the entrance and exit, Guru Sahib got it open from four sides. Thus he created a symbol of new faith, Sikhism. Guru Sahib made it accessible to every person without any distinction of Caste, creed, sex and religion.

The building work completed in 1601 A.D. on Bhadoon Sudi 1st, 1661 Bikrmi Samvat (August/September,1604). Guru Arjan Sahib installed newly created Guru Granth Sahib, in Sri Harmandir Sahib and appointed Baba Budha ji as its first Granthi i.e. the reader of Guru Granth Sahib. After this event it attained the status of Ath Sath Tirath. Now the Sikh Nation had their own Tirath, a pilgrimage center

Sri Harmandir Sahib, is built on a 67ft. square platform in the centre of the Sarovar(tank). The temple itself is 40.5ft. square. It has a door each on the East, West, North and South. The Darshani Deori (an arch) stands at the shore end of the causeway. The door frame of the arch is about 10ft in height and 8ft 6inches in breath. The door panes are decorated with artistic style. It opens on to the causeway or bridge that leads to the main building of Sri Harmandir Sahib. It is 202 feet in length and 21 feet in width.

The bridge is connected with the 13 feet wide Pardakshna (circumambulatory path). It runs round the main shrine and it leads to the Har ki Paure(steps of God). On the first floor of Har ki Paure, there is continuous reading of Guru Granth Sahib.

The main structure of Sri Harmandir Sahib, functionally as well as technically is a three-storied one. The front, which faces the bridge, is decorated with repeated cusped arches and the roof of the first floor is at the height of the 26 feet and 9 inches.

At the top of the first floor 4 feet high parapet rises on all the sides which has also four ‘Mamtees’ on the four corners and exactly on the top of the central hall of the main sanctuary rises the third story. It is a small square room and have three gates. A regular recitation of Guru Granth Sahib is also held there.

On the top of this room stands the low fluted ‘Gumbaz’(dome) having lotus petal motif in relief at the base inverted lotus at the top which supports the ‘Kalash’ having a beautiful ‘Chhatri’ at the end.

Its architecture represents a unique harmony between the Muslims and the Hindus way of construction work and this is considered the best architectural specimens of the world. It is often quoted that this architecture has created an independent Sikh school of architecture in the history of art in India.

.... and The Beating Retreat Ceremony in the evening at Indo- Pakistan border around 35 km away from Amritsar is a spectacular show again seen no where else, where the spirits are very high and people seen raising slogans in favour of their countries and singing patriotic songs, remembering the brave people who sacrificed their lives for their motherland.

Amritsar reflects a deep influence and blend of Sikh, Muslim and British architecture in its old buildings. The famous Jallianwala Bagh memorial near golden temple is another historical place where hundreds of Indians were massacared by British troops in 1919, during British rule in India.

Punjabi Food:

Amritsar is famous for its rich Punjabi food famous not only in India but also world over. Many big and small eating place serve punjabi food and other Indian delicacies. The famous dishes (Makki di Roti and Sarson da Saag, Makki means corn and roti made of corn flour and sarson means mustard leaves. The paste of mustard leaves cooked in lot of indian spices and real butter) The famous Amritsari Kulcha i.e. various vegetables mainly potatoes, cauliflower, cheese are mixed together or individually with onions, lot of green chillies and spices. It is finally stuffed in small balls of dough and rolled into a roti and cooked in an earthen oven known as tandoor. The top crust of this roti is so unique and it is only seen here in Amritsar and it needs a lot of expertise to make that and difficult to make it without proper training. These Kulcha are exported daily to various parts of the country and upto England. Well you can google for the meaning of ROTI which is the staple diet of indians. The famous drink Amritsari Lassi or butter milk(made from curd or yoghurt, milk, sugar all churned together in a blender with lot of ice and topped with milk cream and plain butter). It is served in a big steel glass and it is so rich that sometimes it is difficult for a single person to drink the whole glass.

The best time to visit Amritsar is October- April. From May to mid July the temperature is extreme anything ranging from 35 - 48 degree celsius. Mid July to mid August is the monsoon time with lots of rain, and the climate becomes very humid with absolute humidity ranging from 90-100%. Though the temp. comes down and it becomes pleasant also, but still there is lot of sweating due to hot and humid climate in these two months. Mid September to mid November is very pleasant time, with temperature between 25-30 degrees celsius. The winter starts, in the last week of november. January and February are very harsh winter months with temperatures sometimes going as low as -3 degrees celsius. So one sees the extremes of temperatures (upto +48 degrees cel. in summers and upto -3 deg. cel in winters).

Recently the punjab Tourism Dept. has organised a heritage walk in Amritsar, which is a daily affair. In this two hours walk every day morning one can see the historical temples, old buildings and old and busy lanes around Golden Temple.

I can proudly say that Amritsar is a place which has so much to offer from its old history of 450 years. It is the cradle of Sikh religion, rich culture, famous punjabi cuisines and I forgot to tell the famous Punjabi Jutti (Local hand made Shoes)with lot of golden and silver thread work, and beads stitched on it, both for ladies and gents. The variety is more for ladies.

There are so many other famous things of Amritsar I might have forgotten to write, but I promise that you will really enjoy while in Amritsar, if you really are a keen learner who would ignore all other physical conditions like temperature, cleanliness, beggars etc.

Hope to see you soon in Amritsar, in our home.

Countries I’ve Visited

India

Countries I’ve Lived In

India