Amritsar

The Punjab certainly is green - fields of wheat stretching of miles. Although how much longer this will continue is unknown, as they have almost exhausted the ground water supply.

Amritsar is the capital city of the Sikh religion, with the Golden Temple at its heart. It isn't too dissimilar from its namesake in Japan, with both having a central golden building, surrounded by water. But while the Japanese one is set in a garden, this one is surrounded by dormitarys, museums and indeed, in encircled by them (as well as a surprising number of woolen thread shops). I am staying in the westerners room in the dorms, and can stay here, and eat (along with 45,000 other people) for free for 3 days, although a donation is expected. There are SO many people here, and not all Sikhs. The religion is a mix of Islam and Hindu, and that is also matched in the building styles, with the outsides being rather Hindu in design, but with an Islamic simplicity to the insides and decoration.

If you have watched 'Gandhi' then you will remember the scene, where the British soldiers shoot at the protesting group of people, killing lots of them. That was in Amritsar, and the memorial is a strange place, not least because i left it feeling rather angry (something i have been doing alot of recently, i need to stop!) The overall feeling of the place is simular to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in that they are painted as being the victims, and any of the deaths being totally undeserved. While the Japanese were hardly blameless victims, neither were the Sikhs. (I am not condoning the deaths, just commenting of the atmosphere of the memorials). The Sikhs were not 'innocent', but were in violation of the law, and while the British response was terrible, and highlighted the arrogance and racism of the soldiers and police, it was not without precedent, and not unlawful.

Trying to read quietly in India is very hard to do - people (men) just come and demand conversations, or will sit next to you (in an empty park) and try and also read the book, or shout and demand you come and talk to them etc. There is no respect of privicy, or any attempt to let someone read in peace. Although I have seen very people reading in public, so I dont know if that makes my actions rather unique, or everyone else has just found out the hard way that its easier to read at home.

The food hall is staffed totally by volunteers, and it really is a sight to behold. It is open 24hours a day apparently, and serves 45,000 meals a day. It has the feel of soup kitchen and sunday church BBQ combined, as Sikhs as well as the poor and visitors are feed together.