and reaching Amritsar

Leaving Pathankot

Tea but not milk

Golden Temple and rain
It was raining pretty heavily when we reached Golden Temple this time around. It was my second trip to India. In the first trip it was only I--crossed border in the afternoon, spent the night in Amritsar, and then crossed border in the morning to go back to Lahore. In the second trip H was with me--crossed border, showed H around in Amritsar, and then took a bus to Pathankot. Actually, we wanted to go to Dharamsala but we had missed that bus. The idea was to go to Pathankot and then take another bus to Dharamsala. But we reached Pathankot very late at night, and we had to be back in Lahore the next day, so there was no point in continuing the journey to Dharamsala that night. Spent the night in Pathankot and took 8:20 a.m. train back to Amritsar.

Honorable Sh. L.K. Advani

Making good fences

Meeting Intizar Hussain

Meeting Intizar Hussain

Here he is seen signing a book for me.

انتظار حسین صاحب اردو ادب کے برائن لارا ہیں۔ انہوں نے لکھ لکھ کر کتابوں کے ڈھیر لگا دیے ہیں۔ ان کی تصانیف مندرجہ ذیل ہیں:

چار یادوں کے مجموعے
چراغوں کا دھواں
اجمل اعظم
جنم کہانیاں
قصہ کہانیاں

چار ناول
بستی
تذکرہ
چاند گہن
آگے سمندر ہے

دس افسانوں کے مجموعے
خیمے سے دور
آخری آدمی
کنکری
دن اور داستان
خالی پنجرہ
گلی کوچے
کچھوے
شہر افسوس
شہرزاد کے نام
ملاقاتیں

تین تراجم
گھاس کے میدان۔۔چیخوف
فلسفہ کی نئی تشکیل۔۔جان ڈیوی
An unwritten epic & other stories

دو سفرنامے
نئے شہر پرانی بستیاں
زمین اور فلک اور

Meeting Intizar Hussain

Meeting Intizar Hussain

It was very gracious of the King of Urdu fiction writing Intizar Hussain to meet me on a very short notice. I wonder if I should have a different web place to write my observations on literati I meet.

Urdu in Golden Temple, Amritsar

Acknowledgment in Urdu.

Golden Temple at sunset

Golden Temple at sunset.

Devotees at Golden Temple.

The beautiful Golden Temple

The beautiful Golden Temple-2

Golden Temple, Amritsar

The beautiful Golden Temple.

Wash feet before entering Golden Temple.

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One of the entrances into Golden Temple.

Posters for sale.

Busy street near Golden Temple.

General Dyer, Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar

Remembering Dyer.

Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar

A visit to Jallianwala Bagh.

Reaching Amritsar.

Atari to Amritsar.

Rickshaw to Atari.

Last check at the border.

To Amritsar

On my way to Amritsar.

A welcome from Punjab.

Welcome.

Indian side.

No man's land

Pakistani side.

Looking at the Pakistani side of the border opening.

Breakfast in Lahore, lunch in Amritsar

Well, it was actually a very late lunch, but I succeeded in doing what I wanted to do for a long time. I had breakfast in Lahore and after taking care of some business crossed the border on foot, and had lunch in Amritsar. Long live non-reporting visas, and may all Pakistanis and Indians soon have the privilege of traveling this way.

I had told my friend Shalini Gera I would write an article with the above title. But now I am not too sure I would. What exactly is so special about traveling between two cities that are just 60 km apart?

I have written more about the trip in Urdu, and it is going to be here:
http://cemendtaur-ki-urdu-dunya.blogspot.com/


Facts:
Visa: Got multiple entry visa of 6-month validity from Indian Consulate in San Francisco.
Lahore to Wagah: The border is 30 km from Lahore. Budget travelers change a couple of buses to reach to the border (coming back, I believe Bus #4, border to Jallo; Bus #22 Jallo to ?: Bus ?? from ? to Lari Addah--Lahore Bus Stand). Taxi costs Rs.500-700.
Money conversion: Changing Pak Rupees to Indian Rupees you get a better rate on the Pakistani side. I got Indian Rs 700 for Pak Rs 1000.
Crossing border: Border is open 9:30 to 3:30 pm every day. Most of the people crossing the border on foot have foreign passports.
There is a short (1/4 km) no-man’s land to walk. Porters are available to carry your luggage.
Border to Atari: At the Indian side most people take cycle rickshaws to reach Atari bus stand (roughly 2.5 km from the border). Cycle rickshaw costs Rs.10.
Atari to Amritsar: Bus to Amritsara costs Rs.15.

Unspoiled Gwadar beach

Hitherto almost unspoiled Gwadar beach
But I doubt it would remain this way for too long. Mismanaged development and population increase is very likely to take its toll.

Gwadar Port Authority Building

Gwadar Port Authority Building
This still under-construction building along with the new port will be inaugurated on March 22.

Gwadar

Gwadar, seen from the hammerhead

Gwadar International Airport

   Reaching Gwadar

Air Blue to Gwadar
My friend Ghulam Nabi and I made a one-day trip to Gwadar. Here is the 18-seater plane we flew. This picture was taken on our return to Karachi.

Meeting Mushtaq Ahmad Yusufi

Mushtaq Ahmad Yusufi was very kind to talk to me for almost two hours--though, he asked me to turn off the video camera very early in the session. His wife passed away on January 30 after an illness of two and a half years.
He told me he has manuscript of two books he wants to publish soon.
I tried to convince him to visit his fans in India, UK, USA, and Canada.

Mushtaq Ahmad Yusufi

It was a productive day, today. I met Mushtaq Ahmad Yusufi, my favorite Urdu humorist.