Punjab

Fields of Gold

sarson fields

This was along a stretch from Hajipur to Talwara, the hinterland of Punjab. Mustard, which is commonly known as sarson is an interesting crop. It holds a unique place in the culture of Punjab. The sarson-ka saag is a unique dish part of the local food. The sarson-ke-khet ( mustard fields) are  a clique and romantic metaphor being depicted too often in Indian movies.

feb_013_1 This is maize or Makki as it is called. It is the bread with which the sarson-ka-saag is ingested. This combination along with white butter, is supposed to give a lot of strength to work on the fields. The Indian coins also depict a symbol of this crop.

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Here a kingfisher is enjoying the seanic environment on a sunny day, today.

 

Forest Trail

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Being in the wild often makes one wonder what was being missed while in the city. While city life does have its own share of parks and green areas, a place which is cut away from human population, the road lesser taken; can lead you to some beautiful and invigorating experiences.

trail Like this Nature trail above. I was surprised to find this parallel road to a lesser known intercity road near Sujanpur. Some parts of this area were converted into a wasteland, but most of the stretch was peaceful n calm, with a variety of birds, some of them water birds as there is a canal on another side.

woodpecker9A woodpecker was also busy admiring the view of the river along with a host of other birds, like the Treepie, Grey headed Canary, Black winged stilt and hornbills.

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Horses in Pathankot

There is a little corner near a “Chowk”, a market square, which is a resting point for horse carts. Each owner of the horse cart rests next to his horse. Horse carts are still used in this terrain for lugging goods from one town to another. They are called “Khacchar” in local language, which I suppose is a pony. Horse carts are not used for transporting people any longer in this part and that is quite unfortunate, because there could have been tourism potential. However, there are still two old time horse carts remaining in a close town that is used for ferrying people to nearby areas. Also, there are a few horses are Khajjiyar area, which are used to give joy rides to tourists in the summer season.