Team Apex continues on its journey through Dehradun and Bathinda. Our previous trip was covered in part 1
DEHRADUN
Dehradun, the state capital of Uttarakhand is situated in
the foothills of the Himalayas. This valley has the Ganga River on its east and
the Yamuna River on its west. The city's
natural serene and pleasing climate along with green environs, natural springs
and various tourist and religious destinations makes it an attractive city. It
is a city with a history related to famous Hindu mythologies and residence of
the great teacher and scholar Guru Drona. It is considered as one of the
best-suited places for an individual to live as it offers not only perfect
weather and climatic conditions but also best schools and institutes for higher
education.
So, My education journey had taken me to this splendid city.
Initially, I was excited but nervous at the same time by the prospect of living
independently. I lived in a rented a room close to my university campus. the
first impression of local residents what I observed was that they were very
kind-hearted, friendly and well- educated. They welcome every individual-
student, a new resident or a tourist- with a warm heart and make it comfortable
for them to live and get along. Majority of people are from Garwhal region of
Uttarakhand who had moved to Dehradun city for better opportunities. They knew
the feeling of living away from there homes just like me. So, as my college
journey started, I also start to explore this beautiful and spiritual
city. Here are some of the landmarks that I explored.
1) Mussoorie- Queen of Hills: It is one of the best hill stations in India. It's abundance
of majestic hills, flora and fauns with lush greenery, a perfect soothing
climate and breathtaking view of nature initially attracted me so much that I
wanted live there for rest of my life. Under the snow, the beauty of hills gets
magnified. I visited Mussoorie whenever there was snowfall just to capture that
soft white sheet on hills. Other places to explore around are Gun Hill, Mall
road, Kempty falls.
2) Robber’s Cave
Also known as Guchhupani, this is the single most popular
picnic spot in all of Dehradun. The unique thing about Robber’s Cave is that a
water stream in the area disappears underground, only to appear a few meters
away. It is really a peaceful and quiet place to hang out.
3) Rishikesh
Though a bit far from the city, it is one of the most
attractive places to visit. I had lost counts how many times I visited
Rishikesh with friends. There is just so
much to write about it like history and culture of the city. The holy Ganga
flowing through the city, the sadhus who traveled from afar lands, Yoga centers
filled with people from whole over the world catches the attention of every
person. Laxman and Ram Jhoola are the two historical and holy landmarks to see.
Rafting and camping on Ganga river is also a great experience which I enjoyed
the most. Bonfire in the evening at the camp with friends are moments that want
to live and experience in your life.
Having spent part of my life this beautiful city I agree
with Ruskin Bond describing it in his book Rain in the Mountains: Notes from
the Himalayas quoted, “It is always the same with mountains. Once you have
lived with them for any length of time, you belong to them. There is no
escape.”
BATHINDA
Bathinda - The City the of lake is the 5th largest city in Punjab and it is the administrative headquarter of Bathinda District. Bathinda's nickname the 'City of Lakes' is the courtesy of the artificial lakes in the city.
It is a city where one can reach from his/her location to any loaction within 10 kms without facing any major traffic.The city is well connected through rail and road. Domestic Airpot of bathinda has connectivity of 1 flight daily to delhi. AIIMS. Bathinda is home to two modern thermal power plants.The city has a fertilizer plant, a large oil refinery, a zoo, and a historic Qila Mubarak fort.
The city posses 3 shopping malls having outlets of all popular brands and food chains like Kfc, Macdonalds. Hinduism is the religion of majority in Bathinda city. People in bathinda enjoys punjabi food having ‘Prantha’s’, ‘Butter Chicken’, ‘Maaki ki Roti and Sarson ka Saag’, ‘Cholee Bhature’, ‘Amritsari Nan Kulcha’ followed by ‘lassi’ and Drinks. However one can not genelarize that most punjabis are non vegeterians and enjoy having alcohol. There are a lot of people who have vegetarian food and don't consume alcohol.
The city is an educational ,shopping and entertainment hub for the villages/small town adjoining it. It is home to central university of Punjab,engineering,medical,arts and commerce colleges.They serve as a good option for those who don't want to go far from their native places.The area 'Ajit Road' is always buzzing with students as majority of coaching centers for IIT JEE, AIIMS, Banks, Po, Law, IIM, IELTS are located there.This area is also know for the food outlets . One can find everything there from street food to restaurants. AIIMS is also coming to Bathinda in the coming years.
The trend of ‘Canada’ and ‘Chandigarh’ in Punjab – Bathinda people are know to shift themselves to canada for the purpose of earning and living their life well. Most Punjabis have their relatives in Canada.The trend is more common in rural areas then urban. Chandigarh is the city where students from bathinda go for studies as it has premium institutions and also is known for the fun that one can have .
Business in Bathinda is being affected by the big players like Big Bazaar, Reliance , Easy day. People can always be heard talking about government and buisness.
Bathinda is a city where there are no societies and people have a great bonding between them independent of religion/castes.However, the culture is not as modernized as metropolitan cities.The city closes by 11 in the night and there are no weekend getaways from the city as well.
It’s a city where one can live peacfully without being in a hurry and can enjoy his smooth life.
Find out where we went next - part 3
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