Present Day Amritsar

Even today, Amritsar continues to be most preferred tourist spot for the people from all over the world. The city is known as the jewel crown of Punjab and when you mention the history and culture, it never lets you down. Its amazing history and incredible culture welcomes you with open arms. The vibrant and colorful culture of Amritsar is visible not only in Gurdwaras and Temples but also through parks, gardens, museums, memorials, libraries, galleries and theaters. Folk dances like Bhangra and Gidha are an essential part of Amritsar and Punjabi culture with folk music preserving its niche in the society.

Your day starts with the ‘Amrit Bani’ and ends by watching the enthralling parade at the Atari-Wagah Border leaving you with a feeling of wholeness. The city fills you with holiness, patriotism and pride and also welcomes you to the “Punjabi Hospitality” with the mouthwatering tempting cuisine and local food that leaves your taste buds asking for more. You’ll find restaurants, street food, zeal and happiness throughout the city. If you are fond of shopping, there are various outlets of colourful ‘Punjabi juttis’, ‘Phulkaris’ and the famous ‘Papad’ and ‘Wadian’. It is a perfect destination for the history and food lovers.

The city has given numerous famous personalities to the nation from different fields starting with former Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh being at the top. Amritsar is proud of its brave sons General S.H.F.J. Manekshaw, General Rajinder Singh Sparrow, General Bikram Singh and Kiran Bedi, the first woman officer in Indian Police Service.

Renowned film personalities like Dara Singh, Rajesh Khanna, Geeta Bali, Jitendra, Akshay Kumar, Vinod Mehra, Deepti Naval, Rajit Kapur, Veeru Devgan, Jaspal Bhatti, Kapil Sharma, Chandan Prabhakar, Rajiv Thakur, Bharti Singh, Deepa Mehta, Richa Chadha, famous villain Ranjeet Bedi, Vijat Arora and singers like Mahendra Kapoor, Wadali Brothers, Sukhwinder Singh, Narendra Chanchal, Amrinder Gill and Jordan Sandhu are all born in Amritsar. Kotla Sultan Singh, a village in Amritsar district is the birthplace of singer Mohammad Rafi.

Amritsar gave sports person like Bishen Singh Bedi, Madan Lal, Vijay Mehra, Harvinder Singh, Sarandeep Singh, Ravneet Ricky, Mohit Handa, Abhishek Sharma (cricketers), Dara Singh, Gama Pehalwan (wrestlers) and Balwinder Singh, Dharam Singh Gill, Harbir Singh Sandhu, Harmanpreet Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Gurjit Kaur (hockey players) were born in the city. The world famous Michelin star winner chef Vikas Khanna is also born in Amritsar.

It is a city of festivals and fairs which have always been a vital part of the Amritsar culture. Festivals are celebrated here holding together the idea of social, cultural, religious and patriotic values. All the Gurpurabs and prominent festivals like Baisakhi, Basant Panchmi, Diwali, Dussehra, Raksha Bandhan, Karva Chauth, Holi/Hola Mohalla, Lohri, Teej and many more are celebrated with harmony by Sikhs and Hindus. Many melas or fairs like Basant Panchmi and Ram Tirath mela are held in the city and people actively participate in them.

Like any other city, Amritsar also has some of its own social, industrial and political issues. The major problem that Amritsar today faces is the rapid urbanization of the city without any adequate planning. With the growing demands of improved infrastructure, better industry and more employment opportunities, we sincerely hope that the Government of India and the Government of Punjab would look into these issues and work together to make Amritsar a much better place.