Amritsar is doomed
I went to Amritsar recently for the darshan of Sri Harmandir sahib ji gurdwara and other places and I was disappointed, here are some of the things I think should be taken immediate action upon:- 1. Sri Harmandir sahib ji has become more of a tourist attraction than a sacred place. I’m not against tourism or people to come to see the place but Iam against the disrespect. There are people who don’t even know what to do inside, I saw a woman taking pictures without her veil and when her husband( one taking the pictures) told her to join her hands she said,” Ab itna drama kis liye krna hai haha.” This is our sacred land, we sikh sangat should definitely put some strict rules like proper dress code (salwaar kamiz with proper covered kes for women and kurta pajama with a proper turban or parna instead of that piece of cloth for men) no exceptions… the nyang khalsa do such a wonderful job at keeping eye on any immodest activities, but I think rules should be made more strict!
The customer beggers: while walking down the beautiful streets of the markets, I saw that it has become a habit of the shop owners to force the customers to enter their shop. It is quite annoying and weird, it causes soo much chaos and unnecessary bother for the people just trying to have a good time. I dont think this should be allowed, I understand that the shops are way too many but the people are too! Begging someone to enter their shop is ridiculous, one of them even grabbed my arm pulling me in saying,” madam aao! Humara restaurant India ka best restaurant hai.” And when I pull my myself off his hands, he swore at me! I think this abusive advertisement method should be banned.
In Tarn taran sahib ji and in almost all the gurdwara sahibs, there is a jute carpet all around the gurdwara for the purpose of walking upon. It tends to be quite rough on the feet, worse when it’s wet, it smells bad as it collects dirt, I think it should be replaced with something better, made of plastic perhaps, if plastic being bad for nature is a problem, I think they should think of a better replacement which is not rough, does not absorb, and does not freeze.
I’d be glad to see your opinions on these, and I hope these concerns reach the right community that can take actions.