I came back from Punjab last week after a short vacation that was in the works since a long time. It felt nice to go back home after a year - a long year that seemed to have passed like a flash. And just like my last trip, this vacation also brought forth its share of surprises. Once again, the Punjab that I saw last time is undergoing further metamorphosis.
There is a strong NRI boom right now - you will see the youth in all shades and colors, spiky hairstyles or sans any hair, zooming around in swanky cars. And then the central meeting place in Jalandhar - aptly named ‘Headquarters’ is a hotbed for catching up on the latest trends in fashion, gossip, dating, food et al. It makes for an interesting sight to see so many different shades of how lifestyles have evolved in a matter of one year.
A lot of new food joints have also come up. Needless to say, the McDonalds at Jalandhar is on the topmost position in India in terms of revenue - a statistic that came up during a research project in Netscribes. And I was not shocked ;-). However, the past months also saw the sale of Haveli - an immensely popular food joint - that was launched three years ago. I could not confirm the exact deal size but it is believed to be close to INR 170 crores. A very shocking number there.
On exploring the NRI influx a little deeper, I found out that most of them are on vacation at home - just like me :-). All that they do back home is look at properties for making a quick buck and party party party. Not bad though ;-)). The realty prices are also on the rise. A friend tells me that there has been a 25% appreciation in property over the last three months. This is good news for those who are invested in property - but it might cause a tingle of worry for people planning to buy a house. Coming from Mumbai, this was not news for me - Mumbai is seeing its own share of insane price hikes in real estate market. And flats have already made inroads in Jalandhar as well - I visited a friend who has bought his own flat in one of the high rise buildings that have mushroomed recently. Even though I am not fond of closed spaces like flats, the sold-out flats point towards a new direction and an underlying demography shift. Needless to say, shifting into flats is a difficult decision for most Punjabis as they are used to living in big open spaces - homes with big gardens, ample lobby space and huge rooms. So the confinement must be painful at times. I was surprised to see the paradigm shift in the thought process of businesses as well - beautifully designed buildings and offices is the new trend. This is one change that I liked for the good and it was time that Jalandhar started looking at the aesthetics.
My trip to Amritsar was a pleasant one. The roads are awesome - you can actually do justice to your BMWs and Mercs on these roads. And to further take care of the increasing vehicles that ply on the highways, the government is on a rapid road widening spree - the four lanes are being converted into six lanes. There are a lot of new housing complexes and row houses coming outside the city as well. Clicked one on my way to Amritsar.
Golden Temple remains one of my favorite places in Punjab - the calmness and serenity of the place gets to you, and it was an amazingly wonderful experience visiting the holy temple.
Overall, there have been extremely positive developments vis-a-vis infrastructure, cleanliness and business space. If you are into any business that touches youth - entertainment, food, garments, automobiles - you cannot afford to ignore Punjab. One trip and you will become a believer in the business opportunity that this place has come to offer in recent years. I am waiting to go back again soon - every trip has started to become an exciting revelation.
A few pictures from the trip are posted on Flickr.
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