GOING TO INDIA???....

[P_Singh]

Yes I have been to Singh brothers and in fact they owe me 100RS from a few years ago for a book I ordered which they never sent . They have a good stock of books but I found it cheaper to get the same books in Jullundhar. I will try and find out the name of the bookshop in Jullundhar and an email address so you can order the books ready for collection if you know what you want. I think it is called New Book Comapny. For English books try Universal Book Depot also in Mai Hira Gate Jullundhar. If you go to Delhi try Bookwork in Connaught Place.

It is very cheap to buy English books in India. Get "Maharaja Ranjit singh, Lord of the Five Rivers" by Jean Marie Lafont published by Oxford university Press. It has some great pictures in it and costs only 1500 RS. The price in the UK was about £50.

It is a similar story with many other books. There are some nice books in the Panjab Heritage Series including Sikh Shrines in Delhi, Gurdwaras in India and Pakistan, Forts Palaces and Havelis of Panjab (never been able to get hold of this one), The Sikh Wedding . They have superb pictures and are informative. They are priced around 375 RS. Have a search on www.gobookshoping.com and make a note of title ISBN, author and publisher and take this information with you.

Regarding whether

Singhs rip you off. They sure do just because someone has Keshdari as most the shopkeepers around the Darbar Sahib complex it does not stop them ripping you off. Few years ago I wanted some swords and was quoted a price of I think 6 or 7 hundred rupees each by the keshdari shopkeeper. I walked out of the shop with the same swords for a total of 300 RS.

As for eating outside it is best avoided but I have only ever had a problem once when I eat pizza from Dominos in Jullundhar. I had to sit on the toilet for most the night :wub: . Never had a problem with food from Dhaba but I am sure others have. Might be worth taking a dose of DUKORAL if you are worried about tummy probelms. Ask your pharmacist for details about Dukoral. It is a vaccination against cholera but it is said to prevent 50% of travellers diarrohea cases.

Dont worry about the dodgy mineral water . I survived 4 weeks on such bottled water. Just make sure the bottle looks in good condition and the cap does not look as if it has come of a 10 year old bottle. If it does not look right do not buy it even if the shopkeeper assures you it is fresh and just go to another retailer.

Thanks Singho!

For the information regarding books, I'll def do a search like you say...

Names of shops in Jullendar would be great...I think that Jullendar is not all that close to our pind, BUT I WILL MAKESURE we make a trip down there, even if its just for shopping! Lol..

ALSO, checking out other gurdwara's and having darshan along the way...

[stopsingh]

Singh brothers are VERY much Trusted.. Don't listen to anyone !!

btw.. there are plently of good shops around amritsar (outside the complex).. don't worry about getting rip off.. and it doesn't make much difference by couple of dollars.. Singh.. just be with someone who is local or resident of punjab while shopping.. IT all will be fine :lol: Enjoy !

Singh Borothers owe me 100RS going back to aorund 1992. Shame I lost the receipt. Make sure you take all the books you pay for with you and dont leave any deposits for books they claim to be able to order in.

Who care if someone owe you 1000 bucks or 1 bucks.. go solve it by yourself veerjee

without any offense.. ur posts are always >> :lol: (lame)

Who cares if you think Singh Brothers are trustworthy :wub: .

Without any offence, your posts are below lame they are never researched and show your lack of knowledge (just one example no Americans served Maharaja Rhunjeet Singh aha ha ha :D ). So as to whose posts are lame I suggest you look at your own first :wub: :lol:

The poster wanted know whether the traders were trustworthy. The fact that Singh Brothers owe me 100 RS castes doubt on their status of being trustworthy. .

As for solving this issue I have not posted anything in these forums asking anyone like yourself to get me the money back so please try to stick to the topic concerned, which in this case is helping this veerji with his trip to India and stop him getting ripped off :lol: ). If you have a personal issue with me or my posts then resolve it by sending me a PM rather than distracting from the topic concerned :lol: .

[P_Singh]

Don't Drive.. dangerous !!! Rickshaws are fun :D

wjkkwjfk!!

hmm veerji india can be quite a blastt but summers are hot andd may tell u .. u get tons of mosquito bitess thats the worst part and as singh veerji said the rickshaws are very fun and if u get a ride like rent a car or whatever with the driver i swear those drivers are nuts they literally beat up ppl in the way but the gurdawaras are awesomeee be sure to check em outt and perferably take ur own water bottles haha thats wut we did never know wher the waters from andd keep ur wallet safe it can be gone in like a min thats wut happened to my mom one sec it was ther the next its gone :wub: oh well anyways enjoy ur trip singhaa!! have a awesome time

Wjkkwjkf!

Karen Kaur,

dear sister, yeah I've been warned to watch my stuff! I've heard some really horrible stories of things which have happened to relatives at gurdwara's regarding their stuff etc been taken/stolen....

THANKS!

[SSB]

i wanna go india never been in my life come to think about it :T: i've never been on a plane :|

[P_Singh]

GOTO SRI HEMKUNT SAHIB... ohh man i wanna live there forever... i say if you dont go there and if you going ot india now.. there is no point going to india if you dont go there. THis place is .. WOWWW !!!! :nihungsmile: So i beg you .. do get darshan here.

Other than that... my dad had international licence, so wherever we went .. i had my moma (moms bro) to guide us and saved money by travelling on our own.

TAKE A DIGITAL CAMERA .. always keep it to yourself, but ALWAYS TAKe SOME PICS.. and then share wit us later on... :e:

Remember like others said, when you go shopping, dont shop in foreign clothes.. go in kurta ... i got reli good deals :e:

Other than dat, have a safe trip brother, and do get darshan as much as you can of all of your gurdwaras. Take care.

Dear Daasn Daas,

YEAH, thats exactly what I was saying....theres NO point in go

ing IF we don't go to Hemkunt Sahib!!

We're going after so long, and who knows whether they'll be another chance, thus I really want to go there, hopefully it wont be raining in India (as it has started to now...) so Hemkunt Sahib SHOULD BE OPEN etc..

"Other than that... my dad had international licence, so wherever we went .. i had my moma (moms bro) to guide us and saved money by travelling on our own"

LOL... :wub:

Hanji, I'll take loads of pics hopefully..one thing I'm noticing with these digitial cameras is that the battery goes too quick! But I've been told that you can save them by taking pics with the 'viewfinder' switched off, hence you take them as you do with the 'regular' cameras...

WILL post pics on here when/IF (you never know...) i get back... :T:

[P_Singh]

Waheguroo Jee Ka Khalsa!

Waheguroo Jee Kee Fateh!!

Bro you're going after 14 years! That's a long time and a lot of things will have changed. I've been going every year, sometimes twice a year.

1. The best place to get English books is in Ludhiana. Sikh Book Centre near Gurdwara Shaheedan, Model Town extension, Ludhiana, is run by the Guru Gobind Singh Study Circle. They use any profits made from the sale of books in Parchar activities amongst the youth. The shop is very well stocked and apart from just books they also stock all the Sikh magazines such as Sikh Review, Spokesman, Sikh Shahadat, Sikh Phulwari, Nishaan etc. You can also get a good number of back issues of these magazines.

2. You're right that most of the shopkeepers will spot a 'baharla' from a mile off. Best thing to do as some of the other members have written is to take a relative with you who will be able to barter for you. As I've been going to India for ages, I've become quite skilled in the art of bartering, even to the point of knocking off 2 rupees off a kilo of muttar ( Rs 12 down to Rs 10 ) by correctly pointing out that a kilo of muttar is only Rs 10 in Mullanpur Dakha so why should they be Rs 12 in Jagraon

3. Best t

hing to do is to 'go native' and instead of doing the usual of hiring cars or being chauffeured everywhere, take a Tempo. If you live in a village then a Tempo will take you to the nearest town for a few rupees. You'll have to stand on a ramp outside but it's all good fun. If you're going from one town to the next the bus services are great. Jagraon to Ludhiana ( 40 Kms ) is only Rs 16. In the city you can either take the three wheeler service, a rickshaw, or a local minibus to where you are going. I used to use these whenever I went from to Ludhiana.

GurFateh

Bikramjit Singh

Thanks Bikramjit Singh!!!

I'll make a note of these book stores you mention so that I know what to look for!!

I'm def going to be wearing kurta's all the time...I'll mix in with the pindoo's and hopefully wont be 'spotted' from afar by the shop keepers... :wub:

yeah, will go around with 'pindoo' relatives and hence it should be all good! I'll be coferring with them as to whether prices are sensible etc..Lol..

THANKS...

[P_Singh]

i wanna go india never been in my life come to think about it :T: i've never been on a plane :|

Dear 'SSB'...

Come jeeo, lets explore INDIA!!!

[stopsingh]

Here goes another lame post

One tip if you hire a car, check the tyre tread is ok and the driver has a good spare, a working jack etc. from experience I have seen cars with this sort of desi rubber remoulds on tyres (like covering a tyre with a rubber type sellotape) which are unsafe and prone to punctures. I have also seen drivers stuck at the side of a road becasue their jack does not work.

Heres another lame tip :wub: . I agree with Karen Kaur about keeping an eye on valuables. It is sad but well known that thieves do operate everywhere including Gurdwara complexes. Most darji (tailors) will sow hidden pockets into kurte pyjame if you ask them.

[S1ngh]

Hanji, I'll take loads of pics hopefully..one thing I'm noticing with these digitial cameras is that the battery goes too quick! But I've been told that you can save them by taking pics with the 'viewfinder' switched off, hence you take them as you do with the 'regular' cameras...

You can charge ur battery there with ur normal charger :wub: I have sony dig. cam and i took it there and my sony adapter (normal one which comes with package) has the voltage mentioned on it's case and it says the voltage types and it was compatible with indian voltage which is really high ... All u have to do is find the outplug without round holes .. (u can buy the outplug adapter real cheap from any electronic store back in punjab.. So if you japaney made camera.. then my friend you are lucky B)

i love pub

lic transportation in the city.. specially rickshaws.. u don't have to worry about finding parking space and the gas and so on.. they are just like yellow cabies of NY.. nice advice bikramjitsingh gave... after all.. all bikramjits are smart :e:

I never been to hemkund sahib :D

[stopsingh]

Hanji, I'll take loads of pics hopefully..one thing I'm noticing with these digitial cameras is that the battery goes too quick! But I've been told that you can save them by taking pics with the 'viewfinder' switched off, hence you take them as you do with the 'regular' cameras...

You can charge ur battery there with ur normal charger :wub: I have sony dig. cam and i took it there and my sony adapter (normal one which comes with package) has the voltage mentioned on it's case and it says the voltage types and it was compatible with indian voltage which is really high ... All u have to do is find the outplug without round holes .. (u can buy the outplug adapter real cheap from any electronic store back in punja

b.. So if you japaney made camera.. then my friend you are lucky B)

i love public transportation in the city.. specially rickshaws.. u don't have to worry about finding parking space and the gas and so on.. they are just like yellow cabies of NY.. nice advice bikramjitsingh gave... after all.. all bikramjits are smart :e:

I never been to hemkund sahib :lol:

Here is another lame post :lol: ) :wub: :D

If you plan on taking electrical devices /chargers etc invest in a surge protector. The Indian electric supply is not the most stable at the best of times and a surge protector will protect your equipemnt from spikes/surges. You can buy these in India and they are well worth buying.

A surge/spikebuster can be had for around Rs.200 and the replaceable fuse in them will cost around Rs.10.