Editor's Letter: Haryana & Chandigarh

Dear reader,

For many travellers, Haryana is the state you drive through on the way to somewhere else. You leave Delhi, pass the glass towers of Gurgaon or the factories of Faridabad, and before long you are on the Grand Trunk Road heading for the hills of Himachal or the gurdwaras of Punjab. Chandigarh, too, is often treated as a stopover: a night in a clean, orderly city before the climb to Shimla or Kasauli. This December issue of Travel Viewpoint asks you to slow down and look at the neighbours we so often overlook.

December suits the region. The fierce heat of the plains is long gone, the mornings are crisp and often foggy, and the afternoons are gentle enough for walking. Mustard is beginning to green the fields, sugarcane is being harvested, and the dhabas along the highways are serving their winter food with extra white butter. It is the season of shawls, of roasted peanuts sold from carts, and of long lunches in the sun.

A year to travel close to home

This has been a year unlike any other, and most of us have travelled much less than we would have liked. One small lesson many readers have shared with us is the pleasure of discovering places close to home. If you live in Delhi, Punjab or anywhere in the north, Haryana and Chandigarh are just such places: within a few hours by road, easy to reach, and full of things most of us have never stopped to see. As always, please check the latest local guidance before you travel, keep your plans flexible, and be considerate of the people who welcome you.

Chandigarh, the planned city

We begin with Chandigarh, the city beautiful, which serves as the capital of both Punjab and Haryana while belonging to neither as a Union Territory. Planned in the 1950s by Le Corbusier and his team, it was imagined as a modern city for a newly independent nation. Its sectors, wide roads, green belts and concrete buildings still feel bold today. The Capitol Complex, the Rock Garden built from waste by Nek Chand, the rose garden and the evenings around Sukhna Lake each show a different side of the city. Our writer walks through it and explains why it is so much more than a tidy stopover.

The towns of Haryana

From there we travel across Haryana. Ambala, long known for its scientific instrument makers, has a story that most visitors never hear. Faridabad and Gurgaon show how quickly a farming landscape can become an industrial and corporate one, and why both are worth understanding even if you are not there on business. Panipat, the site of three famous battles that changed the course of Indian history, is also a centre of textiles and handloom. And Kurukshetra, the land of the Mahabharata, draws pilgrims to Brahma Sarovar and the sites associated with the Bhagavad Gita.

Hills and gardens

Haryana is not all plains. Morni Hills, in the Shivalik foothills near Panchkula, is the state’s quiet hill retreat, with small lakes, pine slopes and a fort. Nearby Pinjore has its terraced Mughal-era garden, the Yadavindra Gardens, with fountains, pavilions and a sense of order that rewards a slow afternoon. Both are easy day trips from Chandigarh and a lovely way to break a journey to the hills.

Crafts and the Surajkund fair

We also look at the Surajkund International Crafts Mela, usually held in February near Faridabad, which brings artisans, weavers, potters and performers from across India and beyond to one large, colourful ground. Whether and how the fair will be held in the coming season is not yet certain, so please check official announcements before you plan around it. Even so, its story says a great deal about how Haryana sees itself: as a meeting point, a crossroads, a place where many cultures pass through.

Food along the highway

No issue about Haryana and Chandigarh would be complete without food. This is the land of the highway dhaba, of thick lassi, of parathas cooked on the tawa and served with butter and pickle, and of simple, nourishing village meals built on wheat, milk and seasonal greens. In winter, look out for bajra roti, saag and jaggery. Chandigarh, for its part, has a lively food culture of its own, from old sector markets to newer cafes. Eat where the locals eat, and ask what is in season.

Seeing the region slowly

If I could give one suggestion for this issue, it would be this: do not rush. Choose two or three places rather than ten. Spend a morning at a garden rather than an hour. Talk to the person who sells you tea. Haryana and Chandigarh do not shout for attention the way some destinations do, and that is exactly why they reward patience. The history here is layered, the landscape is gentle, and the people are generous with their time if you are generous with yours.

Getting around

One of the pleasures of this region is how easy it is to reach. Chandigarh is well connected by rail and road from Delhi, and most of the places in this issue can be reached by car within a few hours of the capital or of Chandigarh itself. Winter fog can slow trains and roads, especially early in the morning, so leave extra time, avoid driving in thick fog at night, and keep an eye on travel updates before you leave. A little patience in December goes a long way, and the slow mornings are part of the season’s charm. Combine a city with a garden or a pilgrimage town, and you will have a weekend that feels far richer than its distance suggests.

Thank you

As this difficult year comes to an end, I want to thank you for reading, writing to us and sharing your travel memories when so many of us could not travel at all. Your support has meant more than we can say. I hope this issue helps you plan a winter outing, close to home and safely, when the time is right for you and your family.

Wishing you a warm and healthy winter, and a gentler year ahead,

Khushi Anand, Editor