The first thing I do is make them feel very comfortable. This way, they can ask me anything and talk to me freely without feeling shy. I believe a guide and the travelers need a strong bond and good understanding between them.
Step 1: How I synchronize with the brain of my guests
So let’s understand how I connect and synchronize with my guests.
When I pick up my guests from the airport, railway station, or hotel, I first say, “Welcome to Amritsar!”
Then I introduce myself and my driver. After that, I explain their programme for the day — what places we will visit in Amritsar and in what order. I also tell them the important “Do’s and Don’ts” for the different tourist spots.Next, I tell them that Punjab is famous for its folk dance (Bhangra), delicious vegetarian and non-vegetarian food, Phulkari fabric, and of course, Punjabi jokes.
Then I share this Punjabi joke:
There was a Punjabi man who wrote a letter to his wife. He said,
“Darling, I love you. There is bad news — I didn’t get my salary this month. But don’t worry, I am sending you 100 kisses instead of money. Please manage with these.”His wife was very clever (you know, wives are always clever!).
She wrote back:
“My dear love, thank you very much for your 100 kisses. Please send me 1000 more kisses because I have already used up your 100 kisses. Early this morning I gave 50 kisses to the milkman and 50 kisses to the grocery shop owner.
Now there is a long line of men outside our house waiting for more kisses!”When her husband read this, he got scared and quickly sent her the money.I look at my male guests and say with a smile, “Sir, don’t try this at home — it is very dangerous!”
We all laugh loudly together — my guests and me.
What happens when we laugh?
When people laugh, for a few moments:
1)Their chain of thoughts stops.
2)They become thoughtless.
3)They feel less stress, less anxiety, and almost weightless.
4)The dura layer (the covering around the brain) becomes soft and loose, so we suddenly feel very happy and relaxed.
For those few moments, my guests live fully in the present moment.
When we laugh together and feel the present moment, our minds connect.
This is called a cognitive consciousness connection. Our brains get synchronized.
My guests suddenly start feeling comfortable with me. But the synchronization is still not complete.
After the laughter…I explain the history of the Golden Temple:
1) Why was the Golden Temple built?
2) Who built it?
3) When was it built?
4) Why is it so important to Sikh people?
I give all this information carefully.
But I don’t talk only about history for too long, because people get bored. The human brain can listen carefully to one topic for only about 40 minutes. After that it gets tired. That’s why in Indian schools and colleges, one class period is only 40 minutes.So after the history, I move to the next step.
Step 2: Synchronization of the hearts.
I tell my guests a story that happened the previous night with my wife.My wife said to me,
“I saw a video on Instagram. A lady was saying that in Hinduism, a husband is called Pati-Parmeshwar — Pati means husband and Parmeshwar means God.
But Lord Rama left his wife Sita in the forest. So how can Mother Sita consider Lord Rama as God when he left her in the middle of her life journey?”
My wife said, “Logically, she is right”
I replied to my wife,
“Listen. This time I am not going to explain why women should consider their husbands as God. I just want to tell you how powerful the word ‘Ram’ is.
I will not talk about how brave Lord Rama was, how he killed demons, or about his kindness and patience.
I will only explain the power of the word ‘Ram’.”
Abandoned old poor soul
Then I told her (and now I tell my guests) this real story:
A Abandoned Poor Soul on roadside
I also saw a video of an old lady more than 80 years old. Her own son had abandoned her at a bus terminal.
She could barely see — she was wearing very thick glasses.
She could barely walk — she held a stick in her hand.
At this age she was alone on the roadside with a heavy heart full of memories. She had spent her whole life taking care of her children, hoping that one day they would take care of her. Now she was completely alone.People asked her, “Who are you? Why are you crying?”
She kept saying only one word again and again: “Ram… Ram… Ram…”Her heart was almost breaking. Her body was shivering. Her mind was confused. Her soul was crying.
To steady herself, she kept repeating just one name: “Ram, Ram.” I explained to my wife (and to my guests):
When nothing remains in our hands, when the mind stops working and the heart is about to break, the soul calls for help and says “Ram… Ram… Ram…”
At that moment all logic, all doubts, and all questions disappear. You no longer ask questions about Lord Rama’s character. You simply call “Ram… Ram…” for help.When I share this real incident, my guests feel the deep pain of that old lady
What happens when we feel deep pain together?
When we share the same deep pain, something special happens inside us.
1)The emotion becomes strong and real — just like the moment you taste sugar in your tea and suddenly feel its sweetness all through your mouth. In that moment, the long chain of thoughts in your mind suddenly stops.
Your worries, your plans, and everything else freeze for a little while. You come fully into the present moment again, but this time it feels deeper and more real.
2) It is not just in your mind — it touches your heart.
You and the people with you feel the same emotion at the same time, and that shared feeling connects you in a quiet, powerful way.
3)Hearts have also Cognitive consciousness connections
Through this shared deep pain, our minds connect once more — but this time the connection goes straight from heart to heart. Scientists have found that the heart also has about 40,000 neurons, so a kind of consciousness lives in the heart too. That is why people say “follow your heart” — it means think and feel from the heart, so we can live more peacefully.
So now the synchronization between my guests and me is complete.
My mission is accomplished.To make our bond even stronger, I tell them one more Punjabi joke.
Note:
I have many different kinds of jokes ready — traditional folk jokes, funny real-life political jokes, family jokes, scientific jokes, and even a few naughty ones.
I also have many real-life inspiring stories — stories from Buddha’s life, stories of ordinary local people, stories about world politics, and many more.
Step 3: How I help my guests understand the real importance of a local tourist guide
In AmritsarAlong with information about Amritsar, Punjab, India, Pakistan, the Golden Temple, culture, food, history, the Partition, and the wars between India and Pakistan, I also share something special. I tell them stories and facts that are not written in books. These out-of-the-ordinary stories help my guests understand how local people think, how they live, and how they look at life.Let’s talk about why a good local guide is so important for travelers in Amritsar.I ask my guests:
“Just imagine if you came alone to the Golden Temple. You would only look at the beautiful building. You would not understand the real stories behind it. You could ask ChatGPT for help, but you would still miss many important things.”Why?
A local guide can share knowledge that only comes from living in Amritsar for many years.
ChatGPT cannot match real-life experience.
Not everything is written on websites, Wikipedia, or inside ChatGPT.
I can prove this to you.
So I ask my guets, Look at that little boy over there.
To most people, they just look cute in their traditional Sikh clothes. That’s all.But if you have an expert local guide with you (like me), you can see the deeper story behind them.These children are baptized Sikh kids.
They may have received their baptism at the Golden Temple or at another Sikh temple.
They are wearing the special baptized dress, and they also wear five important symbolic things:
1) A turban
2) A wooden comb
3) An iron bangle
4) A small dagger at the waist
5) A special white cotton undergarment
I do not explain the meaning of these five things right now.
Instead, I ask a deeper question: Why does Sikhism allow even small children to get baptized?
They are still kids. They are not fully grown-up and do not know the world yet. Actually, not only in Sikhism but also in Hinduism, children can be baptized. Why?In our religions, children are seen as close to God.
Here is why: Children are innocent. Their minds are free from the long chain of thoughts.
We adults think about 60,000 thoughts every day. We are not really living life — we are only thinking about life.
But children are truly living. They do not carry 60,000 thoughts. They are pure, without ego, free from time, and free from constant thinking — just like Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden before they ate the fruit of knowledge.Children still have a strong, natural connection with the universe and nature. In Sikhism, we give them baptism and a secret mantra.
They recite this mantra all day long — while eating, walking, studying, dancing, and playing.
Soon the mantra becomes part of them. It runs by itself inside them. They simply watch it flowing.
This mantra gently awakens special energy centers in the body (the chakras).
Because of this, it becomes much easier for them to grow spiritually and one day become free from the cycle of rebirth.We adults use most of our oxygen just to create 60,000 thoughts.
Baptized Sikh children use their oxygen to recite the mantra.The mantra helps open the kundalini energy.
It calms anger, anxiety, and stress.
It helps children focus better on studies and later on their jobs.So it is our choice:
We can use our oxygen to keep thinking 60,000 thoughts,
or we can use it to open our inner energy and live more peacefully.
When I explain all this about the baptized children, my guests truly understand the special value of a perfect local guide in Amritsar. My dear friend, this is how I synchronize with my travelers — mind to mind and heart to heart. Please do not skip hiring a good local tourist guide in Amritsar.
Think about how much money you have already spent on flights, hotels, food, and taxis.
If you try to save money by not hiring a Perfect guide, all that other money loses its real value. A good guide can make your whole journey complete, joyful, and unforgettable.
Who knows? After visiting Amritsar with the right guide, your way of looking at life might change.
You might even discover why you are here on this earth — instead of spending your whole life only chasing money
Thanks for reading My article.