A desert city whose birthday is the day a canal opened sounds odd until you see the fields. The Gang Canal brought river water to dry land, and rice paddies now grow where sand once ran to the horizon. Even the carrots get a bath, washed beside a canal before traders haul them off.
In town, tidy planned blocks lead to the round Gol Bazaar, full of shoppers and stalls frying tikki. Nearby, the road ends at Hindumalkot and the Pakistan border, quiet except for wind over the crops. Summers are scorching, while winter brings cool, dry days for wandering. A Local Friend pulls up a chair for you at a family stall you would never have spotted alone.
