Praying at the Sant Kutiya Gurdwara

Where: Stretches of Bhowanipore (Harish Mukherjee Road and adjoining areas), Dunlop and Alipore

Second home: The railways, jute mills, coal mines and shipping industry lured the Punjabis to Kolkata, pre-Independence. They branched out in all directions - Alipore, New Alipore, Russell Street and Park Street. But Bhowanipore and Dunlop are the biggest pockets for Punjabi settlement.

"A number of Punjabis moved to Kolkata post-Partition, but the tendency to stick together developed only after the 1984 riots," feels Pramod Duggal, a member of Punjab Club.

The look and feel: If the Punjabis come calling, can Makki di Roti and Sarson da Saag be far behind? No way. And who knows it better than the ever-popular dhabas? Balwant Singh's Eating House on Harish Mukherjee Road is a winner. There are many who stop by to grab a bite, perched on scooters or seated inside cars. Those not in a hurry sip on Special Chai, a thick milky concoction topped with kesar and served in jumbo-sized earthen cups.

A stone's throw away, strains of kirtan float down from the Sant Kutiya Gurdwara. Devotees filing in and out are mostly matronly ladies in salwar kameez, but young women in jeans and tees aren't an unusual sight either. If the pious spend their evenings at the gurdwara, those looking for some fun and froth walk into the Punjab Club on Ballygunge Circular Road. "This is a place where you will run into boisterous back-slapping Punjabis. There's a feeling of warmth and bonhomie that is so characteristically Punjabi.

The club is actually a glorified dhaba," laughs Duggal.

Overheard: "We have adopted Kolkata as our own home, which is probably why there hasn't been a substantial drop in the population," says Duggal.