6 ways to see India's Punjab

The Golden Temple in Amritsar is considered the holiest of all sites for Sikhs.

Hidden in the twisting lanes of the old part of the city, the busy kitchen at Kesar Da Dhaba in Amritsar is reached only by foot, cycle rickshaw or bicycle.

Pakistani Rangers (in black) and Indian Border Security Force personnel (in brown) perform the daily retreat ceremony on the India-Pakistan Border at Wagah.

Built with indigenous material, Punjabiyat Lodge's cottages merge with the surroundings. Most meals are made with ingredients grown on the lodge's farm, says the manager.

Built by Mughals in 1640, Sarai Amanat Khan is a fantastic remnant of ancient architecture. It once served travelers on the Agra-to-Lahore trade route and was a prosperous pit stop.

The main lounge at Ranjit's Svaasa, a 200-year-old heritage hotel in Amritsar, is decorated with antique pieces and art from the family's personal collection.

• India's Punjab state is home to the holiest shrine of the Sikh religion, the Golden Temple


• Every evening at the border, Indian, Pakistani guards join in a flag lowering ceremony


• For heritage stays, Amritsar's Ranjit Svaasa hotel has been around for 200 years

(CNN) -- When it comes to India travel, the state of Punjab, which borders Pakistan, doesn't make it to the top of that many itineraries.

That's good news for intrepid travelers.

From temples so gold they'll make your eyes water, to food you'll be longing for days after it hits your lips, Punjab is India at its colorful, lively best.

1. Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple)

Located in Amritsar, the holiest shrine of the Sikh religion, Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple), is Punjab's top attraction.

There's always a long queue to enter the Golden Temple's inner sanctum, which contains the holiest of all Sikh texts, the "Guru Granth Sahib."

Reflections of its gold-encrusted dome shimmer in the clear water of the Amrit Sarovar (Pool of Nectar), which greets those who enter from the north gate, the most impressive of all four entries.

To take it all in, it's best to simply walk around the marble pathway surrounding the pool.

Its waters are said to have healing powers.

Devotional music, bathing pilgrims, golden carps and meditating devotees add to the atmosphere.

Worth keeping in mind: There's a long line to visit the inner sanctum (Darbar Sahib), where the holy book of the Sikhs, "Guru Granth Sahib," is kept.

Visits are best scheduled for the late afternoon and early evening; every night the temple complex is illuminated. Simply stunning.

You can end the day at the temple's langar (canteen).

The scale of its free meal, put on daily by volunteers, is impressive, with 50,000 meals served each day, according to temple officials.

The Golden Temple , Golden Temple Road, Amritsar, Punjab; +91 183 255 3957; open daily, 6 a.m.-2 a.m.

MORE: 10 things India does better than anywhere else

2. Punjabi eats

The city of Amritsar has a rich culinary heritage. Building a big enough appetite to give it the attention it deserves is a challenge.

From melt-in-mouth chicken tikka to cream-laden, extra-large tumblers of yogurt lassi, Amritsar is an Indian food lover's dream destination.

The best way to get a balanced taste is to start in Kesar Da Dhaba. Hidden in the twisting lanes of the old part of the city, it's reached only by foot, cycle rickshaw or bicycle.

Founded in 1916, the restaurant is particularly popular with vegetarians.

There's crispy butter-smeared tandoori bread; the house specialty, daal makhani, comes with a thick layer of ghee.

At Makhan Fish and Chicken Corner, fried singhara (catfish) fillets are a must-try. They're coated in chickpea flour and caraway seeds then cooked. Perfect with cold beer.

The creamiest and freshest yogurt lassi in Amritsar is at Surjan Singh Milk Bhandar; the thick drink is a mini-meal in itself.

Kesar da Dhaba , Chowk Passian; +91 183 255 2103

Makhan Fish & Chicken Corner ; 21A, Majitha Road, near Maddan Hospital; +91 98 1519 3241

Surjan Singh Milk Bhandar, Chowk Regent Cinema, GT Road

3. Border face off

One of Punjab's most interesting rituals is the lowering of the flags ceremony, held at India's Wagah border each evening before sunset. Wagah is about 25 kilometers from the Pakistani city of Lahore.

Indian guards in red and gold turbans march out to meet their Pakistani counterparts in a choreographed affair greeted with loud applause from onlookers.

It's a splendid show of patriotism, pomp and panache.

To secure good seats, it's best to get there by midafternoon or arrange for a VIP pass from the Border Security Force station. For security reasons, bags and backpacks aren't allowed.

The border is 30 kilometers from Amritsar and takes about 45 minutes to reach by car.

Built using indigenous material, Punjabiyat Lodge cottages merge well with the surroundings.

4. Punjabiyat Lodge

Punjabiyat Lodge doesn't conjure quintessential images of India.

Instead what you get here are feather-light beds with unobstructed views of green fields as far as the eye can see.

The nature retreat in Punjab's agricultural heartland is a great place to de-stress through simple rural experiences.

Visitors can lend a helping hand to farmers, cycle around the village, milk cattle or take a tractor ride.

Rooms are luxurious but eco-friendly.

Guests get a sense of remoteness and privacy; there are only four cottages, all set in a wheat field.

Meals are a pleasure. Breakfast is served near the fields, lunch under the shade of sprawling trees and dinner on a terrace under a canopy of stars.

Most meals are made with ingredients grown on the lodge's farm, says Punjabiyat manager Jagdeep Singh.

Punjabiyat Lodge is in the village of Saidowal-Gunopur, about 75 kilometers from Amritsar; +91 981 870 5508

MORE: India's most sacred river: Water for the soul

5. Sarai Amanat Khan

A scenic 45-minute drive from Amritsar, Sarai Amanat Khan is an old, crumbling caravanserai (roadside inn).

Built by Mughals in 1640, it's a fantastic remnant of ancient architecture.

It once served travelers on the Agra-to-Lahore trade route and was a prosperous pit stop back in the day.

These days, the historic ruins only hint at its glorious past.

Photogenic features of the complex include an arched entry, fading calligraphy, Persian tiles, eroding walls and a mosque.

Amanat Khan, the inn's namesake, is believed to be the same guy who etched the calligraphy on the Taj Mahal in Agra.

It's a great day trip from Amritsar.

The main lounge at Svaasa is decorated with antique pieces and art from the family's personal collection.

6. Ranjit's Svaasa hotel

There are few better ways to end a wild day in Amritsar than climbing into one of the plush beds at the 200-year-old Ranjit's Svaasa hotel.

Abhimanyu and his partner, Gayatri, are the gracious hosts of this charming, well-hidden retreat.

The owners are seventh-generation members of the Punjabi Mehra clan, says general manager Deepak Biala.

Corridors are dotted with family portraits, antique furniture and curios collected over their many travels.

Secluded terraces and lounging spaces are spread throughout the property.

The Rattan Chand and Dev Chand suites each come with a marble bathtub and a sitting area framed by large windows.

Guest can learn to whip up a traditional Punjabi meal or hit the spa for an innovative wine-and-sugar scrub or face treatment with turmeric, sandalwood and organic rose water.

Ranjit's Svaasa , 47A Mall Road, Amritsar; +91 183 256 6618; rooms from RS 6,500 ($108)

Hero in stabbing entitled to a selfie

• Student who was stabbed in school posts selfie after he is treated at hospital


• Mel Robbins says the student acted bravely, according to his classmates


• She says taking the selfie was perfectly appropriate, wasn't a bid for fame


• Robbins: Critics should realize student was just using social media as his generation does

Editor's note: Mel Robbins is a CNN commentator and founder of inspire52.com, which provides daily "good news" stories and viral videos. She hosts "The Mel Robbins Show" Sundays from 7-9 p.m. on WSB 95.5 in Atlanta and News 96.5 in Orlando. In 2014, she was named Outstanding News Talk Radio Host by the Gracie Awards. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

(CNN) -- National media outlets first learned of the mass stabbing underway at Franklin Regional High School via social media and parents received frantic calls from smartphones and tweets from their children telling them they're OK, so isn't it fitting that we also met Nate Scimio, the student who was credited with pulling the fire alarm, the same way? I believe it is, but not everyone does.

Nate is being called a hero by classmates affected by the tragic incident at their high school on Wednesday, and I'm sure he's the first of many heroes we'll learn about.

Trinity McCool, a sophomore, spoke to USA Today and described how Nate not only protected her and another friend as a fellow student rampaged through the school, stabbing and slashing, but how he also pulled the fire alarm, an action that eventually saved countless other students. Trinity described an otherwise normal morning as the halls started to fill with students before class.

"The guy next to me was Nate Scimio," Trinity said. "I'm not sure if he already got stabbed."

The student with knives came toward them.

"I don't know if Nate did it on purpose or just instinct," she said. "He took the stab right in his arm and saved my friend and me."

"I'm pretty sure it was his instinct. He didn't want anyone to get hurt."

Chief: The stabbing scene was in chaos

20 wounded in school stabbing

"He told everybody to run away. I'm pretty sure he pulled the fire alarm."

Nate was taken along with 19 others to the hospital after the attacker was subdued. It was then that he snapped a photo of himself, a "selfie", that has most of the country convinced that he did it all for fame. His selfie happened standing in a hospital gown, with loose, Justin Bieberesque hair looking more like he suffered from a soccer injury, not from being the victim of a mass stabbing attack. He took a selfie and wrote "Chillin' at Children's," in reference to the hospital he was standing in.

The result of his lighthearted photo has been a trashing and analyzing from observers online about whether that selfie was "appropriate."

When I tweeted positively about Nate, one person replied that he was "taking to social media to get famous from his paper cut wound. Pathetic"

Anyone who is criticizing Nate is clearly out of touch with the way teens communicate with one another and the psychological needs of people after a traumatic event. When Nate whipped out his camera, held up his bandaged arm and snapped that photo, he was pulling his best friends into the hospital room to get a view of his perspective and reality.

When he wrote "Chillin' At Children's" to his then approximately 200 followers on Instagram, he was letting his friends know that he was OK.

Not only is there nothing wrong, nothing inappropriate or nothing tone deaf on the timing of the selfie, it's actually a good thing, completely appropriate and a psychologically natural thing to do in the situation.

There has been a lot of news lately about selfies. Ellen DeGeneres' selfie at the Oscars shut down Twitter, shattered records and prompted a ton of celebrities and ordinary folks alike to start copying her. Needless to say, it also had a huge brand impact for Samsung.

David "Big Papi" Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox took out his Samsung for a selfie with President Obama and his fellow Red Sox teammates last week; it went viral immediately. It also prompted calls to change White House policy on taking selfies once Samsung put out a statement bragging about helping Big Papi orchestrate the whole thing.

But what Nate Scimio did is not the same thing at all. He's not looking to get famous. He wasn't bragging about his injuries. He had just survived a life-changing and traumatic event, and all he was doing was talking to his friends about it in the quickest and most truthful way he knew how. I guarantee you, sitting there in a hospital gown with dressed knife wounds, he wasn't thinking about CNN, or Ellen or the morning shows that immediately besieged him. He was sending a message to his friends.

"I'm OK. Chillin' at Children's."

Follow us on Twitter @CNNOpinion

Join us on Facebook/CNNOpinion

One small bug weakens your safety

• Researchers found a bug that could make public your private information online


• Chester Wisniewski: A simple mistake in open-source computer code is responsible


• All of us rely on the volunteer work that goes into open-source code, author says


• He says companies and people need to realize we're all in this together

Editor's note: Chester Wisniewski is a senior security adviser at Sophos Inc., Canada. He researches computer security and privacy issues and is a regular contributor to the Naked Security blog. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

(CNN) -- This week, researchers from Google and the Finnish security consulting group Codenomicon disclosed a bug, called Heartbleed, in OpenSSL, one of the most ubiquitous encryption software packages in use on the Internet.

Approximately two-thirds of the time you spend on the Internet, you want to communicate privately, whether through e-mail, voice, instant message or your online banking. When you do, you are using OpenSSL to protect your communications.

That is why a bug in OpenSSL that can render the private information you are transmitting across the wire visible to attackers is a very big deal.

The bug itself is a simple, honest mistake in the computer code that was intended to reduce the computing resources encryption consumes. The problem is that this bug made it past the quality assurance tests and has been deployed across the Internet for nearly two years.

This brings into question all the secure conversations we thought we were having on affected services over that time. A big deal indeed.

How does something like this happen? Aren't there a lot of people looking at this code? It is open source after all; anyone can take a peek.

Usually the availability of source code to public scrutiny results in applications being more secure and one could argue that is what happened here. Researchers at Google were looking carefully at the code and discovered this mistake. Unfortunately, that discovery came two years too late.

Fortunately, most major Web services have already applied fixes to the affected Web servers and services. The bad news is that smaller websites as well as many companies' products that rely on OpenSSL may linger for many more years without a fix.

To a degree, we are at the mercy of the website operators and companies who make security products to apply these fixes to protect us.

Some are suggesting that everyone should change all their passwords. While it is never a bad idea to change your passwords, increase their strength and ensure they are sufficiently unique, you should only do this after confirming the site has been fixed.

Too little attention is paid to the critical nature of the free software that keeps the Internet moving. We expect this army of volunteers to write and maintain much of the code that enables our fast and free Internet, all without payment, without support, in essence without a thought.

Recently, companies like Google have begun making an effort to rectify this situation through programs like Patch Rewards. Google offers to pay researchers to find bugs in commonly used open source software, including OpenSSL, so the community can work together to fix flaws more quickly, resulting in a safer Internet.

All of us have come to rely on the Internet socially, politically and economically. The billions of dollars a year being made by the tech giants would not be possible without the millions of donated hours that maintain free and open software like OpenSSL, Linux, Apache Web server, and Postfix mail server.

This is a fight for our privacy, security and our freedom to communicate.

Chester Wisniewski

Businesses, government and individuals all have something to offer that can help. This isn't a battle between Windows, Mac and Linux or some battle between free and commercial software. This is a fight for our privacy, security and our freedom to communicate.

For some of us what we can offer is coding talent, others financial support, and still others can test software more thoroughly to ensure the reliability and security of the resulting code.

The most important thing is to recognize the importance of our collective security and to realize that in the end we are all tangled together online. A weakness in one can affect us all.

Follow CNN Opinion on Twitter .

Join the conversation on Facebook .

Al Sharpton is no rat

• Errol Louis: Al Sharpton under new criticism for informing on criminals for FBI in 1980s


• Louis: This old news shows how far Sharpton has come into political mainstream


• He says Sharpton was threatened by organized crime members


• Louis: You don't have to like his politics to see he did what a law-abiding citizen should do

Editor's note: Errol Louis is the host of "Inside City Hall," a nightly political show on NY1, a New York all-news channel.

(CNN) -- The recent spate of stories about the Rev. Al Sharpton's history as an informant for the FBI don't exactly qualify as breaking news: solid newspaper reports at least a quarter century old, detailing Sharpton's maneuvers at the treacherous intersection of federal agents, violent gangsters, and shady music industry operators. In his autobiography, Sharpton himself writes about the days in the late 1980s when he wore a wire and collected data on criminals for the feds.

But the publication of FBI memos naming Sharpton, (aka Confidential Informant #7) seems jarring because of how far Sharpton has traveled into the political mainstream. Back in the 1980s, he was a street agitator with a relentless hunger for media attention. Today he hosts a top-rated national television show and a three-hour radio talk show that airs in dozens of markets nationwide.

The Sharpton of the 1980s registered on the political radar of City Hall as a nuisance, dismissively dubbed "Al Charlatan" by then-mayor Ed Koch. This week, Mayor Bill de Blasio will speak on the opening day of Sharpton's annual conference, and the keynote address will be delivered by President Barack Obama, who regularly gives Sharpton exclusive interviews and private visits to the White House.

That's why Sharpton took offense to the disparaging tabloid headlines referring to him as "Rev. Rat" and as a snitch.

"I was not, and am not, a rat because I was not with the rats. I'm a cat," Sharpton told a group of reporters at a news conference, chastising reporters for suggesting that his efforts to help nab criminals were motivated by such things as avoiding prosecution, rather than a genuine civic effort to help law enforcement officials.

Whatever Sharpton's reasons, he did society a favor by helping to expose the outright criminality that was prevalent in the music industry. For decades, crooks had a stranglehold on popular music, according to "Hit Men," Frederic Dannen's 1990, eye-opening book about the hoodlums, artists and executives who routinely resorted to blackmail, extortion, payola and outright violence as business tools.

Rev. Al Sharpton leads jobs march

Sharpton: Etta James was cultural bridge

Rev. C.L. Bryant on Trayvon Martin Case

Kin rally to 'arrest Zimmerman now'

Among the tales picked up on Sharpton's wire was information on Morris Levy, a legend in the music business who owned nightspots, including Birdland, in New York, and the rights to scores of hit songs.

Levy, a roughneck from the Bronx, described himself as a boyhood friend of Vincent (The Chin) Gigante, who eventually rose to become boss of the Genovese crime family. Levy had deep financial ties to members of the organization, selling part of one of his record companies to a gangster named Tommy Eboli, who was later shot to death in 1972, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Levy also reportedly set up a friend and enforcer named Nate McCalla with his own record label, called Calla, which made records for soul singers. McCalla was found murdered in a Florida hotel room in 1980.

And according to Sharpton's secret recordings, Levy was in up to his neck with Gigante and the Genovese organization financially, using his legitimate businesses to help the mobsters acquire property and -- allegedly -- move heroin. Levy was eventually sentenced to 10 years in prison for conspiracy to commit extortion. He'd arranged the severe beating of a record industry associate who owed money, but wouldn't pay. Levy died of cancer shortly before he was due to report to prison.

These were the types of men Sharpton was dealing with in the 1980s as he tried to work with independent black music promoters trying to break into the business. Having served for a decade as road manager for singer James Brown, Sharpton knew the industry gangers were not to be trifled with. When Genovese associates threatened to kill Sharpton for challenging their stranglehold on music, Sharpton says, he ran straight to the FBI, who in turn asked him to wear a wire and help gather evidence against the mobsters.

The strategy seems to have worked: Many of the Genovese hoods that Sharpton spoke to or heard about ended up behind bars, including Gigante, who died in prison in 2005.

The good reverend, meanwhile, moved further into mainstream grassroots politics and maintains to this day that he did nothing wrong. Sharpton, in fact, makes the valid point that many black communities suffer high crime rates because of a destructive "stop snitching" attitude of non-cooperation with police -- and that his wearing a wire for the FBI represents a move in a more positive direction.

He's right. When confronted with death threats from organized crime, the logical action for law-abiding citizens is to report the problem to the authorities and help bring the criminals to justice. That is what Sharpton did, and you don't have to like his politics to conclude that, in this case, he made the best of a scary situation.

Follow us on Twitter @CNNOpinion.

Join us on Facebook/CNNOpinion.

Possible fight over Rooney's remains

Mickey Rooney, who started as a child star in vaudeville and went on to star in hundreds of movies and TV shows, has died at the age of 93.

Rooney circa 1927 in a three-piece suit. The actor got his start in his parents' vaudeville show.

Rooney, center, is seen with fellow young Hollywood actors Jackie Cooper, right, and Freddie Bartholomew circa 1930.

Mickey Rooney stars with Judy Garland and Ronald Sinclair in a scene from the comedy "Thoroughbreds Don't Cry."

Rooney is seen in 1938 in a portrait shot for "Out West with the Hardys."

Rooney garnered acclaim for his role in 1938's "Boys Town" with Spencer Tracy.

Rooney hold hands with Garland in a 1940 still from the film "Andy Hardy Meets Debutante."

Rooney talks with Lana Turner in the late 1930s.

Rooney and his first wife, American actress Ava Gardner, in the early 1940s.

Rooney dressed as Pinocchio for a 1957 television movie.

Rooney took a two-year break from making movies while he served in World War II.

Rooney made his directorial debut in 1951's "My True Story."

Rooney earned an Oscar nomination for his role in the World War II film "The Bold and the Brave" in 1956.

Rooney played the title role in 1957's "Baby Face Nelson."

In 1961, Rooney took on the infamous role as an Asian landlord in "Breakfast at Tiffany's."

Rooney appeared in 1977's "Pete's Dragon" with Sean Marshall.

Rooney co-starred in 1979's "The Black Stallion" with Kelly Reno.

Rooney tries on a feathered hat in his dressing room during a run of the play "Sugar Babies" in October 1979. He was nominated for a Tony for the role.

Rooney is seen with Raquel Welch in 1980 from the ABC series "Raquel."

Rooney appears in 2006's "Night at the Museum" with Dick Van Dyke and Bill Cobbs.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

• Mickey Rooney's lawyer says wife may try to claim body


• A hearing is set for Friday to decide who controls remains


• Rooney left his estate to stepson Mark Rooney

Los Angeles (CNN) -- Actor Mickey Rooney disinherited his children, his wife and all but one of her children in a will he signed just weeks before his death.

Rooney, 93, died of natural causes at his Los Angeles home Sunday.

Although court papers suggest there is not much in Rooney's estate to fight over, a battle may be brewing over who controls funeral arrangements and decides where the legendary actor is buried.

Lawyer Michael Augustine, who served as Rooney's conservator, said in a court filing that he believed Rooney's estranged wife and her son, Christopher Aber, would attempt to remove Rooney's body from Forest Lawn Memorial Park's mortuary.

A Los Angeles judge signed a handwritten order Tuesday preventing anyone from removing Rooney's remains until he holds a hearing on Friday. Augustine, who is named as estate executor in the will, is asking for that authority.

Jan Rooney signed an agreement waiving all claims to her husband's estate after they couple separated in June 2012 after 34 years of marriage, according to a court filing. She will benefit from Rooney's Social Security and other pensions, it said.

While Rooney was the highest paid actor in Hollywood 70 years ago, his personal property totaled just $18,000, according to documents accompanying his will.

Rooney: A spokesman against elder abuse

The will signed by Rooney on March 11, 2014, left the entire estate to stepson Mark Rooney, one of Jan Rooney's sons, who was the actor's caretaker the last two years of his life.

Rooney "intentionally omitted" and disinherited his eight surviving biological children and two other stepchildren from his last marriage, the will said.

A probate hearing is schedule for May 12 to start the process of executing the actor's will.