Driving round the Geri Route

To explain Chandigarh to a visitor, locals describe it as the town of "hariya hariya jharhian te chitiyan chitiyan daarian". The Punjabi sing-song adage literally describes the place as a city of "green gardens and white beards". But ask the young crowd to put their finger on Chandigarh's quintessence and they'll direct you to the stretch of smoothly tarred road meandering through Sectors 8, 9, 10 and 11. This part of the City Beautiful is also the hunting ground and weekend getaway for the young and rebellious. In local parlance, this road to Valhalla is called the Geri Route (TGR).

If Chandigarh had a defining symbol, it would be the car. It is both a necessity and status symbol, and the city's streets, laid out on a grid, were made for driving. The roundabout TGR ("geri" means round in Punjabi) is a set of streets that go past DAV College, the Government Home Science College, and the Government College for Girls.

As late afternoon turns into evening, you'll see cars line up by the side of the road, and crowds draw up to see people pull stunts that range from the lame (bikers burning rubber and turning donuts on the streets) to the downright dangerous (drivers steering with their feet with the top half of their body out the window).

Driving along TGR also involves the strangest mating ritual in the world. You see, Chandigarh is not a city where you know how to interact with the other sex. You learn on TGR, where carefully worked-out car signals allow young boys and girls to first acknowledge each other's presence, and maybe then hook up - a street version of Tinder, if you will. Like in something out of The Fast and The Furious franchise, you'll see kids show up in their souped-up cars, hang out of windows, lean out of sunroofs, and drive up and down the stretch, signalling each other. Typically, one flash of the headlights means yes, and two means no. At some point the riders pull up on the side of the road and talk. All of it comes to a head particularly around Valentine's Day and New Year's, when the cops have to intervene to keep the amorous from clogging up traffic.

I left Chandigarh a decade ago, and stories of TGR have been passed down to my generation from that of my parents. The millennials are following suit too. The cars themselves have evolved from Maruti hatchbacks and sedans to sports cars, BMWs and Audis. The taillights have changed many a halogen, the woofers have got louder and the amplifiers more powerful. Nineties gangsta rap and boy-band songs have given way to Punjabi dubstep and the occasional song by Avicii, Chainsmokers and Ed Sheeran. Yo Yo Honey Singh has given way to Badshah, but TGR continues to thrive.

If you are passing through, the best places to stop and gawk include the Government College of Arts canteen in Sector 10, called the Stop 'N Stare Point. Get yourself a cup of piping hot chaa (tea in Punjabi) and a plate of aloo paranthas. Next, follow the action to the sector's favourite coffee hangout, Bakes & Beans, for a sugar fix of moist cinnamon rolls and hand-tossed pizzas. If you fancy some real sit-down time, step into The Willow Café for great eggs made to order. For old-school types like me, who want to linger by the roadside, a tall mango milkshake from Vijay Confectioners really hits the spot. If you fancy a quick drink, drop into Hotel Mount View's rooftop bar, Vintage, for a boozy evening. But it is Sector 8 market's soups, meaty burgers, healthy eats and doner kebabs that have stood the test of time for decades, and it is here the cars draw up on their rounds.

So the next time you're in Chandigarh, to really find the pulse of the city, get yourself a car, grab a local and drive up and down TGR. If not the love of your life, you will, at least, land a perfect plate of aloo paranthas.