This was my walk into the rediscovery of the Lucknow City.
Having known it through my academic years and then this as my romance study in my affair with traditional urbanism and now the latest use of the city as housing the family!
Besides the walk- I vouch that the sham e awadh exists. The city, socialist and capitalist architecture non withstanding- the city and its extensions are bustling with the vibrancy that has always been!
Now, before we digress into the sharmaji chai wala s, the basta cachori walas, the chedirams, the royal cafes, Ganjing etc etc-
This is a limited walk into the old city, lucknow. Adjoining the King George Medical university ( with a chatarapati Sahu ji statue outside, behind the Imambaras, and the Lalji Tandon marg, maked by a colonial Oblelisk shaped fountain and with a British indo Saracenic half crescent gateway as the landmark ( a chach wala and makhan malai seller to mark activity landmarks-) ( yeah- urban design talk!!-)
Well. From the gateway- pushing in /or out is the Beniwal road. The famous chikan market!! Yup, this walk started from here.
With no goal- or ever changing ones actually, certainly no purpose, and no agenda. I did manage to get lost soon enough.
Happy to report that the Chikan work market precinct adds pretty much soon! taken over by sarrafah (silver/gold) market and thence the gotakari and then- ah- it’s a commercial street! The goal now was to note the various precincts!
Till it suddenly opens up to a community space with a masjid on edge!
So I push the goal of the walk to checking on the architectural styles of the area! For
No real reason but fascination with them!
And le presto comes the perpendicular street and the eateries there! And then the conundrum of everything- scissors sharpening shops, lehenga houses, you name it! It’s a community street!!
Yeah- so I let myself get lost! Oh- maybe I should check on the religious demography of the area! There did seem Hindu names in the middle of others, till I walk
Further to totally Hindu names in an area! Yadavs too!-)
And schools! Lots of them! Madrasas, government, private- common to them being the board that says “English medium”!!
Kachoris later - with the sure feeling of the general direction of my walk being towards the Gomti- it’s out suddenly! On the big blank Lalji Tandon road! Very sure it’s a product of the modern town plan!!-)
I reach back the starting point- one ganna juice later! And into the air conditioned car to where I am writing this from- the ShEROs restaurant next to the Taj!! ( yes they have one in lucknow too- albeit a hotel-)
And what a place! Run by victims of acid attacks- one of whom asks me to sit and read/write with no compulsions to order food from them!
You know- life is good!! This place is good! People here are good! The history here exists good! Communal harmony does good! Social fabric is good!!
All is well!!
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