There are these places which call to you from time to time. There is a link between the place and one that one holds dear and does not wish to sever. Lucknow is one such place to me. I have visited Lucknow a few times before (as I have mentioned elsewhere in this blog) and all of those visits have been amply rewarding. So when I was asked to attend a meeting at Lucknow in the first week of April this year, I leapt at the chance. There are so many things about Lucknow that calls me to it - the history, the people, the culture and last but not the least the mouth-watering delicacies served up by the Awadhi kitchen. Now the problem one faces while travelling to Lucknow from Calcutta is that the train journey lasts a day and a half. So I took the flight, which got me there in 2 hours flat.
I put up at a hotel called the Deep Palace, a quaint old kothi of a Nawab which had been sold to a hotel group. The exterior has that old world charm with the intricate carving and the cannon at the foyer, but the interiors are much like any other business class hotel. They would have done much better to include the Nawabi theme indoors as well. The hotel was adequately comfortable, the service was satisfactory and the food was good. Two items on the hotel's Menu which I would recommend are the Mugh Wajid Ali and the Murgh Kabuli Tikka Kebab. Do not try the Biryani, they only have a Hyderabadi Biryani (a blasphemy in the city of Lucknow) and that too tastes like a pulao with bits of mutton thrown in. We had a meeting in the evening followed by dinner which went on till late at night. Thereafter my friend Jatin took us to a paan shop (Agarwal Nawabi Paan Seller - Shahgunj). It was a non-descript paan shop, what made it stand out was it's owner who is a post-graduate but choses to run a paan shop and makes a darn good job of it. The paans in his shop ranged from Rs.10/- to Rs.300/- per piece. When we had finished the man further amazed us by refusing to take payment from us as we were visitors to the city ( though I strongly suspect Jatin had something to do with it as well).
On the second day Jatin kindly offered to show me around town. We decided to visit the important monuments - The Bada Imambara, the Chota Imambara, the Rumi Darwaza, the Picture Gallery, The Residency and the Qaisarbagh Baradari. We also had lunch and shopping on our agenda. The visit to these monuments (which I might add have been wonderfully restored and looked after) took me back 20 years when I last visited them purposefully. I was carrying my Canon EOS 600D with me and freely indulged my inner shutterbug.
We first visited the Residency. It was clean, well maintained and well-restored since my last visit two decades ago. The only pity was that they didn't allow cameras inside the museum. We then went to the Chota Imambara. Here we took a guide who explained all the artifacts inside as well as outside the Imambara. The collection of chandaliers there is rare to say the least. The silver throne and a replica of the crown of the Nawabs of Oudh also caught my eye. The Chota imambara is spectacular, not in size, but in detail. The intricate engraving throughout the fascade with white on black is truly striking.
We next visited the Bada Imambara, the Asafi Mosque and certain other parts of that Imambara. It was very crowded, however I did manage to get a few good snaps. Apart from the legend of this Imambara ( which claims that it was built- demolished- and re-built 6 times to provide employment during drought), the architecture is fantastically thought-provoking. It is a marriage of Mughal and Awadhi architecture and the result is breath taking to say the least. We did not visit the Bhool-Bhulaiya (because I had done so on a previous trip) but marveled at the various facets of that imposing edifice. The Asafi mosque is a gem in it's own right and echoes the architecture of the Middle-East.
We next went to the Qaisarbagh Baradari, where the last ruler of Lucknow Nawab Wajid Ali Shah used to hold court and entertain. It is now let out for weddings and social functions and is therefore well maintained. It was difficult to imagine the Nawab sitting regally surrounded by courtiers and musicians amid the modern day trappings of a wedding hall - the aluminium chairs and other decorations, but once I persuaded myself to do so, it transformed me to those old magical days. The two marble statues erected long after the last Nawab bid adieu to Lucknow, are also worth mentioning.
I must mention here that we had been doing all this sight-seeing when the real-feel of Lucknow's temperature was about 40C. So we were quite exhausted, thirsty and hungry. I had mentioned to Jatin my love of the true Lucknavi Biryani and he took me to a place in Lalbagh called Hotel Charminar. We were joined by a friend and his family there. We ordered the Galouti Kebab, Shaami Kebab, Achari Mutton and Mutton Biryani (Chicken was unavailable). The Biryani was worth it's salt and so were the kebabs. We thoroughly enjoyed the meal and left a satisfied man. We then visited Ramashray to pack a few sweets and savouries for home. I highly recommend the Malai Paan (known as Malai Gilori in Varanasi) and a surprise find - Sem ka beej (which is a personal favourite in any form - roasted or fried). I promptly packed a kilo of that. We next went shopping to a Lucknow Chikan wholesaler, where all of us bought clothes for our families and dear ones. A good collection and economical.
A visit to Lucknow for me isn't complete without a visit to Tunday Kebabi. Since I had about 8 friends coming over to my room that evening, I ordered 7 plates of the delectable Lamb Tunday Kebabs. They were packed for us within 10 minutes, piping hot! We were back at the hotel by 5.30 P.M. and when my friends arrived at 8 PM the kebabs were still reasonably warm ( of course we got them re-heated). To compliment the kebabs I ordered Achari Aloo and Kabuli Murgh Tikka from the hotel to be washed down with our beverage of choice. Around 11 PM we realized that some of us still wanted dinner and a friend took us to the hotel's restaurant 'Firdaus' (which has live music). We ordered a lovely Tamatar ka shorba, followed by the aforesaid excuse for a Hyderabadi Biryani, some Gilafi Naan and a delicious Murgh Wajid Ali. The meal was enjoyed by all who partook and we rounded off with some hot gulab-jamuns.
Like every visit to this fair city, it left a lingering flavour in my mind, of not just the food, but the culture, the warmth, the traditions and the eternal poetry that is Lucknow.
For more of my Lucknow Picture Please click : Lucknow through My lens
