LUCKNOW

Lucknow The City of Nawabs

The fine cuisine patronized by the erstwhile Nawabs is well-known. The Dum Pukht style of cooking is famous the world over. One can speak volumes about the delicacy and fragrance of Lucknow food. Not surprisingly, a great deal of time is actually spent discussing culinary nuances. The love and attention that is showered upon food in this city has to be seen to be believed. The Lucknow of today can be compared to the threadbare carpet that once belonged to an aristocrat and which has seen better days. Yet, its denizens totalling almost 23,00,000, surrounded by some of the most stunning architecture in the world, still practise courtly manners and indulge in a great deal of laissez-faire. Nostalgia is obviously big in the life of a Lucknavi. He thrives on it. And continues living as if in another world. Spit, polish and shine are the need of the hour. What lies beneath is pure gold.

If you enjoy shopping or eating in a place buzzing with people and activity, get into a rickshaw and cycle away to Aminabad, As turnovers go, it’s among India’s biggest bazaars. And as far as street food goes there is plenty available here. Lucknow thrives on street food.There is Prakash Kulfi, it is to die for, and Sharma’s aloo chaat has magic in it. There is also a Tunday Mian’s galawati kebab shop, the older one is in Chowk. Ah! Chowk where you can buy the best attars - Rooh-e-Gulab, Majmua, Sohag, Mushk Hina, Juhi, Champa, Firdaus, Motia, Molsari, Shemama-tul- Amber, Merghub-e-Osmania, Fitna. Just a dash of it on a tightly balled bit of cotton, stuck in the folds of your ear and you feel like a Nawab!

Which brings us to the people of this genteel city. The Raja of Mehmoodabad, Muzzafar Ali, Begum Hamida, Saleem Mumtaz and the grand old man of letter, Ram Advani. Refined, cultured, understated, all of them very special and talended people.

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