Since my childhood days, I have heard people associate lucknow with the words ‘nazaakat’ and ‘tehzeeb’. I have heard that even the royal families of rajasthan tried to imitate the fine culture and traditions of this “city of nawabs”. its idea of sacrificing for others has inspired people the world over.
Though I was born in delhi and brought up in delhi and rajasthan, I belong to lucknow, both maternally and paternally.My father, who is a banker, was recently transferred to lucknow from jaipur. but unfortunately, the picture of lucknow I had in mind was completely different from what I saw in reality.
Well, the place is neither as lively as a metropolitan city, nor as peaceful as a small town. The city is very dirty: even the best markets like hazratganj and posh localities like gomti nagar have open drains and heaps of garbage. Not many nawabs are left, but most of the people are lazy. Modernization and development has taken place at the cost of values and traditions. People no longer believe in the theory of ‘pehle aap’.
Lucknow also badly requires good educational institutions. Even the famous ‘la martiniere college’ in which I study is poorly maintained, whatever the reason may be…schools are no longer temples of learning where moral values are inculcated into a child, but centers for minting easy money.
Politics has a great influence on this area. People who have done nothing in life have put on a starched ‘kurta-pajama’ and started playing political tricks .One out of every 5 cars has a red or a blue light on top which is only there to show supremacy and impose wills upon poor and law abiding subordinates like traffic policemen. Crime and politics have strong bonds here and one can notice ‘desi kattas’ (guns) flashing from underneath the kurtas.
Another very disturbing fact is that the idea of “unity in diversity”, which is the foundation of our great nation, is alien to most of the people. Riots are frequent and communal harmony is easily disrupted, especially in old lucknow. Someone has rightly
Said , “either ‘zaalim’ or ‘aalim’rule the city”. Please note that I am using the word ‘aalim’in context of the fact that religious heads are blindly followed in lucknow.
I would conclude by saying that lucknow is not at all the place it was 20 years ago (as my dad saw it). Real natives of the land are few, and outsiders have changed the basic principles of a civilized and cultured life. Here, modernity and culture do not form a true blend. Therefore, I do not consider lucknow as an A-class city.
Anyways, u must visit the place once to get yourself some chikan kurtas and taste some of the so-called delicacies [ I m not being 2 harsh, am i? :)]. make sure u dont come in summers as the weather is horrible at that time.