Oye Lucknow second!

A Maharashtrian   friend of mine, a balanced level-headed guys not given to prejudices, visited Lucknow for the first time. And as with so many visitors to the city of nawabs, his sights were just too high. And therefore, the disappointment was greater. 

He asked me, “Mani bhai, kya rakha hai aapke Lucknow mein. Kuchh bhi aisa nahin mila ki dil khush ho jaaye”. Thankfully, he did not dig into the familiar caricatures. Rickshaw traffic, unmetered autos, ugly tempos, vanishing bus service, no taxis, mockery of traffic lights and generally a city belly-up, even by Indian standards. He did mention, though, that we guys must be extremely callous to turn an imposing Railway station building and vista into the extremely crummy and filthy embarrassment. 

I have been asked this question so many times. Aur karte the hum bachaao,  hemaayat,  mudaafeat aur muhaafizat, bare zor shor se. But with time, gradually, I have realized how indefensible our city is. Aage aati thi haal-e-dil pe hansi, Ab kisi baat par nahin aati!!

 

In sahib ki ummed or phir sawaal ko zara Ghaliban kar dein……

Umr  bhar ummeed thi Lakhnau aayenge,

Aa gaye hain jab, unhein dikhlaayein kya ?

Poochhte hain mujhse, wo shahar kahan hai,

Koi   batlaao    ki    hum    batlaayein   kya? 

Well, the main disappointment of my friend was in not finding anyone speaking like he thought Lakhavis did. Where is your shirin zubaan, nazakat and nafasat. 

There indeed is o other city in India is so hyped up. Do you have shairs going ga ga on Bhopal, Allahabad, Patna, Jaipur, Ludhiana or Ranchi 

Ab kya karein, janab? Qata-e-taalluq? Nahin ho paayega, sirji!! 

I read somewhere that Lucknow, like any ‘Maashooq’, gives rise to strong passions in its admirers but is equally adept in making them cry in despair. The regrets expressed by them, though, may not be unique to Lucknow alone;  they could easily be applicable to all the cities which were once considered the centre of culture. Yet, this sense is far greater when it comes to Lucknow. 

I wish to quote Bashir Badr here, who moved on to Bhopal has beautifully expressed his disappointment.

तुम्हारा शहर तो बिल्कुल नये अन्दाज वाला है
हमारे शहर में भी अब कोई हमसा नहीं रहता

है अजीब शहर कि ज़िंदगी, न सफ़र रहा न क़याम है
कहीं कारोबार सी दोपहर, कहीं बदमिज़ाज सी शाम है

यूँ ही रोज़ मिलने कि आरज़ू बड़ी रख रखाव कि गुफ्तगू
ये शराफ़ातें नहीं बे ग़रज़ उसे आपसे कोई काम है

कोई हाथ भी न मिलाएगा, जो गले मिलोगे तपाक से
ये नये मिज़ाज का शहर है, ज़रा फ़ासले से मिला करो

I came across this somewhere and stored it. I am sorry I am not providing the attribution but I am sure the shair would afford me this inurbanity as our common sense of despair lends us some great fellowship. 

मुझको समझो यादगार-ए-रफ़्तगाने-लखनऊ
हूँ क़द-ए-आदम ग़ुबार-ए-कारवाने-लखनऊ

मेरे हर आंसू में इक आईना-ए-तस्वीर है
मेरे हर नाले मे है तर्ज़-ए-फुग़ाने-लखनऊ

ढूँढता है किसे ले कर अब चराग़-ए-आफताब
क्यूँ मिटाया ऎ फ़लक तूने निशान-ए-लखनऊ

अब नज़र आता नही वो मजमा-ए-अहल-ए-कमाल
खा गये उनको ज़मीन-ए-आसमान-ए-लखनऊ

पहले था अहल-ए-ज़बाँ का दौर, अब गर्दिश में है
चहिये थी तेग़-ए-उर्दू को फ़सान-ए-लखनऊ

गुलशन-ए-फ़िरदौस पर क्या नाज़ है तुझे
पूछ उसके दिल से, जो है रुतबादान-ए-लखनऊ 

Hoping things improve in my lifetime!!