I am talking about a place in Lucknow, even with my ignorance, I do not know the name of... some of my friends call it Marine Drive, I call it a getaway.
As you know, I have been in love with this city, and it is following up on my love for the city, that I am writing about one of my favourite places in Lucknow. I have been going to this place since I had a bike and was allowed to go out on my own.
I remember going out in the evening, on pretence of some work or the other, and sitting by the river side, watching the sun set, or the moon play hide n seek with the clouds, pondering over so many things...
I still go there often enough, with friends, just to catch up on the new and reminiscence over the 'good-old-days'. I remember taking my friends there, having some take away with us, having it there. The wind, the scene of a city coming to grips with its Nawabi past and the fast pace of the demanding world. It was my place to go and philosophise, or to vent my anger at people/ life in general.
Sometimes, I would go there, just because I missed the place. It is one place where I could go and not think of anything else in the world. That is the feeling I lacked anywhere else in the city/ or the country for that matter; having lived in atleast 3 cities in my small, significant life.
Today, when I go there, we reflect upon the changes in the city, and how nothing seems the same. I have heard so many people from out of town complain: "पहले आप नही पहले हम और सिर्फ़ हम" is the culture now. That is not my bother, as the traditionalist I am, I still practice that culture, and hope that people learn by example, if not by tradition.
The people who have lived in Lucknow would know what, and where I am talking about. The place in the recent past has beared the brunt of the state government's "development projects." Though, I am not complaining about the place, as it has grown from beautiful to marvelous in the last year. The polution from the stone polishing has put Lucknow on the Indian map as one of the top polluted cities. I can't complain, I still love the city, and the place.
Posts
