Lucknowi Andaaz

We have the last bastion of good behaviour, Lucknow, still standing amidst the falling standards of good behaviour in our country. This was an encounter with one of its citizens. (In Hindi/Urdu)-

Me: Aap ki taareef?

Lucknawi: Ama, hum apni tareef nahin kiya karte. Phir bhi, aapne poochha to bata hi dete hain, is nacheez ko Banda Nawaz kehte hain.

Me: Aap ko nahin lagta Nawaz sahab, ki Uttar Pradesh hud se zyada badh gaya hai, aur ise chhota karna chahiye, taaki woh tarakki kar sake?

BN: Logon ko Awadh ki biryani khane se fursat mile tab  hi to soch paenge hum iske baare mein?

Me: Aaj kal ki shaayari ke baare mein aap ka kya khayal hai?

BN: Dard wahi hai, sahab, magar shaayar nahin rahe jo use bayaan kar saken.

Me: Zubaan se to aap Nawaab lagte hain. Karte kya hain?

BN: Sahi farmaya aapne janab, magar sirf zubaan ke hain..warna aapki sahi khaatirdaari na karte?

Me: Kyun sharminda kar rahen hain mujhe? Bahut shukriya aapki zarranawazi ka,..phir mulaqaat hogi kabhi..

Lucknow Diary

Had a chance to go to Lucknow to speak at a conference recently. I was pleasantly surprised to find several people whom I had never met but was aware of. Rama Bijapurkar, who has worked in advertising and marketing research (like me) was a co-speaker. Prof. Mirza Saiyadein, whom I had heard of, but never met, retired prof from IIM Ahmedabad. And then, many faculty who had some links to IIM Lucknow, where I had worked before, 2001 through 2003. That's where my first book got published (Marketing Research, First edition)-  I am fairly bookish.

Lucknow has grown from being a small, under-developed capital, to a decent-sized city, and has good roads-at least ones I travelled on were good. Did not get a chance to go Ganjing at Hazratganj, but saw a branch of CMS, the school where my daughters went for a couple of years. I still remember the kababs with a melt-in-your mouth texture that we had eaten there.

Made famous by its tehzeeb (don't think it can be translated-just look it up), and the famous 'pehle aap', it remains a beacon in a state which has always performed below its potential, and remains plagued by many negatives-perceived or otherwise.