The evening of March 9th 2013…
It was my first long distance train journey on an official
visit. The moment I entered the Chandigarh railway station from where my
journey would start, I went into deep nostalgia as I remembered the travels to
my hometown Kerala. The familiar voice of announcers followed with their
melancholy rings reminded me of my childhood days when I would be seen walking
along with my parents and tightly clutching the fingers of my mother so that I don’t
get carried away by the waves of the rushing crowd!
Times were different, I was now an adult but the feelings
were still the same thanks to the railways announcements which haven’t changed
much since the last two or three decades. And once entering the platform the
voice of the prominent train engine whistles added yet another shot at my
memorabilia!
Next day at early morning the train entered the state of
Uttar Pradesh and made a brief stopover at a small station. A wave of patriotic
excitement ran into me upon seeing the name of the station. It was on August 9, 1925 at ‘Kakori’ where a train carrying the British treasury was looted by freedom fighters Ram Prasad Bismil,
Chandrasekhar Azad, Ashfaqullah Khan alongwith others. The verses of those revolutionaries started
echoing in my mind as I got off the train to feel the air of the place which
those great people once breathed!
‘Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab hamare dil men hai’
‘Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab hamare dil men hai’
‘Dekhna hai zor kitna bazuye
kaatil men hai’
‘Waqt aane de bata
denge tujhe aye aasman’
‘Hum abhi se kya batayen
kya hamare dil men hai!’
(The desire for sacrifice is now in our hearts
We shall now see what strength there is in the boughs of the enemy
When the time comes, we shall show thee, O heaven
For why should we tell thee now, what lurks in our hearts?)
(The desire for sacrifice is now in our hearts
We shall now see what strength there is in the boughs of the enemy
When the time comes, we shall show thee, O heaven
For why should we tell thee now, what lurks in our hearts?)
The train reached Lucknow at 9.30 am around half an hour
late than the scheduled arrival. I called up my colleague Muzaffar who had arrived
a night ago and was waiting for me at a hotel.
I was fascinated by the architecture of the historic Lucknow
station at Charbagh (built in 1923) which itself symbolized Mughal and Persian influences. Rooftops
in shapes of domes reminded you of Nawab’s Mahals (castles) like the one seen
in the comic series of Arabian Nights!
The hotel was at Hazratganj Road around 15-20 minutes drive
from the railway station. I finally met Muzaffar at the breakfast table of the
Hotel Restaurant. Again the ambience of the place got me curious as I looked at
the walls surrounding the dining area. There were portraits of all Nawabs of
Lucknow or the Awadh Empire of which the latter was the capital. But, there
were two things which struck me hard during my observation. First, why was
there a portrait of only one woman, probably a princess or queen amongst all
Nawabs. She must be some one very special to be given such respect even in a
male dominated monarchy of Awadh regime. Secondly, the heavy embroidery of the
clothes worn by a Nawab in the portrait right next to hers. He looked more like
a Kathak dancer than a king. Hence, once back in my hotel room I opened my
laptop and did a Google search. My fascination grew stronger as the search
results popped up on the screen. I recognized almost every Nawab I saw in the portraits
of the dining hall.
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| Nawab Saadat Ali Khan I - The first Nawab of the Awadh Empire |
 |
| Nawab Nasir-ud-din Ali Haider |
 |
| The walls of the dining hall resurrecting those glorious days |
 |
| Nawab Amjad Ali Shah |
Begum Hazrat Mahal was never a bequeathed royal. She had a
fascinating story. The Nawab was a passionate lover... visit my travel blog www.mystic-vagabond.blogspot.com for more
