........journey to Lucknow - a crude travelogue

21st December 1996, sharp 4.30PM, Guard raised the green signal, sudden jerk and chug-chug! The train chugged into the winter evening mist. Slums and smelling streets went passing by. Slowly we said TATA to Bangalore. A few of us caught busy with dumping luggage safely, it was the beginning of our journey to the conference : IT products of the 90's. For many it was a journey to the intellectual excellence and for a few it was the journey to meet their near and dear ones – if not many, people from Lucknow know it.

Seven and half hour journey, it was the stinging and unpleasant smell that reckoned us the arrival of Madras/Chennai railway station. (The then called Madras.). Unlike Bangalore, Chennai/Madras was found to be very hot and humid even at 1 O’ clock midnight.

22nd Dec 2004, 4 O clock in the morning, after a few ups and downs, we managed to get into the Koramandal express. Songs, Dances and Anthakshari made the journey lively and exhilarating. AWS got engaged in trying to find the Wander Wall’s force behind the train moving. Others were busy reading the novel.

Quite a few hours later we were lectured on the modern and ancient philosophies of India and AP in particular. Occasionally, politics also found peeping into the discussion. Though very poor in my GK, I could comprehend very little from those discussions, but like my other fellow colleagues I did nod my head as if I knew the issue under discussion. Many a time DSR was found nodding head and asking for clarification to the untold and elaborate stories told by ARD. I thought for a while went ahead and paused a question, was there any relation between Phoolan and Anthdra Nexalites? It not only did throw me out of the discussion but also revealed my poor knowledge on the subject. However I found it very interesting than seeing the arid zones of AP.

It was half past 2PM, many were found fast asleep and few were found talking stealthily to their romantic counter parts. For them it was perhaps the most precious part of the journey. After a tiring 42 Hr journey, we reached Jhansi – the suburban Jhansi reminded us the Iron-Lady Jhansi-Ki-Rani studied in 4th standard history textbook of Kerala. I was eagerly expecting a huge statue and with sword in her hand so on. But no surprise, there is a statue in the middle of the road thickly coated in white - bird drops! Almost the same way as it is appears in the 4th standard low quality history textbooks of Kerala. Anyhow that imagination didn’t beat about the bush.

Many of us started showing the signs of a couple of days journey, quite weary and exhausted. We have started seeing tonkas, rickshaw pullers, which is quite unfamiliar seen in Kerala – the state to which I was born! Yes, we are reaching the city of monuments where the history is sleeping. It was exceptionally cool; the Lucknow winter has spread her wings over the city. The entire city is filled with dark fog proclaiming the pollution it is absorbing! Few yards away, a couple of Teashops were barely seen, serving hot tea to the slum dwellers. They looked ugly and gave an impression that they had not seen water for years together. A long silver beard Chay-walla was wearing a white but almost dark Kurta and a woolen broken blanket covering his body in full except his face – just to escape from the ice-cold winter.

Like any other north Indian railways stations, Lucknow looked considerably unclean and dirty. The Conference bench had already opened a few guidance centers. We approached them and couple of handsome guys came forward, many girls lean forward! We were jam packed in a Tonka and were led to the guesthouse accommodation in Giri-Institute –specially arranged for the conference attendees. I remember it was almost an hour journey from the conference hall. As usual, many of us sat in the back. A few guys jumped to the front soon after the announcement “there will be Khatak- a north Indian dance program”

Next day, on 17th December 1995, after some financial damage through the conference registration and souvenir including the conference bag - which everybody was eagerly waiting for than the conference itself – which said “Coneference on the IT products of the 90”


Got up around 6.30 morning, went on to the terrace of the Giri-institute to enjoy the cool breeze, the Lucknow winter offered. I was shivering; my upper and lower lips started kissing each other. I could barely see the sun rising through heavy morning winter mist. As the sun rises, the growing light pierces the gloom, the morning mist lifts slowly and as you watch beyond the Chritmas trees, a patter of red sand stonewall emerging out of the mist starts glittering in the morning sun. In between an incomparable marble dome slowly appears like a serene mirage from the past! The Taj Mahal – the sign of love, affection and perhaps intoxication too. An incredible gaze indeed! To live with that dome and minarets always in view – as people sit on the roof chopping vegetables or playing cards, smoking hookahs, and so on – only the people of Lucknow know it.

Wandered through the streets anxiously; I was looking at the faces around me, the rickshaw pullers, the Paan Wallas, the Tonka men, etc. They were certainly poor and usually earn less than a dollar a day – they form part of the 30 million Indians below the poverty line. I was very curious to talk to them and find out what they felt like living in Lucknow? I needed the right face, possibly old, humorous, talkative and benign. Yes, I found him at the corner of the paan shop. He wore a white kurta and a white peaked cotton cap, fair skinned with piercing red-eyes –showing the signs of insufficient sleep. There were laughter lines, a humorous lift at the corner of the paan stained lips. “Mei Aap Ke Saath Baath Kar Sakthe hei”, the moment I asked if he could talk to me for a while? He nodded vigorously in agreement and leaned forward and was ready for the conversation. I sat for a while; he spoke in an unadulterated Urdu. He spoke about the golden days, about Nizams, about how his grand father helped build the Fathepur Sikhri, Redfort and so on. I nodded my head in agreement. Other friends of mine had walked past, I said Khuda Hafiz and brisk to reach them fast. Later in the afternoon we left for Delhi – leaving a lot of memories and the loving, caring people of Lucknow.

Until today, I never got time to write down the Delhi experience!