It is impossible to be in Srinagar and not meditate upon the memory of Dara Shikoh. Born in Ajmer, Dara had travelled throughout South Asia as crown prince of the Mughal empire. But he built a library and retreat in Srinagar in 1650 called Pari Mahal, a sprawling terrace garden around a place of learning. The ruins of this retreat still overlook the shimmering Dal Lake.
Mehru Jaffer
Post date: Monday, October 26, 2015 - 12:28
Women are harassed worldwide but, in India, the lack of empathy of most law enforcement agencies regarding problems faced by women is shocking. As far as the law is concerned, the position of women in society is equal but in reality whenever things go wrong in the home, street or office it is invariably the fault of the woman who is promptly held responsible and punished.
Post date: Tuesday, September 15, 2015 - 13:31
To better understand what makes Lucknow unique and its citizens so special read Amritlal Nagar. The birth anniversary celebration of one of the city’s most charming chroniclers is a golden opportunity to rediscover Nagar’s writings inspired by life in Lucknow.
The Hindi author’s work has a cinematic quality that leaves a lasting impression in the mind of the reader of a time when citizens belonging to various communities and practising different faiths had more in common with one another than is now remembered and even less practised.
Post date: Tuesday, August 11, 2015 - 12:53
Lucknow has always been a smart city. Even though somewhere along the way the city lost its sheen and was reduced to a shameful shabbiness, the latest figures released by the Union Tourism Ministry reveal that visitors still love Lucknow.
Last year, Uttar Pradesh, of which Lucknow is the capital, received 2.91 million visitors, which is higher than Delhi’s 2.32 million. It’s safe to assume that a majority of visitors to UP went to the state in order to see Lucknow.
Post date: Tuesday, July 14, 2015 - 15:27
For Alok Singh, it is possible to considerably curb crimes on streets with little more than a smart card.
Post date: Thursday, May 14, 2015 - 14:19
This morning I woke to the very sad news that communal clashes had taken place in the old city of Lucknow.
Post date: Wednesday, April 8, 2015 - 16:05
A recent couple of days spent on the campus of Kanpur’s Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) were a huge high.
Post date: Tuesday, March 10, 2015 - 15:46
Padmashri Raj Bisaria, 80, must be drowned in thunderous applause over and over again. Why? For being the most beloved dramebaz in Lucknow.
Post date: Monday, February 9, 2015 - 15:20
I recently saw Daatu, a Kannada film that I cannot forget.
Post date: Tuesday, January 13, 2015 - 13:19
The extreme cold this winter took me back to Ali Sardar Jafri’s Five Nights of Lucknow, first published in 1998 as a collection of 11 terrific essays.
In the chapter titled Fourth Night, it is written how stormy the weather was in December 1941. This was on the eve of the civil disobedience call against the British by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in August 1942, to quit India. Politics around the world was hot and Indian hearts and minds were filled with hope of a better life after the retreat of the colonialists from South Asia.
Post date: Monday, December 8, 2014 - 14:34
There is a lot of buzz these days about the origin of Urdu.
Post date: Thursday, November 6, 2014 - 13:36
I ’m happy to see the garbage outside my doorstep swept away in recent days. The only worry is that the filth may have been removed from this doorstep only to be deposited at another. This out of sight, out of mind policy is no long-term solution to a clean country.