(This article was published in the February 2018 issue of Confluence, a UK magazine).
Two days back I read about the demise of the last descendant of the Nawab of Avadh. It transported me to 2009 when the seed of my novel, The World Beyond had just been planted in my mind. I had spent many a day that year, walking amongst the ruins of Lucknow. I would close my eyes and imagine what it must have looked like, 150 years ago - when the corridors of the Bara Imambara were covered with lush carpets, when the Parikhana resounded with the sound of music and ghungroos and when Alambagh, Sikander Bagh and Charbagh were actually beautiful baghs and gardens and not the concrete jungle that they are today.
LUCKNOW. The capital of Avadh. The city of Nawabs. The land of impeccable manners. The place that has been mentioned in the annals of history as one of the wealthiest and most prosperous cities in the world.
If you could go back in time to 1855, when the kingdom of Avadh was at the height of its glory and prosperity, I'd tell you to go to Lucknow and look at its skyline during sunset. You would notice the white palaces and mosques, bedecked with golden minarets, domes and cupolas, appear flushed and pink, as the sun set slowly behind them. Like a virgin bride, blushing in all her bridal finery. Such was the beauty of Lucknow. Historians the world over had hailed it as one of the most beautiful cities in the world, even more beautiful than Rome, Paris or Constantinople.
NAWAB WAJID ALI SHAH. The last ruler of the kingdom of Avadh and well-loved by his people. A connoisseur of music, dance, theatre and literature. A king who has often been wrongly portrayed and misunderstood. He was one of the few rulers who celebrated festivals like Holi and Muharram with equal fervour.
He was a great poet and an equally good dancer, musician, composer and choreographer. Music ran in his blood. He established the Parikhana, which is the modern equivalent of the theatre. He brought Kathak out of the confines of temples and gave it the respect it deserved. He wrote over a hundred books, many of which were destroyed after the uprising of 1857.
The city of Lucknow thrived under his rule. At a time when the Mughal court was on the decline, poets and artisans flocked to Nawab Wajid Ali Shah's court, as it had become the cultural hub of the country.
Not many of us know that the famous song, Babul Mora Naihar Chuto Jaye was written by Wajid Ali Shah, when he had to leave his beloved Lucknow, after the wrongful annexation of his kingdom by the East India Company. The English were afraid that his deposition might spark a revolt and insisted he leave in the quiet of the night. They did the same later, with Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughul emperor of India.
A heart-broken Wajid Ali Shah, wrote these lines as he left the city that he so loved, never to return:
Babul mora naihar chuto hi jaye
Char kahar mil mori doliya sajave
Mora apna begana chuto jaye.
(O father, I’m leaving my home behind,
four men have gathered to lift my palanquin.
My near and dear ones will soon become strangers,
my home unreachable…)
These lines were later immortalised by K.L. Saigal who sang them in the Bollywood movie, Street Singer. The song became so popular, it used to be sung at most Indian weddings.
Above is the picture of KAISERBAGH PALACE, in 1855, where Nawab Wajid Ali Shah used to live with his family.
This is the picture of the Western gateway of Kaiserbagh Palace. This is how it looked about 150 years ago. Notice the intricately sculpted mermaids and fishes.
This is how it looks today. This gateway, as well as the Eastern gateway are ALL that remain of the magnificent palace of the last king of Avadh.
Look at it again. Carefully. Notice how it is being vandalised. Does it not make you sad, angry even, that something of such historical importance, is being vandalised in this manner?
Let's take a look at another picture. This is a mermaid at the bottom of the gateway. See how people have been spitting betel juice on it relentlessly. I'm sure if these people were aware of the importance of this mermaid or the gateway, they would think twice before spitting on it.
Here’s what Rosie Llewellyn-Jones, a writer and an authority on Lucknow, says about the palace - “The Kaiserbagh… has been undergoing demolition in a piecemeal fashion…It is undoubtedly one of the most remarkable palace complexes ever erected and had it not been especially singled out for destruction by the vengeful British and later neglected by the people of Lucknow it would have become one of the most celebrated structures in India."
Our country has a rich cultural heritage. There were over 92 palaces in Lucknow in 1855. In 1858, just three years later, after the Uprising of 1857, only 12 remained. Some were destroyed during the uprising. The others were bulldozed and razed to the ground as retribution by the British. Now, only a handful remain. The rulers of yore did their bit in destroying our heritage. We have done our bit. Let's take pride and better care of the little that remains, before it is too late.
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