The ‘Hazratganj’ crossing (renamed ‘Atal Chowk Chauraha’ in 2019) in Lucknow, with veritably historical, colourful background is iconic in landmarks – a niche marketplace, bookstores, cinema theatres, banks, restaurants, coffee houses, wayside stalls, many of which are gone with time. Many authors having roots in old Lucknow and nursing the nostalgia of the 60-70s have extensively written about that charming ‘Hazratganj’ that had a sense of welcoming culture and style of its own, that captivated hearts !
A major facelift to the street a decade or so ago and with business models coming in, few old shopsto fold up or don slick avtaars alongside the snazzy modern showrooms that since came up. Yet, despite the overcrowding, noise and parking woes that have come to stay as this city continues to growwith mega-rapidity, one still associates the glittering modern Hazratganj with suavity combining grandeur of aristocratic architecture with ethnic elegance of the older era of being classically laid back in traditional ‘Lucknowi Ada’!
For me and my childhood friendsbred in Lucknow,Hazratganj has many links to our early life. I can even recall the terrible Lucknow floods of the1960s when boats were sailing in theHazratganj area that was inundated. Later it was ‘the place’ for youth like us to visit shops & British Council (BCL) library to borrow books and occasionally have a cool drink ‘Milk Badam’ then costing five bucks. The most vivid of memories are tied to ‘Mayfair’ cinema and watching classic films of the likes of ‘Ben-Hur’, ‘My Fair Lady’& ‘Sound of Music’ and our first initiation as teenagers to ‘A’ rated ‘James Bond’ films !In our Co-Ed, University days, dates materialised only if the venue was Hazratganj !
Fortuitously in 1977 I got posted in the Hazratganj branch of BOB for about five years and became well known to local shops & businesses for being a go-to man to serve all banking needs.Those were days of being a soughtafterbachelor with match-making fathers directly coming to interview me at the Bank. Hilarious while it lasted but thenanother phase began as I got married in 1980. I could mix bank work with pleasure of fixing dates with my wife in elegant restaurants in the vicinity !!
Having moved out of Lucknow at the end of the 1990s, we have always found reasons to return and visits to Hazratganj are inevitable- it’s so central and now connected to many parts by an efficient Metro rail service. What amazes are the glittering array of shops akin to a huge open mall that has near everything (For Chikan kurtas there’s adjoining Janpath market). Starting from sprawling Halwasiya Market to old ‘Lovers Lane’ to vintage ‘Royal Cafe’, popular for its ‘Basket Chaat’ stall and up to the biggest booksellers ‘Universal’ it’s tough negotiating through crowds and hordes of vehicles ! For those who loved Lucknow, it can be a happy, proverbial walk down memory lane…
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