Palace Culture of Lucknow

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In Pre-British days, towards the end of the Mughal rule in Awadh, which now constitutes two administrative divisions of Uttar Pradesh known as Lucknow and Faizabad, a sophisticated culture sprang up, no doubt inspired by the powerful ruling Nawabs. The rule of the Nawabs was a short-lived one, and it ended when Wajid Ali Shah was deposed by Lord Dalhousie in 1856. The culture of Lucknow remained and its traces, says the author, still linger in the lanes and by-lanes of Lucknow.

This culture emanated from the life-styles of the Nawabs. Its beauty and grace is shaped by the urban people and their cultural activities such as their entertainment, exotic foods and drinks, dressing styles, conversations as well as their literature and fine arts.

This work explores the varied aspects of this culture in nine chapters. Though not written for specialists in sociology and history, it should certainly be read by them if they need first-hand information about Lucknow and its culture, because the book is the first of its kind. To the general reader, it has an appeal, because Lucknow and its culture have a universal appeal. Its finesse and sophistication were as dear to Lucknowites during the days of the Nawabs as they still are with due apologies Lucknowites. The author says "The best way to describe Lucknow would perhaps be to liken it to an exquisitely charming courtesan who is highly sophisticated, elegant, well mannered and is a good conversationalist and has a fairly good knowledge of contemporary literature and topics of the day." Palace Culture of Lucknow is a graphic description and a critical account of a culture that has waned but the book is of great importance to any proper understanding of 19th century cultural life not only of Lucknow but of the entire northern India.

Amir Hasan engaged in research of the Culture of Avadh initially as a hobby but later as a passion. This work is the outcome of long hours of intense reading, interpreting and most of all reading between the lines. The complications of politics, ambitions and jealousies needed to be unraveled like riddles and the hypotheses proved through a muddle of evidences contained in books of history, literature and philosophy as well as informal information contained in epistles, diaries, records in religious books, songs etc. The languages of these works range from English, Hindi, Urdu to Persian and Arabic. Dr. Hasan had multilingual fluency. He passed away in 1992 at the age of 63. He worked prolifically all his life, opening new avenues for future researchers.

Our earliest memories of our father, Dr. Amir Hasan (1929- 92) are of an author at work. Every morning, we would find him diligently working on some article, paper or book chapter. An early riser, his writing work would be taken up after a walk and a spot of gardening .He would be surrounded by reference books, loose sheets of paper and a tea tray precariously balanced in the midst of it all. One by one, we would wake up and troop to where our parents were having their morning tea. He welcomed us with a smile and read out parts of what he was working on. We were treated to beautifully worded narratives of Awadh, his experiences with the tribals of Tarai and on some rare occasions tribal folklore and also Awadhi shayari. All this was delivered in his deep mesmerizing voice which overrode the early morning chirping of birds and the whisper of breeze in the trees. The scents of the earth rose in the background from the plants he had watered when the rest were still asleep. We were given small proof-reading tasks in the summer vacations. We got to work after breakfast and competed with each other to complete our tasks. We were amateurs and perhaps our work yielded no real results but we learnt camaraderie, team work and we learnt to be proud of our ink-stained fingers. This was the nourishment we grew up on and this was the exposure that enriched our childhood and furnished us with a legacy for life. Our father did not teach us how to become authors. Through sharing his interests with us, he taught us a way of life. His writing was his hobby. He was a civil servant dedicated to the nation and his profession. By sharing his interests with us, he shared values, wisdom and notions of nobility.

I do not belong to Lucknow but the city and its culture were imprinted on my mind even when I was too young to comprehend their significance. For me too, like all the Shias of this state or for that matter, of the whole subcontinent, Lucknow was a pil- grimage centre only a shade less sacred than the holy places in Iraq and Iran and a centre of Shia learning and culture unrivalled by any other city in India. However, as I grew up I almost forgot Lucknow in the wild country of the primitive people of U.P. with whose lifestyle, beliefs and rituals, I fell in love. It may not be flattering at all to Lucknowites and many exponent and admirers of Lucknow's culture to know that it was in course of this study of tribal life and lore that I rediscovered Lucknow. I was struck by a striking similarity between these two entirely different groups of people, one refined and highly sophisticated and the other rugged and uncouth, in their wishful thinking to preserve their traditional societies and in their nostalgia for their past.