2025

To understand Lucknow, don’t head straight for its monuments or museums, instead walk through its ‘mohallas’. These aren’t just neighbourhoods but the soul of Lucknow, stitched together by stories, heritage and ethos of the city.‘Mohallas’ begin quietly, often with an unassuming ‘gali’ (lane) that opens into a world where names aren’t just names but archives…

By Salim ArifNawabs of Lucknow encouraged integration and assimilation. During the reign of Wajid Ali Shah, theatre got a social boostThe transmission of stories and ideas — and their absorption into the cultural mainstream — has been the defining strength of Awadh. Long before Lucknow became the capital in 1775, when Asaf-ud-Daula shifted from Faizabad,…

Lucknow’s ‘galis’ are vibrant tapestries of history, commerce, and culture From unique names to interesting anecdotes and nuggets of history, each ‘gali’ of Lucknow has a distinct character, says The moonlit lanes of Chowk and soothing sound echoing in background on radio ‘Jaane kitne dino ke baad, gali me aaj chand nikla’, takes you back…

Exactly 250 years ago, Asaf-ud-Daula — the fourth nawab of Awadh – made a bold move. Claiming the throne soon after his father’s demise, he moved to Lucknow and made it the power centre. When he set up his court, Lucknow – which was an important economic centre in those days – also became the…

When Asaf-ud-Daula decided to make Lucknow the capital of Awadh, he had rather made a choice. Lucknow was an economic centre in the times of his great grandfather Saadat Khan Buhran-ul-Mulk. In fact many of the older mohallas of Lucknow were established by the founder Nawab, Buhran-ul-Mulk.Author Rosie Llewellyn Jones in her book ‘A Fatal…