Lucknow ( ; , , , )
is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh
. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of
Lucknow
District
and Lucknow Division. According to
Government of India, the Lucknow district is one of the ninety
Minority Concentrated Districts in India, shown by 2001 census data
on population, socio-economic indicators and basic amenities
indicators..
Located in what was historically known as the
Awadh region, Lucknow has always been a multicultural
city. Courtly manners, beautiful gardens, poetry, music, and fine
cuisine patronized by the
Persian-loving
Shia
Nawabs of the city are well known amongst
Indians and students of South Asian culture and history. Lucknow is
popularly known as the
The City of Nawabs.
It is also known as
the Golden City of the East, Shiraz
-i-Hind
and The Constantinople
of India.
The
All India Kisan Sabha
(AIKS) was formed at the Lucknow session of the
Indian National Congress in 11
April 1936 with the legendary nationalist
Swami Sahajanand Saraswati
elected as its first President, in order to mobilise peasant
grievances against the
zamindari attacks
on their occupancy rights, and thus sparking the
Farmers' movement in India
.
Today, Lucknow is a vibrant city that is witnessing an economic
boom and is among the top ten fastest growing metro cities of India
and is the second largest city of east, north & central India
after Delhi. Straddling across the river Gomti, modern Lucknow is a
bustling metropolis. Historically, it was a centre of
Hindi and
Urdu literature.
History
After 1350 AD the Lucknow and parts of
Awadh
region have been under the rule of the
Delhi Sultanate, the
Mughal Empire, the
Nawabs of Awadh, the
East India Company and the
British Raj. Lucknow has been one of the
major centers of
First War of
Independence, participated actively in
India's Independence movement,
and after Independence has emerged as an important city of
North India.
Until 1719,
subah of Awadh was a province of
the
Mughal Empire administered by a
Governor appointed by the Emperor.
Saadat
Khan also called Burhan-ul-Mulk a Persian adventurer was
appointed the Nazim of
Awadh in 1722 and he
established his court in Faizabad near Lucknow.
Awadh was
known as the granary of India and was important strategically for
the control of the Doab, the fertile plain between the
Ganga
and the Yamuna
rivers. It was a wealthy kingdom, able to maintain
its independence against threats from the Marathas, the British
and the
Afghans. The
third Nawab,
Shuja-ud-Daula fell out
with the British after aiding
Mir Qasim,
the fugitive
Nawab of Bengal. He was
comprehensively defeated in the
Battle
of Buxar by the East India Company, after which he was forced
to pay heavy penalties and cede parts of his territory. The British
appointed a resident in 1773, and over time gained control of more
territory and authority in the state. They were disinclined to
capture Awadh outright, because that would bring them face to face
with the Marathas and the remnants of the Mughal Empire.
Lucknow's rise to growth and fame begins with its elevation as
capital of Awadh by Nawab
Asaf-Ud-Dowlah. He was a great philanthropist
and gave Lucknow a unique and enduring legacy. The architectural
contributions of these Awadh rulers include several imposing
monuments.
Of the monuments standing today, the Bara Imambara
, the Chhota Imambara
, and the Roomi Darwaza
are notable examples. One of the more
lasting contributions by the
Nawabs is the
syncretic composite culture that has come to be
known as the
Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb.
In 1798, the fifth Nawab Wazir Ali Khan alienated both his people
and the British, and was forced to abdicate. The British then
helped
Saadat Ali Khan to the
throne. Saadat Ali Khan was a puppet king, who in the treaty of
1801 ceded half of Awadh to the British East India Company and also
agreed to disband his troops in favor of a hugely expensive,
British-run army. This treaty effectively made the state of Awadh a
vassal to the British East India Company, though it notionally
continued to be part of the Mughal Empire in name until 1819.
The treaty of 1801 formed an arrangement that was very beneficial
to the Company. They were able to use Awadh's vast treasuries,
repeatedly digging into them for loans at reduced rates. In
addition, the revenues from running Awadh's armed forces brought
them useful revenues while it acted as a buffer state. The Nawabs
were ceremonial kings, busy with pomp and show but with little
influence over matters of state. By the mid-nineteenth century,
however, the British had grown impatient with the arrangement and
wanted direct control of Awadh.
In 1856 the East India Company first moved its troops to the
border, then annexed the state, which was placed under a chief
commissioner - Sir
Henry
Lawrence.
Wajid Ali Shah,
the then Nawab, was imprisoned, and then exiled by the Company to
Calcutta
. In the subsequent
Revolt of 1857 his 14-year old son
Birjis Qadra son of
Begum Hazrat Mahal was crowned ruler, and
Sir Henry Lawrence killed in the hostilities.
Following the
rebellion's defeat, Begum Hazrat Mahal and other rebel leaders
obtained asylum in Nepal
.
Those company troops who were recruited from the state, along with
some of the nobility of the state, were major players in the events
of 1857. The rebels took control of Awadh, and it took the British
18 months to reconquer the region, months which included the famous
Siege of Lucknow. Oudh was placed
back under a chief commissioner, and was governed as a British
province. In 1877 the offices of lieutenant-governor of the
North-Western Provinces and chief commissioner of Oudh were
combined in the same person; and in 1902, when the new name of
United Provinces of
Agra and Oudh was introduced, the title of chief commissioner
was dropped, though Oudh still retained some marks of its former
independence.
The province of Awadh (anglicized to
Oudh) was annexed by
the East India Company in 1856 and placed under the control of a
chief commissioner. In the
Indian Rebellion of 1857 (also
known as the
First War
of Indian Independence and the Indian Mutiny), the
garrison based at the
Residency in Lucknow was
besieged by rebel forces. The famous Siege of
Lucknow was relieved first by forces under the command of Sir
Henry Havelock and Sir
James Outram, followed by a
stronger force under Sir
Colin Campbell. Today, the
ruins of the Residency, and the picturesque
Shaheed Smarak
offer reminiscences of Lucknow's role in the stirring events of
1857.
The city played an important role in both the First War of
Independence and the modern Indian freedom struggle. Whether it was
the
Lucknow Pact of 1916 or the
Khilafat Movement, it brought the
citizens on a united platform against the British rule. In the
Khilafat Movement
Maulana Abdul
Bari of
Firangi Mahal, Lucknow
actively participated and cooperated with
Mahatama Gandhi and
Maulana Mohammad Ali.
In 1901, after remaining the capital of
Oudh
since 1775, Lucknow, with a population of 264,049, was merged in
the newly formed
United Provinces of Agra and
Oudh.
However, it became the provincial capital in 1920 when the seat of
government was moved from Allahabad
. Upon Indian
independence in 1947, Lucknow became the capital of Uttar Pradesh, the erstwhile United Provinces.
Image:Lucknow_1857_NW.jpg|Map of Lucknow in 1857 (NW
section)Image:Lucknow_1857_NE.jpg|Map of Lucknow in 1857 (NE
section)Image:Lucknow_1857_SW.jpg|Map of Lucknow in 1857 (SW
section)Image:Lucknow_1857_SE.jpg|Map of Lucknow in 1857 (SE
section)Image:Lucknow_1901.jpg|Map of Lucknow in
1901Image:Lucknow_1909.jpg|Map of Lucknow in 1909Image:United
Provinces 1903.gif|United Provinces of Agra and
Oudh in 1903
Geography
Situated
in the heart of the great Gangetic
plain, Lucknow city is surrounded by its rural towns and
villages like the orchard town of Malihabad
, historic Kakori
, Mohanlal
ganj, Gosainganj, Chinhat, Itaunja
. On its eastern side lies Barabanki
District
, on the western side is Unnao District, on the southern side Raebareli District, and on the northern
side the Sitapur
and Hardoi
districts. The
Gomti River, the
chief geographical feature, meanders through the city, dividing it
into the Trans-Gomti and Cis-Gomti regions. Lucknow city is located
in the
seismic zone III.
Climate
Lucknow has a warm
humid
subtropical climate with cool, dry winters from December to
February and dry, hot summers from April to June. The rainy season
is from mid-June to mid-September, when Lucknow gets an average
rainfall of 1010 mm (40 in) mostly from the south-west
monsoon winds. In winter the maximum
temperature is around 21 degrees Celsius and the minimum is in the
3 to 4 degrees Celsius range. Fog is quite common from late
December to late January. Summers can be quite hot with
temperatures rising to the 40 to 45 degree Celsius range, the
average highs being in the high 30's.
Demographics
Currently the population of Lucknow is more than 30 lakhs.The
majority of Lucknow's population includes people from Eastern Uttar
Pradesh. However,
Bengalis,
South Indians and
Anglo-Indians have also settled in Lucknow.
Hindus comprise about 52% and Muslims about 35%. There are also
small groups of
Sikhs,
Jains,
Christians and
Buddhists. As per 2001 census literacy
rate of Lucknow is 69.39% (61.22% for females and 76.63% for
males).
Civic administration
Lucknow
is the political and administrative capital of Uttar Pradesh. The city elects members to the Lok Sabha as well as the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha (State
Assembly). Lucknow has two loksabha Constituencies named
Lucknow & Mohanlalganj.
The city
is under the jurisdiction of a District Collector
, who is an IAS officer. The
Collectors are in charge of property records and revenue collection
for the
Central Government, and
oversee the
national elections
held in the city. The Collector is also responsible for maintaining
law and order in the city. The city is administered by the Lucknow
Municipal Corporation with executive power vested in the Municipal
Commissioner of Lucknow also called the City Mayor. An Assistant
Municipal Commissioner oversees each ward for administrative
purposes.
The Lucknow Police is headed by a Inspector General, who is an
IPS officer. The Lucknow
Police comes under the state Home Ministry. The city is divided
into several police zones and traffic police zones, each headed by
a Deputy Inspector General of Police. The Traffic Police is a
semi-autonomous body under the Lucknow Police. The Lucknow Fire
Brigade department is headed by the Chief Fire Officer, who is
assisted by Deputy Chief Fire Officers and Divisional Officers.
Former Prime Minister
A.B.Vajpayee had been member of
Parliament for the Lucknow Parliamentary constituency until
recently where he has been replaced by Lalji Tandon in elections of
2009.
Economy
Lucknow is not only a major market & trading city in Northern
India, but is also an emerging hub for producers of goods and
services.
Being the capital of Uttar Pradesh state, the Government departments and the public
sector undertakings are the principal employers of the salaried
middle class. Liberalization has created many more
opportunities in the business and service sector and self-employed
professionals are burgeoning in the city.
Lucknow also provides a good catchment area for the recruitment of
quality personnel by
information
technology companies for the
BPO. The city is the
headquarters of both the Small Industries Development Bank of India
(
SIDBI) and the Pradeshiya Industrial and
Investment Corporation of Uttar Pradesh (PICUP). The Regional
office of the Uttar Pradesh State Industries Development
Corporation (UPSIDC) is also located here. The other
business-promoting institutions that have a presence in Lucknow are
the
Confederation of
Indian Industry (CII) and
Entrepreneurship
Development Institute of India (EDII).
Manufacturing and Processing
Among the bigger manufacturing units, Lucknow has
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited,
Tata Motors,
Eveready Industries and Scooters India
Limited. Processing industries include milk production,
steel-rolling units and LPG bottling.
The city's small-scale and medium-scale industrial units are
located in the industrial enclaves of Chinhat, Aishbagh, Talkatora
and Amousi.
Real estate
Real estate is one of the many booming sectors of the economy.
There are several malls, residential complexes and business
complexes throughout the city. Real estate giants like Parshvanath,
DLF, Omaxe,
Sahara,
Unitech,
Ansal API, Emaar MGF are here.
Lucknow is one of the few Indian cities that follows vertical
outgrowth plan like Delhi, Mumbai, Surat, Gazhiabad.
The city boasts
handsome skylines in Gomti
Nagar
, Hazrat Ganj and Kapoorthala. Few of the
prominent under-construction buildings are
Sahara Hospital which will have 30
floors followed by Metro City, Parshvanath Planet and Omaxe
Heights, all 25 floors. The city boasts a high property expansion
rate. It is expected that city will have a $2.5 billion organised
real estate by 2010, highest in North India except the National
Capital Region (NCR).
Traditional Trade
Traditionally, Lucknow has been a
mandi town for mangoes,
melons, and grains grown in the surrounding areas.
Sugarcane-growing plantations and sugar industries
are also in close proximity. This attracted Mohan Meakins Brewery
to set up a unit based on
molasses in the
city. Meakins was incorporated in 1855 and is Asia's first
commercial brewery.
Lucknow is famous for its small scale industries that are based on
unique styles of embroidery, namely,
Chikan and
Lakhnawi Zardozi, both of which are significant foreign
exchange earners. Chikan has caught the fancy of fashion designers
in
Bollywood and abroad.
During the period of the Nawabs,
kite-making
reached a high level of artistry, and is still a small-scale
industry. Lucknow has also been an industrial producer of tobacco
products like 'Kivam', edible fragrances like 'attars' and
handicrafts such as pottery, earthen toys,
silver and gold foil work, and
bone
carving products.
Emerging Businesses
Lucknow, with its excellent educational, commercial, banking and
legal infrastructure, is witnessing rapid growth in information
technology, banking, retailing, construction and other service
sectors. Private coaching institutions for preparing aspirants of
competitive exams and services is another business that is
flourishing in Lucknow.
Lucknow houses hundreds of established real estate brands and
dozens of niche and specialised developers like High-end premium
residential projects, Malls, IT parks, Commercial property,
SEZs, Plots, Business centres, Multiplexes,
Clubs, Banks, Food courts, Entertainment centres and Finance
institutions.
All the
major public and private sector banks of India, Reserve Bank
of India
(RBI) and foreign banks like Citibank, Standard Chartered Bank, ABN-AMRO and HSBC have their
presence in the city. The big oil marketing companies like
Indian Oil Corporation,
Hindustan Petroleum,
Bharat Petroleum and
Reliance have their offices in Lucknow.
Leading IT companies like
TCS and
IBM are
also operating in Lucknow. The Ministry of Communications &
Information Technology has set up
Software Technology Parks of
India in 2001 which is playing an important role to promote
IT/ITes Units in the region.Insurance companies, both public and
private, as well as leading cellular phone companies are present in
the city as well.
Currently,
biotechnology and
information technology are the two focus areas to promote economic
development in and around the city. The
Ministry of Science
and Technology is setting up a biotech park in the city.
Lucknow is also one of the selected cities for the
Smart
City project of
STPI, under which IT is
being used to promote economic development.
Cityscape
Places to see
Husainabad Clock Tower
Ambedkar Memorial
The
Asafi Imambara (popularly known as
Bara Imambara), the Chhota Imambara, Residency, and
Shah Najaf are monuments of architectural importance at
Lucknow. The famous 'Bhul Bhulaiyan' (Labyrinth) is part of
Asafi Imambara complex. Some other places of interest are the
Picture Gallery, Chattar Manzil, State Museum /
Lucknow Zoo, Shaheed Smarak, Dilkusha, Ambedkar
Memorial, Planetarium, Baradari and Ram Krishna Math.
The
British-built architectural sights in Lucknow include the
Vidhan Sabha (State Legislative Assembly), the Clock Tower
and the Charbagh
Railway Station
, with its distinctive domes, arches and
pillars. St Joseph's Cathedral in Lucknow is the seat of the
Roman Catholic Diocese
of Lucknow.
Some of the oldest and best schools in India
are also situated in Lucknow such as La
Martiniere Lucknow
, St. Francis College
(1885), Loreto
Convent Lucknow, Colvin
Taluqdar's College,Montfort Inter College[MBIC] and
Christ
Church College
.
Lucknow has several well-kept parks that attract the citizenry in
large numbers on evenings, holidays and weekends.
The bigger parks are
Ambedkar Memorial and Lohia park in Gomti Nagar, Swarn Jayanti park and Aurobindo Park in
Indiranagar, Dilkusha Park, Begum
Hazrat Mahal Park, Globe Park, Mukherjee Phuhaar, Haathi Park,
Buddha park, and Neebu Park. The sprawling National
Botanical Garden at Sikandarbagh on the banks of
Gomti river is also worth visiting.
The city also has a Reserve Forest,
Kukrail Crocodile Park (a picnic spot
and
Gharial rehabilitation centre). Moosa
Bagh and Utretia are other popular picnic spots.
Natural attractions
accessible from Lucknow are Katarnia Ghat, Dudhwa
National Park
, Nawabganj Bird
Sanctuary and Samaspur Bird Sanctuary.
Shopping
Aminabad, a quaint bazaar like Delhi
's Chandni Chowk, is situated in the heart of the
city. It is a large shopping centre that caters to a wide
variety of consumers. Chowk and Nakhhas are markets in the old
Lucknow area where you can get a feel of traditional Lucknow. Some
other important shopping centres are
Alambagh, Kapoorthala, Indiranagar, Mahanagar and
Nishatganj. The
Hazratganj area is an
upscale shopping market with colonial- style buildings.
Interestingly, a popular pastime among the locals is
window-shopping in the
Hazratganj market.
It is popularly referred to in
Hinglish as
Ganjing. The Janpath market, Rovers, Lovers Lane, Mayfair
building, Kwality, and Universal book store are some popular
landmarks of the area.
Lucknowites are also experiencing the new waves of
shopping malls and
multiplex culture in India. The
first shopping mall-cum-multiplex to open in Lucknow was the East
End Mall in Gomti Nagar. Now Lucknow has many Mall-cum-multiplex
like Saharaganj (
PVR Cinemas),
Zee Mall (
Fun Republic), Riverside Mall (
Inox Theatre) and East End Mall (
Wave Cinemas).
Localities
The urban area is spread equally on both sides of the
Gomti River. The commercial and residential
areas on
Cis-Gomti side are
Hazratganj, L.D.A. Colony, Alambagh, RDSO Colony
(Research Design and Standard Organisation), Charbagh, Aishbagh,
Qaiserbagh, Aminabad, Husainganj, Model
Houses, Lal Bagh, Golaganj, Wazirganj, Rajendra Nagar,
Malviya Nagar, Sarojini Nagar, Aishbagh,
Rajajipuram, Haiderganj, Thakurganj, Chowk and Saadatganj.
The
residential settlements in the Trans-Gomti area are Nirala Nagar, Aliganj,
Daliganj, Mahanagar, Old & New Hyderabad, Nishatganj, Indira
Nagar
, Manas Enclave (near Kukrail picnic spot), Gomti Nagar and Gomti
Nagar Extn., Nilmatha Cantt., Vikas Nagar, Khurram Nagar,
Janakipuram and South City (on Raibareli road). Aminabad is
the heart of the city and the oldest traditional marketplace after
Chowk. It is one of the most crowded places of Lucknow.
Culture
Lucknow is bravely struggling to retain its old world charm while
at the same time acquiring a modern lifestyle. Regarded as one of
the finest cities of India, Lucknow represents a culture that
combines emotional warmth, a high degree of sophistication,
courtesy, and a love for gracious living. The
Pehle-Aap
(after you) culture, popularised as a tagline for the society of
Lucknow, is waning. But a small part of Lucknow's society still
possesses such
etiquette. This sublime
cultural richness famous as
Lakhnawi tehzeeb blends the
cultures of two communities living side by side for centuries,
sharing similar interests and speaking a common language.
Many of the cultural traits and customs peculiar to Lucknow have
become living legends today. The credit for this goes to the
secular and syncretic traditions of the
Nawabs of
Awadh, who took a keen
interest in every walk of life, and encouraged the traditions to
attain a rare degree of sophistication.
Language and poetry
Both
Hindi and
Urdu are
spoken in Lucknow, but Urdu has been the
lingua franca of the city for centuries. Under
the rule of
Nawabs, Urdu flourished and
turned into one of the most refined languages.
Hindu and
Muslim poets like
Brij Narayan Chakbast,
Khwaja Haidar Ali Atish,
Vinay Kumar Saroj,
Amir Meenai,
Mirza Hadi Ruswa, Nasikh,
Daya Shankar Kaul Nasim, Musahafi,
Insha,
Safi Lakhnavi, and the great
Meer Taqi Meer took
Urdu poetry to dizzying heights and established
the Lakhnavi form of the language.
Lucknow is one of the world's great cities for
Shiite culture. Two poets,
Mir
Anis and
Mirza Dabeer, became
legendary exponents of a unique genre of
Shia
elegiacal poetry called
Marsia
centred on Imam Husain's supreme sacrifice in the
Battle of Karbala which is commemorated
during the annual observance of
Muharram.
In recent years the use of
Urdu has reduced
significantly. Day-to-day transactions in the city are typically
performed in Hindi or
English.
Nevertheless, Lucknowites are still known for their polite and
polished way of speaking which is noticed by visitors to this city.
The
revolutionary Ram Prasad Bismil,
who was hanged by the British at Kakori near
Lucknow, was largely influenced by poetry and wrote verses under
the pen name of "Bismil". The surrounding towns like Kakori, Daryabad,
Barabanki
, Rudauli
and Malihabad produced many eminent poets and littérateurs of
Urdu like Mohsin Kakorvi, Majaz, Khumar
Barabankvi and Josh
Malihabadi. Recently in 2008 which is the 150th year of
'mutiny' of 1857 a novel has been released which uses 1857 as a
backdrop. 'Recalcitrance' is the first English novel by a
Lucknowite on the 'mutiny' of 1857.
Cuisine
The Awadh region has its own distinct
Nawabi
style cuisine, with various kinds of
biryanis,
kebabs and breads.
Kebabs are also of different types - Kakori Kebabs, Galawati
Kebabs, Shami Kebabs, Boti Kababs, Patili-ke-Kababs, Ghutwa Kababs
and Seekh Kababs are among the known varieties.
The city has a range of fine restaurants catering to all tastes and
budgets.
Makkhan Malai, 'Malai Ki Gilori' of Ram Asrey (an oldest
shop of pure ghee sweets, established in 1805) Chowk , the famous
Tundey Kebabs, named after the
one-armed chef Haji Murad Ali, and 'Kakori kebabs' are very popular
with food lovers.
The
Chaat in Lucknow is one of the
best in the country.
There are quite a few places serving
outstanding chaat, like Shukla Chaat and Moti
Mahal in Hazratganj, Radhey
Lal in Aliganj, Chhappan Bhog in Sadar and Neel
Kanth in Gomti
Nagar, and famous Jagdish Chaat House in old
lucknow Chowk.
After a delicious dinner, one can have
Paan at any of the innumerable Paan
vendors.Image:Dum Biryani Plate.jpg|
BiryaniImage:Vegetarian Curry.jpeg|Uttar Pradeshi
thali with
naan,
sultani
dal,
raita, and
shahi paneer.Image:Kebab.jpg|
Kebabs are an important part of Uttar Pradesh's
cuisine.Image:Indian_naan_bread.jpg|
Naan is one
of the staple breads of Uttar Pradesh.Image:Koofteh tabrizi.jpg|The
koftah is a popular main dish of Uttar
Pradesh.Image:Raita.jpg|
Raita has its roots in
Uttar Pradesh as well.Image:Samosa 1.jpg|The
samosa is a popular snack from Uttar
Pradesh.Image:Paan Making.jpg|
Paan Shop
Dance, drama and music
Kathak, the classical Indian dance
form took shape here.
Wajid Ali Shah,
the last
Nawab of Awadh, was a great
patron and a passionate champion of
Kathak.
Lachhu Maharaj,
Acchchan Maharaj,
Shambhu Maharaj and
Birju Maharaj have kept this tradition
alive.
Lucknow is also the city of eminent
Ghazal
singer
Begum Akhtar. She was a pioneer
in Ghazal singing and took this aspect of music to amazing heights.
"Ae Mohabbat Tere anjaam pe rona aaya" is one of her best
musical renditions of all times.
The Bhatkande music university at Lucknow is named after the great
musician
Pandit Vishnu
Narayan Bhatkhande. People from Sri Lanka, Nepal and other
countries come to Bhatkhande to study music or dance.
Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic
Arts (BNA), also known as Bhartendu Natya
Academy, a Theatre Training institute situated at Gomti Nagar in vikas khand-1, is deemed university and an autonomous organization under Ministry of Culture
, Government of Uttar
Pradesh, set up in 1975 by the Sangeet Natak Akademy (Government of Uttar Pradesh),
and became an independent Drama school in 1977.
Lucknow has given music stars like
Naushad
Ali,
Talat Mehmood,
Anup Jalota and
Baba
Sehgal to the entertainment industry. It is also incidentally
the birthplace of British pop star Sir
Cliff Richard.
Sports
A kite shop in the city
Lucknow has traditionally been a sports-loving city. In the past
pehlwani,
kabbadi,
chess,
kite flying,
pigeon flying, and
cock fighting were popular pastimes. For
decades Lucknow hosted the prestigious
Sheesh Mahal Cricket
Tournament. Today
cricket,
football,
badminton,
golf and
hockey are among the most popular sports in the city.
Gulli Danda has become a benchmark for the youth to achieve.
The city has a good record in modern sports and has produced
several national and world-class sporting personalities. Lucknow
sports hostel has produced international-level cricketers such as
Mohammed Kaif,
Piyush Chawla,
Suresh
Raina and
R. P. Singh. Other
famous sports personalities include hockey Olympians
K. D. Singh, Mohammed
Shahid and Ghaus Mohammad
Khan, the tennis player who became the first Indian to reach
the quarter finals at Wimbledon
.
Stadiums
The main
sports hub is the K.
D. Singh Babu Stadium which also has a world-class swimming and indoor
games complex. The other stadiums are at Charbagh,
Mahanagar, Chowk and Sports College.
The Lucknow Golf Club, on the sprawling greens of
La Martinière College, is one of the
most famous golf courses in India.
An inspiration for films
Lucknow has been a major influence on the Hindi film industry of
India and it would be true to say that without the Lakhnavi touch,
Bollywood would not have been what it is
today. Many script writers and lyricists hailing from Awadh like
Majrooh Sultanpuri,
Kaifi Azmi,
Javed
Akhtar Ali Raza,
Bhagwati
Charan Verma, Dr. Kumud Nagar, Dr. Achala Nagar Wajahat Mirza
(writer of
Mother India and
Ganga Jamuna),
Amritlal Nagar,
Ali Sardar Jafri and
K. P. Saxena have enriched
Indian Cinema.
Moreover, several famous movies have used Lucknow as their
backdrop, such as
Shashi Kapoor's
Junoon,
Muzaffar Ali's
Umrao
Jaan and
Gaman,
Satyajit Ray's
Shatranj Ke Khiladi.
Ismail Merchant's
Shakespeare Wallah was also partly
shot in Lucknow.
Bahu Begum,
Mehboob ki Mehndi,
Mere
Hazoor,
Mere Mehboob,
Chaudhvin Ka Chand,
Pakeezah,
Main Meri Patni Aur
Woh,
Saher,
Anwar and many more films have either been shot
in Lucknow or have Lakhnavi backdrops. In the movie
Gadar: Ek Prem Katha Lucknow has
been used to depict Pakistan. The Lal Pul has been used.
Infrastructure
Education and Research
Lucknow is a hub of education and research with many premier
institutions.
Schools and
higher educational institutions in
Lucknow are administered either by the Directorate of Education,
the UP government, or private organizations.
Higher education institutions in the city include six
universities:
University of
Lucknow,
UPTU,
RMLNLU,
Babasaheb
Bhimrao Ambedkar University,
Amity
University and
Integral
University; medical institutes like
Sanjay
Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS),
Chhatrapati
Shahuji Maharaj Medical University (CSMMU), Sahara Hospital,
Apollo Hospital and ERA's Lucknow Medical College; management
institutes like
IIM Lucknow,
Institute of Management Science at the
University of Lucknow; and government
engineering college
IET Lucknow.
Amity University also has a campus
here.
Lucknow boasts of national importance as a prominent place for
Scientific Research, especially in the emerging field of Modern
Biosciences. Four institutions affiliated to the Council for
Scientific and Industrial Research are located here : the National
Botanic Research Institute, the Central Drug Research Institute,
Indian Institute of Toxicology Research and Central Institute of
Medicinal and Aromatic Plants.
Transport
Auto Rickshaws
The available multiple modes of public transport in the city are
taxis, city buses,
cycle rickshaws,
auto rickshaws and
CNG Buses. CNG has been introduced
recently as an auto fuel to keep the
air
pollution in control. The city bus service is run by
Lucknow Mahanagar Parivahan Sewa. a division of Uttar
Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC)
From
Hazratganj intersection in Lucknow city,
four Indian National Highways originate, viz, NH-24 to Delhi, NH-25
to Shivpuri, Jhansi
(M.P.
Border), NH-56 to Varanasi and NH-28 to Mokama (Bihar). The major
bus terminus is
Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar
bus station at Alambagh. It has all modern facilities and is the
main inter and intrastate terminal. Another important bus station
is at
Qaiserbagh. Earlier, another bus
terminus operated at Charbagh, directly in front of the main
railway station, but has now been reestablished as a city bus
depot. The move was taken to remove congestion in front of the
railway station.
The city is served by several Railway stations at different parts
of the city.
The main railway station is Lucknow
Railway Station at Charbagh. It has an imposing structure
built in 1923. The main terminal belongs to
Northern Railway (NR) (station code: LKO)
division of
Indian Railways and the
second terminal is run by the
North Eastern Railway (NER)
(Station Code: LJN). Lucknow is a major junction with links to all
major cities of the state and country. Lucknow has a further
thirteen railway stations viz.
Alamnagar, Malhaur, Utretia, Transport
Nagar, Dilkhusha, Gomti
Nagar, Badshahnagar, Manak Nagar, Amausi, Aishbagh
junction, Lucknow City, Daliganj and Mohibullapur. Now meter
gauge services originate from Aishbagh and connect to Lucknow city,
Daliganj and Mohibullapur. Except Mohibullapur all the stations are
also connected to Broad gauge. All the stations are within city
limits and are well connected with each other via road networks and
public road transport.
Other suburban stations include Bakshi Ka
Talab
and Kakori.
Muniyappa, minister of state for railways, has carried out an
inspection of Charbagh station accompanied with senior officials of
railways. The minister has promised to take up the matter of
platform extension at Charbagh with railway minister and to also
get funds allocated to Lucknow for the same.
The Amausi
International Airport
serves as the city's main airport and is located
about 20 km from the city center. Lucknow is directly
connected by air with New
Delhi
, Patna
, Kolkata
, Mumbai
and other
major Indian cities. Oman Air,Cosmo Air,FlyDubai,Saudi
Airlines and Indigo Air and many more international airlines that
are successfully operating direct international flights from
Lucknow to international destinations & vice versa.
International destinations include London
, Dubai
, Jeddah
, Riyadh
, Muscat
, Sharjah
, Bangkok
, Singapore
and Hong
Kong
. During
Haj special
flights are also operated from Lucknow. Plans for high capacity
mass transit system, The
Lucknow Metro
rail Services have been finalised.
Delhi
Metro rail (DMRC) is preparing plans for its
constructions.
Media
Press
Lucknow has historically been a major center of journalism. The
National Herald, the newspaper started by India's first prime
minister
Jawaharlal Nehru before
World War II was published from Lucknow
and edited by the legendary
Manikonda Chalapathi Rau.
The prominent English dailies of the city are
The Times of India,
The Hindustan Times,
The Pioneer and
Indian Express. Several daily newspapers in
Hindi, Urdu, and English are published in the city. Among the Hindi
papers are Swatantra Bharat,
Dainik
Jagran,
Amar Ujala, Dainik Hindustan,
Rashtriya Sahara, Jansatta and I Next. The main Urdu papers are
Jayeza Daily, Rashtriya Sahara, Sahafat, Qaumi Khabrein and
Aag.
The
Press Trust of India and
United News of India have their
offices in the city and all major newspapers of the country have
their correspondents and stringers in Lucknow.
Radio
One of the earliest stations of
All
India Radio has been operational in Lucknow for quite some
time.
FM radio transmission started in
Lucknow in 2000, and the city today has following FM radio
stations.
Internet
The city has broadband internet connectivity and video conferencing
facilities.
Major players like BSNL
, Bharti Airtel, Reliance Communications, Tata Communications & STPI, have a wide infrastructure to provide broadband
Internet Bandwidth to home users, corporates etc.
Sister cities
See also
References
External links
Further reading
- Rosie Llewellyn-Jones. City of Illusion. Prestel
Verlag, 2006, 295pp. ISBN 3791331302. ISBN 978-3791331300.
- Rosie Llewellyn-Jones. Lucknow Then and Now. Marg
Publications, India, 2003. ISBN 8185026610. ISBN
978-8185026619.
- Anurag Kumar. Recalcitrance- a historical novel on events
of Great Uprising of 1857 AIP Books, India, 2008.
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