RoutemapmadeoftheRajpathbyIshitaDas

NeetaDas

Slowlydownthe Rajpath

Created,written,anddesignedbyNeetaDas Publishedby Mansara,HistoricalSocietyofLucknow D-4,BalajiHouses,BirbalSahaniMarg,Lucknow-226007 www.mansara.org Rs.25.00

Illustratedby ShubhrajitDas 2007

NeetaDas

SlowlydowntheRajpath
(ToChinionhertwentiethbirthday)

Illustratedby ShubhrajitDas 2007

Constantia,theoldestandmostimposingbuildingofthe
LaMartiniereBoysCollege,builtbyaFrenchMajorClaude Martinin1800,loomedlargeoverthethreefriendsasthey lazed around its steps. School had got over and the two boarders,SiddharthaandDasharatha,werefreetodoasthey pleased.Megha,theirfriendhadcomeovertomeetthem. Allthreesatonthelongstepsofthegrandoldbuilding.Sid, asSiddharthawascalled,balancedhimselfonthebalustrade, absent-mindedlygazingatthelionsandotherstatueswhich adornedthebuilding,acaphalfcoveringhisfacefromthe sun.Dash,shortforDasharatha,satonthegrasschewinga blade aimlessly. Megha, fidgeted as she tried to lounge comfortablyonthesteps.

Sidwasatall,leanboy,withalongneckandhairlike RichieRich.Healwaysworebluejeansandacasualwhite shirt. He was a lively person with a wide smile and an insatiablehungerforpranks.Dash,ontheotherhandwas more serious and studious. Stockier built than Sid, his favourite colour was khakhi. They were both students of classtwelve,andboarders,inLaMartiniere.Meghnawas inthesameclassbutastudentofLaMartiniereGirlsCollege andadayscholar.Sheoftencametomeettheboysafter schoolandonholidays.Meghnawasshort,withcurlyblack hairandashorttemperthatgotherthename,Maggi,after the two minute noodles. Dressed in jeans and a shirt, wantingsomeaction,shewasgettingveryrestless. Comeonguys,letsdosomething.Itsabeautiful day,shesaid.Siddidnotbudgeandcontinuedtoappraise thebuilding.Dashanswered,Whatcanwedo? Anything,Maggisaidimpatiently. Anything is not something, piped in Sid. Be specific. Wecouldgotothenewmall,counteredMaggi. Nah,toogirly,saidDash. Whataboutthemovies,Maggisuggested. Nomoney,repliedSidnotmovinganinch. You suggest something.You people are only the voiceofdissent,Maggisaidangrily. Wellyouarethelocalpersonbetweenthethreeof us.Andanywaywecanplayfootballorwatchcricket.Itis

youwhoishardtoplease,repliedSidtotallyunperturbed bytheoutburst.Withnomoreideasthethreewentbackto whattheydoingearlier;nothing. Letshaveacycle-marathon,Maggisuggested,hoping toengagetheinterestoftheboys,whichshedid. Interesting,saidDash. Youllloose,saidSid. No,Iwont,retortedMaggi.Letssetouttheroute andtherules. Whatrules?AskedSid.Wellhaveastartingpoint andafinishingpoint. Wemayneedtostop,saidDash. Why,wereneitherhorsesnorcarswhoneedtorefuel,Sidcontinued. We can go along the Rajpath, Maggi continued, totallyignoringthecommentsofherfriends. Where and whats that, both her friends said simultaneously. BeforetheNawabirule,Lucknowhadverynarrow and dirty streets. So any traveler who came back from Lucknowhadaverypooropinionofthecity.NawabSaadat AliKhandecidedtochangethat,sointheearlierpartofthe nineteenthcenturyhedevelopedabroadstreet,latercalled Hazratganj.Andhenceforthanytravelersordignitarieswho cametoLucknowweretakenthroughthiswidestreet,thereby avoiding the narrow streets and criticisms for the same.
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Maggiansweredpatiently.ThisstreetorRajpathstartsat the Dilkusha palace and finishes at the Chattar Manzil Palace. Fine,saidDash.Sidnoddedinagreement. We will carry water and some eatables. Maggi continued. Whyareyoualwaysthinkingoffood?Youllgetreally fat,jabbedSid. Youllbethefirstonetoeat,repliedMaggiunfazed bythedig. Lets draw out a small route map, said Dash and immediatelygotbusysketchingonthegroundwithastick. Letmedoit!Iknowtheplacebetter,saidMaggi. Butyouareabadsketch,saidSid,againtryingto pickupafightwithher. Oh!Yeah!Youthinkyouareverygood,saidMaggi. No,thatwasntme,Dashwantedtosketch,saidSid seriously,buthappythathehadsucceededinirritatingMaggi. Dashknewthisbickeringwouldcontinueforsometimeso hegotuptogetsomepaperandapen.Whenhereturned, histwootherfriendswerestillarguingandhadnowstarted throwingthingsateachother. Dontbehavelikebabies,saidDash,nowalittleput offbytheirbehaviour. Sidstartedit,hethrewmychappal.Itisnowlying neartheseniordorm,wailedMaggi.
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Sid,goandgetit,orderedDash,behavingallgrownup. Ifshewantsit,shecango.Imnotgoing,saidSid. Well,youknowgirlsarenotallowednearthedorms, saidDash.AtthatSidleft,grumblingashewentwhilethe other two busied themselves trying to make a route map. After much arguing and many rough drafts the map was finallycomplete.

Hmm, will do, nodded Maggi. Lets make three copiesofthemapsothatwecaneachcarryone. YoudothatwhileIgoandgetSid.Godknowswhere hehasdisappeared,repliedDashandwalkedoffasMaggi busiedherselfwiththedrawings.Theyreturnedafterafew minutes, Sid holding Maggis chappal on a stick and not lookingtoohappyaboutittoo.Hedroppedthechappalin frontofMaggiandpokedthestickinherback. Theredumbo,takeit. Oh!Thanks,Maggireplied,toopreoccupiedwithher worktorisetothebait. Letsgetourcyclesandmove,shesaidinstead. What?Cycles?AskedSidandDashinunison. Howelsearewegoingtohaveacycle-marathon? Sheretortedindignantly. Butyouknowwedonthavecycles,saidSid. Beg,borrow,orsteal!Sheanswered.Grumblingthetwo wentoffagainandcamebackalltoosoonwithonecycle. Justone?Maggiasked. Yes,wecouldonlymanagethisone,repliedDash. Everyoneelsehasleft,itsaSunday. Whatdowedonow?sheasked. Wecandodoubles,oneofuscantakeMaggi,Dash offeredchivalrously. Im not carrying that fatso, said Sid in a tone that brookednoargument. Iamnotfat,exclaimedMaggi.Sensinganotherfight
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Thislooksallright,saidDashsatisfied.
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Dashquicklyofferedtotakeherdoubles.Aftercollecting thewaterbottlesandsomesnacksfromthecanteen,thetrio setoffonfoot,pullingthecyclesalong. Itsnearlytwelve,saidSid Wecouldhavestartedearlierifyouhadntthrownmy chappal,repliedMaggi. Youstartedit,saidSid. Oh!Shutupyoutwoandstopactinglikekids,said Dashangrily.ThethreecameoutoftheLaMartinierecampus and mounted their cycles. Maggi perched herself on the pillionseatbehindDash.Sid,whowassittingonhisbike, startedlaughingandnearlyfelloffhisseat. Whatssofunny?AskedDash. Youbothlookasifyouhavecomefromacircus;a clowncarryingababyelephant,Sidrepliedmerrily. Oh!Justyouwait,sayingthatMaggijumpedoffthe cycleandmadeadashatSid.Sensingheraction,Sidcycled offquicklytoasafedistanceleavingMaggiwavingherhands inanger. Comeon,hesjustjoking,saidDash.Climbonor hewillwintherace.MumblingMaggisatontheseatagain andthetwotookoffbehindSid.Theywentpastthegolf coursetowardstheLoretoConventcircle.Sidhadalready reached before them and stood waiting for his other two friends,stillsmiling.Ignoringhimcompletely,Maggitook outthemapastheothertwopeeredoverhershoulderto decidethenextcourseofaction.
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We have to turn left and go to the Dilkusha palace first.BuiltbyNawabSaadatAliKhanforentertaininghis Europeanguests,itisanexactcopyofSeatonDelaval,a countryhouseinNorthEngland.Itisacoupleofkilometers fromhere.ThatiswheretheRajPathstarted,explained Maggi. The wide street was studded with many large countryhouses,orkothis,whichshowcasedthepowerand splendor of the rulers. The first among them is the Hyatt BakshortheGovernorHousetoday.Thatbuildingisalittle aheadtoourright.SowewillhavetogotoDilkushaand comebackonthesameroad,shecontinued. Why do we have to go down the same road twice! Imhungry!declaredSid. Because that is the only route from here, and howcanyoubehungry,wevejuststarted,repliedMaggi.

Lets eat first and drop Dilkusha, suggested Dash. Wecouldconsiderthisastartingpoint.MaggiandSidfor onceagreedandstartedlookingaroundforaplacetosit. Theyfinallysettledforthesmallgreenpatchinthemiddle of the crossroads. Being a Sunday the roads were not crowded.Thetrioparkedtheircyclesonthesidewalkand Maggi took out her tiffin. Her mother had packed alu paranthaandaamkaacharforher.Boththeboardersdived atthefoodandthetiffinwasemptyinnotime.Justasthey drinkingwater,theysawapolicemancomingtowardsthem. The three knew he was coming to shoo them off. They hurriedlypackedtheirstuffandstartedwalkingofftowards theedgeoftheroad. Nowwhat?AskedDash. Lets set our watches so that we know who wins, answeredMaggi. What,withDashcarryingababyelephant,youwill neverwin,jeeredSid.SensingyetanotherverbalduelDash quickly replied, Lets not race, but go anyways. It is a wonderfuldayandthetripsoundsexciting. No,notafterwetooksomuchtimetoplaneverything, saidadisappointedSid. What did you do anyway? Just sat their and made trouble,saidDash. Oh!Well,saidSid,knowingallthatDashsaidtobe true.And at that the trio set off on the Raj Path past the KothiHyattBaksh.
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LikeConstantia,MajorClaudeMartinhadalsobuilt this kothi. Since then it has seen many changes and the originalstructureisdifficulttoidentify.Downtheroadthey stoppedattheHazratganjcrossing,withtheGeneralPost OfficeontheleftandtheChristChurchCollegeontheright. BothwerebuiltduringtheColonialperiod.Theymovedon as the lights turned green. Maggi pointed out the Jahangirabad Mansion to her friends, and informed them thatithousedtheCoffeeHouse,(adjacenttotheJJbakers) famousasahauntofthefreedomfighters.
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TheycrossedtheJanpath,themarketthatboastedof manychikandressmaterialshops.Shefurtherinformedthem thatduringtheNawabs,theBegumKothiwaslocatedthere, butwasbrokendowntogivewaytothelargecommercial complex.DuringtheBritishperiod,Hazratganjwasfurther developedasanelitemarketfortheEuropeans,withcovered walkways and cinema theatres. Mayfair, was one such theatre,whichwasshutdownsomeyearsback. Rememberthefilm,TheAlien,wesawthere?asked Dash. HowcanIforgetthat,answeredMaggilaughing. Whatssofunny,saidSid. Dont you remember, while we were watching that filmyoukeptscaringmeaboutthesuddenappearanceof thesnake-likealien.Youweresoengrossedintryingtomake melooksilly,thatwhenthealienappearedonthescreen,it wasyouandnotmewhojumpedupafeetfromthechair. Me,Iwasunfazed,asIwasquitepreparedforitsarrival, thankstoyou.Maggigiggledasshenarratedthestory.Dash joinedintoo. Youremakingitup,saidSid,visiblyannoyed.He pedaledonfuriouslyandlefthistwootherfriendsbehind. HemovedpasttheSibtainabadImambara,(alsoknownas theMaqbaraofAmjadAli.Itislocatedwithinahugewalled compoundwithtwomagnificentgates,oneofthemabutting the Hazratganj street) and slowed down near the District Magistratesofficeandresidence.
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Thatlooksinteresting,whenwasitmade?Heasked Maggichangingthesubject. ThatistheZahurBakshkothiprobablybuiltbyNawab SaadatAliKhan.Wewillcrossseveralotherkothislikethis one.OntherightwheretheStateBankofIndiaislocated today,istheTarawalikothi.Itwasbuiltasanobservatory and today is a part of the bank. Adjacent to that is the KhurshidManzilwhichismyschoolbuilding.Nearthatis theMotiMahalkothi.Mostoftheseweremadeorbought by the same Nawab as he developed the new Lucknow
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alongtheGomtiriver.Beyondthispointontheleft,isthe Kaiserbagh palace, which was built by Nawab WajidAli Shahlater,butwewillnotgothere.Insteadwewillgoto SaadatAlisChattarManzilpalace,repliedMaggi. ThetriomovedtowardstheK.D.SinghBabustadium togototheChattarManzilpalace,theirfinaldestination. TheycrossedtheHotelClarksAwadhandreachedtheCentral DrugResearchInstitutebuilding. Thats the Chattar Manzil palace, said Maggi, pointingtowardstheCDRI.SidandDashlookedaroundin disbelief.Theyhadexpectedagrand,shimmering,complex. Inoldphotographstheyhadseenthecomplextohaveagroup ofbuildings,ChattarManzil,FarhadBaksh,ChotiChattar Manzil,andDarshanBilasaroundacentralcourt.Buttoday therewasawideroaddividingthewholecomplexandthe buildingslayinadilapidatedcondition,mostofthembeing governmentoffices.Afarcryfromthesplendourofapalace! Itcertainlyneedsmorecareandattention,saidDash. Hesuddenlylookedathiswatchandcried,Oh!MyGod! Itsfouroclockalready,IhadtomeetmyAuntatfour. Sayingthathehurriedlystartedoffonthecycle. ImnotcarryingMaggi,Sidsaidindignantly. You dont have to, replied Maggi with a naughty smile.Hestakingyourcyclenotmine.Youllhavetowalk itback. Icantwalkback,itstoofaroff,protestedSid. Allright,Illtakeacyclerickshaw,Baristaisnotthat farfromhere.SayingthatDashwalkedofflookingfora
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rick.SidandMaggisatdownonthepaymentunsurewhat todonow. Istillhaveanhourbeforecurfewtime,saidMaggi. Lets go and play table tennis at my school. I have a membershipcard.Allthreefriendswerefondoftabletennis. Whatsthepoint,youalwaysloose,teasedSid. No,Idont,answeredMaggi.Letshaveamatch. Fine, said Sid and both got up, dusted their jeans, mounted their cycles and started off towards the La MartiniereGirlsCollege,whichwasquitecloseby.They crossedthestadiumandmovedpasttheStateBankofIndia. Themaingatetotheschoolwaslocked.Thetwolooked aroundforanalternateapproach.Theyspottedachowkidar. Howdowereachthetabletennisroom?Maggiasked. You will have to leave your cycles here and walk throughthesidegate,hereplied.WhileMaggiwastalking tothechowkidar,Sidspottedalongstickandstartedfencing withit,likeusingitlikeasword. Ah!RajaBhoj!Letsparkourcycles.Maggisaidto Sid. Cool,isntit,saidSidparkinghiscycle. If you say so, she replied locking her cycle. Still involvedinhisnewlyfoundtreasure,hesuggestedtoMaggi theyplayalittlegamewithit. Letsleadoneanotherholdingthisstick,hesaid. ImnotsureIunderstand,repliedMaggi. Youcloseyoureyes,andIllleadyouwiththisstick forhalfthedistance.Thenyoucanleadmeforthesecond
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half,heexplained. All right, said Maggi always game for some adventure.SheclosedhereyesandletSidleadherforsome distance. The experience was quite unnerving. She could hearcarshonking,rickshawscreaking,peopletalking,but shewasmoreconsciousofthetextureofthepavementbelow herfeet.Onewrongmoveandshewouldfall.Notthatshe didnt trust Sid but she was not used to being visually handicapped. Thats it, said Maggi, unable to bear the darkness anymore.Idopitytheblind.Theyarelefttothemercyof others.Yourturnnow. WhenMaggiopenedhereyesshewasstandingalittle distanceawayfromtheoldkothi,KhurshidManzil,nearthe

deepmoatwhichsurroundedit. Oh!No!Idonttrustyou,saidSid. Thatsnotfair,rulesarerules,Maggireplied. Allright,saidSidandallowedMaggitoleadhim alongbutonlyafterhehadcrackedhiseyelidsslightly.The twowalkedalong. We have reached.You can open your eyes now, informedMaggi.AndSidwasonlytoohappytoendthe charade. Letsgoandplay,saidSid. Butwedonthaveanyrackets,saidMaggi. Well just have to borrow from somebody, Sid suggestedmovingon,unperturbed.Thesunhadlostmuch ofitslightanditwasnearingduskasthetwoenteredthe tabletenniscomplex.Anattendantsatoutsidetheroom. Doyouhavespareracketsandaball?Sidaskedhim. Yes,repliedtheattendantandwenttothecupboard tocollectapair.Thatwillcostyourupeesfiveperhour. Thank you, said Sid and paid him the money. He handedoveronerackettoMaggi.Theyenteredaroomwhere twogirlswereplaying.Theatmospheretherewaseerie.Most oftheoldkothishadlargeroomswithhighwoodenceilings, coveredwithbeautifullycolouredstuccowork.Theroom itselfwasoblonginshape,andatablewaslaidinthecenter. Asinglelamphungontopofthetable.Theechooftheball filledtheroom.Thetwofriendssatontwobrokenchairs andwaitedfortheirturn.Soonthegirlsfinishedtheirgame
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andlefttheroom.MaggiandSidwereleftaloneinthelarge hallwiththelampquietlydanglingfromtheceiling.Without the sound of the ball the room was filled with an uneasy silence. Letsplay,saidMaggiquicklytobreakthesilence. Allright,wewillplaybestoffivematches,answered Sid. No,wedonthaveenoughtimeforthat,threewould bebetter,saidMaggi. Ok!Butletshaveabet,saidSid. Whatever you wish, I wont loose, Maggi replied confidently. Akissfromyouifyouloose,saidSid.Maggilooked upinsurpriseatthisunexpectedreplyfromherfriendtosee anaughtyyetsinisterexpressiononSidsface.Ormaybeit looked sinister because of the odd lighting. It all seemed verystrangeasthetwowereverygoodfriendsandshedid notknowhowtoreact.Sheshookherheadasiftocastaway herdoubtsandbrushedawaythefears,fullyconfidentof Sidspranksandhisconstantefforttoteaseher. Iwontloose,sherepeatedasiftoconvinceherself. Sidstartedthegame.Maggi,usuallyagoodplayer,could notconcentrateduetoSidsbehaviour.Theatmosphereof theroomdidnothingtoimprovethesame.Herhandsbecame moistasshestartedloosing.Herwholeattentionwasnow onSidtodetectanyunusualbehaviour.Butheplayedon withastoneface.Maggilostthefirstgame.Theyexchanged
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placesnotsayingaword.Theairwasnowthickwithtension. Maggiwasonthefarsideofthedoorandfelttrapped.Her heartbeatspoundedinherearsdrowningSidsvoiceashe announcedthegamepoint.Shelostagain.Shekeptherracket onthetableandwipedhersweatyhandsonherjeans.She lookedimploringlyatSid.Butsomethinghadgotintohim andhewalkedtowardshertoclaimhisprize.Maggistood mesmerizedinthedark,silentroom,watchinghimapproach. Thesoundoftheballfallingonthegroundbrokeherreverie andsheflewpasthim,outoftheroom,intothegathering darknessoftheevening,beyondtherealmofherinnocent childhood.

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