A little bit of Lucknow

Dropping by quickly today to share a slice of my hometown.

I was in Lucknow this last fortnight for my father’s surgery. I arrived two days in advance and was a little wound up. A day before the surgery my sister dragged me out for a morning spin. There’s a particular road I want to show you, she said. And with that we drove off and here’s where we landed.

The entire stretch of road is lined by gorgeously flowering trees. The endless row of these delicate silk floss blooms makes for a stunningly beautiful view. Lucknow’s own cherry blossom street!

We took that road to and from the hospital each day, sometimes multiple times a day and the flowers never ceased to cheer me up. 

I wish more people had the foresight to pretty up our roads by planting flowering trees.

As I return to Lucknow each year, I find it becoming larger, smarter, prettier, greener even, with beautifully landscaped gardens. The roads are broader and cleaner, at least in the new parts of the city. Malls have come up offering all the brands under the sun.

And there’s food – lots and lots of gorgeous food – seekh kebabs making space for sushi on the city’s platter.

My sister invariably has a ready list of places she wants me to visit. It’s a regular tussle between us because I am a let’s-stay-home-and-chat person while she’s a let’s-go-out-and-have-fun-person.

We’re good for each other, managing always to strike a balance. This time it was specially good because she gave me no time to sit and worry. Once our father’s surgery was through and he was on his way to recovery we went cafe hopping. But that will be another post.

Joining Parul after a long time for her fortnightly feature Thursday Tree Love.