PRAVASISAMWAD.COM
One thing that visibly attracted people to Ganj was the food trip it offered to suit all pockets
The ultimate in swag… an absolute touch of class … a style statement of sorts … all this put together with dollops of fun, frolic and recreation of all kinds, made up the aura of Hazratganj in the mid-nineties.
Sheer nostalgia hits you in waves when you go back in time and recall climbing up the stairs of the Mayfair movie hall to see the latest flicks from Hollywood, walking into Kwality, Ranjana’s or Jone Hing for the bite of choice, stepping into the British Council Library, Universal Booksellers or Ram Advani’s for a book experience or just amble along in a leisurely jaunt window shopping, savouring the joys of being among the ‘with-it’ crowd.
“Oh I bought this one from Ganj,” said it all. With no better swank address in town as malls and multiplexes were still not in sight, the ooh la la … la di da, feeling that enveloped with these three magic words, “Let’s go Ganjing,” simply had no substitute !
The stretch from GPO to Halwasiya Court and little beyond having been modelled after London’s Queen Street, gave the place a flaunt status. Steeped in the footprints of the British Raj, its lingering flavour gave a romantic charm to Hazratganj and it reigned supreme, unbeatable among both shopping and chill zones in the pre-mall days of the late nineties and early 2000.
No small wonder then that Mukuljit Singh, National Level Shooter and Coach, recalls Hazratganj being on his everyday must-visit list, particularly Lovers’ Lane ….ahem…. with the Jabbar juice shop as a major attraction where a mixed crowd descended for a chit chat and relaxing moments.
“Sunday morning movies in Mayfair came with the added spice of meeting so many people,” he says, rattling off Modern Novelties for chocolates and snacks, Devi Radiogram for music and Cheap House too as some of his fav browsing joints. The 100-metre stroll also took him to a shop selling old stamps, which he picked up as part of his collection, being a philatelist. “That was another life,” says Mukuljit, his voice dripping with nostalgia.
Sheer nostalgia hits you in waves when you go back in time and recall climbing up the stairs of the Mayfair movie hall to see the latest flicks from Hollywood, walking into Kwality, Ranjana’s or Jone Hing for the bite of choice, stepping into the British Council Library, Universal Booksellers or Ram Advani’s for a book experience or just amble along in a leisurely jaunt window shopping, savouring the joys of being among the ‘with-it’ crowd
“Hazratganj was the only place where my husband used to take me to. We would go there on a bike, and we would walk into Lovers’ Lane for a stroll,” recalls Simran Sahni, Founder, Health Zone with a smile.
Sunday ghoomna for her meant going to Hazratganj. Lunches at Royal Café, ghazal evenings at Capoor Hotel, the food trip made the memories more delicious. And when she says with that ring in her voice, “My ma-in-law bought me gajras ,” the scent of Belas seem to still waft in the air.
While some Ganj lovers just cannot forget Hobby Corner, where the owner too got involved in guiding a book choice with as much passion, whether to buy one new, second hand or even rent one, Amit Trivedi, Proprietor, Sanskriti, wants to list the luxury of having cold coffee and patties at Lover’s Lane as having been a refreshingly perfect treat after a spell of shopping. The contagious upbeat mood, sparked a kind of naughty diversion, too and Amit chuckles, “Can’t forget how instead of our studies for medical, we were more interested in Ganjing.”
He rounds off his memories with the Alka restaurant chef tossing rumali rotis and the yumilicious chicken patties served by Kwality. The satin-smooth finish of icing on a day well spent came with families trooping in, in their nightclothes in the after-dinner hours, for paan and ice cream, a culture that belonged to Hazratganj alone.
Shopping, kulfi, Royal Café, Modern Silk House, and the paan waala loom large in Anshoo Varma’s memories of the Ganj in the mid-nineties, the pre-mall days. Soft Skills and Customer Relationship Management Trainer with UPMRC, Anshoo can’t stop laughing, while narrating how people in the times of bell bottoms, reacted on seeing her nieces walking down wearing shorts!!
She remembers Mayfair as a cherished destination in Hazratganj, a place that sure wins hands down among one and all, for its English movies, ambience and the select crowd that frequented it.
However, it was Colonel Fasih Ahmed who paid the best compliment to Hazratganj.
“I was posted in Calcutta, but for me my Esplanade and Park Street lay not in Calcutta but in Hazratganj in Lucknow,” he says his voice acquiring the tenor of one stamping each word with finality. In senior school, Christ Church College, he remembers bunking to watch movies at Capitol, Basant, Filmistan or ‘the grand old Mayfair.’
“My wife’s binge shopping could only happen while ‘Ganjing’. My children would crave to walk along the goody laden footpaths whenever we were in Lucknow on leave,” says Fasih, now clearly missing the simple joys that the place threw up. And then what he says brings out the very essence that sets Hazratganj apart, “The best art of Ganjing was that everyone on the street either knew or seemed to know everyone. So a smile here and an ice cream there was part of the social deal, in the midst of some spicy gossip and a little politics a la Indian Coffee House, Capoors or perhaps Royal Cafe.” His voice trails off wistfully with the words, “Jaane kahaan gaye woh din…!”
One thing that visibly attracted people to Ganj was the food trip it offered to suit all pockets. So when Dr Archana Singh, pathologist and micro biologist is asked to peep into her bag of memories, she recalls her budding romance and dating days with her hubby Dr Anil Singh.
Ah well, well…. She could be unaware that she represents a large circle of Ganj admirers who cite the milk shake, lassi and lip-smacking ham burgers of Lovers’ Lane, Chinese dishes at Hong Kong restaurant, Ranjana’s butter chicken nan or Royal café’s fine dining, rounded off with a romantic evening with a movie at the Mayfair’s, as the ultimate high when on a bonding trip those days.
Cut to 2020, the crowd may not have thinned but is visibly different, with many, choosing to replace ‘Ganjing’ with flashy malls, for bigger, far more popular and modern brands.
As multiplex movie watching caught on, the traditional movie halls faced closure. Even Mayfair with all its grandeur and old world charm was swept off the radar of avid film buffs and was relegated to a place in history.
In present times, the eatery and café chains that have sprouted all over beckon harder, even though old ones with improved get-up and several new ones too in Ganj are vying for attention.
Today Hazratganj has undergone a makeover, the hoardings and encroachments removed, the buildings painted in creme and pink, with same colour and size signages, juxtaposed against Victorian style balustrades. But oh for that 90’s feel of the exclusive and exotic that only Ganj offered in pre-mall and pre-multi-option TV days! It remains strongly etched and refuses to budge from the memory of those who lived every moment and kicked it up big time in the Ganjing era.