Lucknow-Lalla Land

I am an ethnic Tamilian and a naturalised Goan. So D cell homeostasis(I am a compulsive name giver so the cosmic dust that makes my cells are called D- cells) is meant for hot climes and high humidity. And Lo and behold in 3 hours D cells were exposed to cold shock from 31-13 degree celsius.3 layers were not enough to keep the draft away. We were welcomed to Lucknow by our non conformist driver Yadavji. He had a flambouyant intro at the airport. "Aap humaare kshetra mein hain Hum sab sambhaal lenge" He was constantly on the mobile , even making upi transactions while driving. or waxing eloquent about his polical beliefs. Rules are followed by all(in their mind) because all made their own rules. Seat belts didn't buckle up in our car. Yadavji tried to convince me that it is unnecessary and when I did not budge he lectured about the difficulties encountered in getting out the buckle. Never one to back off I still insisted. He stopped the car in the middle of a busy road, got off the wrong side and pulled out the buckle which I had to hold on to for dear life for that ride and the buckle promptly buckled into the upholstery for the next ride. I did not know what was more dangerous. I finally caved and rode the next 3 days by Yadavji's rules, Lucknow's tagline is "Muskuraiye Aap Lucknow Mein Hain" And they take it very seriously. Even taunts are "Tehzeeb se". The Hindi spoken here feels like verses recited from our NCERT textbooks.

The place is populous. Every 7th human is an Indian and every 7th Indian is fron UP. Old Lucknow Bada Imambara with the Bhool bhulaiya and Rumi Darwaza, Chota Imambara with colourful chandeliers and interesting artworks (Quran verses drawn like a messenger dove ) clock tower(our own Big Ben- the tallest in India) , picture gallery(Reneissance style potraits with 3- D optical illusion explained with fun facts thrown in by mava chewing guides) is an absolute must see. It is worth braving crowds, dusty roads, mava chewing toothless guides, trouts who are eager to show chikan factories.

The British Residency bears scars of the 1857 revolt and is a history buffs multiplex. The ASI keeps the place clean, well maintained and the light and sound show recaps Lucknow"s history in 20 minutes.

Aminabad market exists on the internet but no taxi driver or auto rishaw will take a tourist to it. Google can't be trusted(interjection from the son; Google maps can in fact be trusted). A seasoned shopper like me walked in circles till my legs in boots hurt. Shopping here is so worth it, even the sore blister on my foot. All who shopped at the first shop that the taxi driver dropped you off at, haven't expericed the real deal. Lucknow is a foodie paradise. At least that is what I was sold. Galouti kebab - meat minced so fine so that the toothless Nawab could relish his kebab. The story sounds good but the kebab has the consistency of toothpaste. Imagine a meaty Colgate. Malai Makkhan was yum, Rabdi Jelebi did not dissappoint and I think we should leave biryani to the Hyderabadis.

The Lucknow trip was for the Nephrology conference. And the raison d'etre of the conference was Dr Narayan Prasad."Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them” Well Professor is "Narayan's Prasad" himself. He is the embodiment of " similia similibus curentur". To illustrate-Sir had come to Goa in the wake of the Ahmedabad Airbus A320 tragedy. The entire aviation industry was poring over back box evidence without a clue. Over dinner he just chimed in that it must have been cut off of fuel supply to the engine that caused the crash. Now he is a brilliant clinician, academician and teacher. Most of us have trained for over a dozen years and with a dozen years of practice most of us may get there. His sense of humour and humility is The Lord Narayan's Prasad" but then, we are lesser mortals. So I thought what would a Doctor know about planes and brushed it off as small talk. A month later many experts and commitees came up with the exact same reason. I was reminded of the famous Richard Feynmans Challenger report. Goosebumps.Sir, SGPGI and the entire Nephrology clan balanced academics with kinship and fraternity/sorority over 3 days . I was happy to shine in the reflected glory of being Mrs Nephrology whose deal got sweeter with shopping. Nephrology conferences are landmark events in our lives. We started attending them as a young family with a toddler in tow, to now where baby Nephrology has grown to be taller than Dad, soon to be an Engineer. I have got life advice, parenting advice, how to "pull out spouse during a lecture" advice from senior Mrs Nephrologists. We have made fast friends with fellow N families over these annual 3 days of banquets and trade stalls over food and souverniers. It is also Time to meet teachers and be grateful for having been under their tutelage

Dr Prakash has cycled from Kashmir to Kanyakumari in 12 days and what's more amazing is that his wife and young son were his crew. Ultracyclist doing ultrafiltration supported by his Ultrasome duo. Catch a glimpse of him and get the endorphin shot of knowing a ultracyclist in flesh and blood and ultrafiltrate. Amol spent 2 cold months 16 years ago as a Fellow in SGPGI but has made the thickest friends who wrap you up in that warm hug a blanket can't match. Every 7th Nephrologist is from Lucknow, or is trained or certified by a Lucknow Nephrolgist.We meet only at conferences but our loops of Frienship go way deeper A trip around the campus by Dr Supriya added the khushi to the Lucknow Muskhaan. Funny story; Dr S was my real life inspiration to become a Doctor. She was the girl from the neighbourhood who got into Med school and the teen in me was impressed. I shadowed her .

She is fierce and driven, brilliant and skilled and I believed if I aim for the the stars I will reach the rooftop. So grateful to get to the rooftop because Dr S showed me the path and on this trip showed me some Nilghai, Geese, ducks and photos of Langur on campus walls.Problem - Monkey nuisance. Solution- Langurs Catch- Monkeys learned to hoodwink Langurs and the cost of Langur patrol . Apparently 2 Langurs were on govt payroll till someone came up with a cheaper alternative of sticking life size pics of the langurs. We wandered into the department of medical genetics to find a dear friend Dr Anju cited as proud alumnus. Some more reflected glory-farming.

The grand finale was the trip to Ayodhya. While being bundled into the bus to get there in good time we were saying our last byes and till we meet again-s to the organisers. Brushing off the humungous effort into this magnum opus production the organisers just brushed it off. Wanted to roll like the squirrel to collect the golden dust off the greats in the real Ram lalla land.

Estd as Lakshmanpuri to becoming the Awadh capital to Yogi land ,From Tehzeeb Hindi to Gangs of wasseypur Hindi Lucknow is a potpourri to be savoured and relished and we experienced it all...Bye Bye Lucknow . Till we meet again.