Joys of Lucknow IV

1) Winter charms absolutely peaked today. The hands have gone into pockets, mouths let out more than mere utterances, and smiles - even when not addressed to you - seem prettier than ever. Dense fog and old style street-lamps make Hazratganj look and feel like Shimla. Finally had Kashmiri chai, and topped it with Fish kebabs and a long walk through the fog with friends. Earlier in the day, homemade butter almost parceled me to heaven. Then pyaaz ki pakodiyan with chai. Then, more chai. I've known some beautiful winters but this one is beginning to allure me in a manner that seems somewhat unfamiliar.

2) I visited with two geographers today, the most stunning building of what is now known as La Martiniere, Lucknow. The building has been described as, "part Enlightenment mansion, part Nawabi fantasy, and part Gothic colonial barracks. Its facade mixes Georgian colonnades with the loopholes and turrets of a mediaeval castle; above, Palladian arcades rise to Mughal copulas." It demands to be seen in complete detail from inside which does not seem possible at the moment. However, today, I saw in on a beautiful foggy winter night, when it was lit in a manner that drew instant comparisons with Victoria Terminus.

Yet, the 125 feet tall Laat, standing on a landscaped terrace overlooking what was once a lake, from the centre of which rises a solid fluted column with a Moorish cupola known as 'the Laat', thought either to be a lighthouse or a marker for the grave of Claude Martin's horse, perhaps attracted deeper interest.

Wikipedia tells me about Philip Davies, writing on Architecture of the Raj in the illustrated London News of May 1982 had this to say about the Constantia:

"Built in the 1790s it is a bizarre building in a country renowned for extravagant eccentricities. Even more incongrously it now houses an eminent Indian Public school blessed with all the tribal rituals of Eton or Harrow. It is a disturbing building of the most peculiar design. The central tower has bridge links and the entire central range has a strange array of statues dominated by two huge lions whose eyes were supposedly lit by red lanterns."

Suffice it to say that it was the most rewarding experience. Hoping that sooner or later, I would earn myself a more intimate intercourse with this monument.