Dreams from the city of Nawabs: Lucknow

Some say Lucknow was the City of Dreams in the era of Nawabs, I say it still is - not just Lucknow, but every city in the country, anywhere in the world. All of us have a unique life, and we all dream and these dreams fascinate me.

Dreams from Lucknow 

Here are some dreams from the Chowk area of Lucknow. I spent two days walking down the lanes and interviewing many, and learning so much about the city. The tales all these men told me showed me a completely different Lucknow from what I knew, and I guess I fell even more in love with the city. Somehow, the passion for the project made me talk to so many people I would otherwise not have interacted with - the Patang seller who made the biggest kites in the city, block maker who made the prints for Lucknow's famous Chikan work, the tailor who had just returned from Saudi Arabia, the Hukka man how prayed five times a day, the Ittar man who wanted to expand his business beyond Lucknow and more.

If you enjoyed these, do check out more here: Dreams of Srirangam

Hope you enjoy :)

#TellMeYourDream2015 What is your dream? . "I dream of owning the karkhana (workshop) where I work currently, as there is nothing else that I know. I would earn lots of money, but I will just save it up for future needs." . Raja Hussein originally hails from Mumbai. His family had a been in the business of Zardozi (gold embroidery) for generations and he learnt the art from them. He never went to school and started working at a karkhana in Mumbai when he was ten. His wife comes from Lucknow and he moved to the city after getting married to her. Now he works at a small but very old Zardozi shop here and lives with his wife and kid. He misses Mumbai, especially his father. ---------- This is a part of a 365 days project to collect dreams and I call it 'Tell me your Dream'. One dream, each day. It's an open initiative and everyone is welcome to share a portrait with a story for a feature here. The portrait could be yours or a stranger. You can mail me at connect@siddharthajoshi.com. Or tag me in an image and we can take it forward from there. #LucknowDiaries 1st March 2015

A photo posted by #TellMeYourDream2015 (@siddharthajoshi) on Mar 1, 2015 at 2:40am PST

#TellMeYourDream2015 What is your dream? . "It's such a difficult question to answer. My dream is that everyone should be happy and successful and for this to happen changes in system are required. However, the first change would have to start at individual level with internal or supreme jihad." . Sami Ahmed Abassi is the youngest in the generations of Ittar (perfume) makers of Lucknow. His grandfather father started the shop about sixty years back and the joint family now runs it. He is twenty five and has studied till twelfth grade, but then left studies to join the family business. Ittar making is an almost secret cult art which has been preserved and passed on for generations only within the family. Sami's father is the best Ittar maker currently and he is an apprentice to his father. It will take years for him to master this art. ---------- This is a part of a 365 days project to collect dreams and I call it 'Tell me your Dream'. One dream, each day. It's an open initiative and everyone is welcome to share a portrait with a story for a feature here. The portrait could be yours or a stranger. You can mail me at connect@siddharthajoshi.com. Or tag me in an image and we can take it forward from there. 19th March 2015

A photo posted by #TellMeYourDream2015 (@siddharthajoshi) on Mar 18, 2015 at 9:44pm PDT

#TellMeYourDream2015 What is your dream? . "I have four daughters and two of them are already married. I dream of getting the other two also married into food families. Apart from that I hope that if something happens to me, my wife should be well taken care of. For that I have taken an LIC policy so I think she would alright without me also." . Maqbool  Hussein works as a guide at Bada Imambada in Lucknow and this historical monument has been his home for the last fifty years, almost literally. Before Imambada became a tourist attraction in the city, many families used to live within the compound and his was one of them. He grew up living with the monument and knows every corner of it. He takes immense pride in being the key source of knowledge for everyone around. He also takes care of training new guides. Now he is fifty and one of the most senior guides here, still he earns only Rs 5000 per month. It's a struggle but he has managed to make a decent living so far. ---------- This is a part of a 365 days project to collect dreams and I call it 'Tell me your Dream'. One dream, each day. It's an open initiative and everyone is welcome to share a portrait with a story for a feature here. The portrait could be yours or a stranger. You can mail me at connect@siddharthajoshi.com. Or tag me in an image and we can take it forward from there. 24th April 2015

A photo posted by #TellMeYourDream2015 (@siddharthajoshi) on Apr 23, 2015 at 8:00pm PDT

#TellMeYourDream2015 What is your dream? . "I don't really have any specific dream. I will just live and then I will die and go to the almighty. There is no space for a dream in this." . Nissar Ahmed is running a seventh generation Hukka shop in the Chowk area of Lucknow. Hukka business has seen tremendous changes now. In the past the key business was making tobacco at home and then selling it in the shop. There was a special type of tobacco called 'Khamira' that made the shop famous. Now it's only the old timers who even know about it. With changing times, the fastest selling products are the flavors for Hukka, something that even Nissar himself buys from outside. He has an eleven year old daughter and avert he dies the shop will be passed on to his son-in-law. ---------- This is a part of a 365 days project to collect dreams and I call it 'Tell me your Dream'. One dream, each day. It's an open initiative and everyone is welcome to share a portrait with a story for a feature here. The portrait could be yours or a stranger. You can mail me at connect@siddharthajoshi.com. Or tag me in an image and we can take it forward from there. #LucknowDiaries 5th March 2015

A photo posted by #TellMeYourDream2015 (@siddharthajoshi) on Mar 5, 2015 at 5:32am PST

#TellMeYourDream2015 What is your dream? . "I have no one to dream for as Allah took away my companion away with my wife. So I don't dream anymore. I have two daughters and I wish them happiness ahead in life." . Ijaz has been in love with Kite flying for as long as he can remember. Once he fell from the roof while flying one and that was his point of initiation into the family business of building and sound kites. Even though he is old now, how passion for kites hasn't diminished. His favorite was the 'chand-tara' kite but the artisans who can make them are no longer there. He has two daughters who are well educated, though he thinks it's unthinkable for them to work. So they stay at home and teach small kids till they get married. ---------- This is a part of a 365 days project to collect dreams and I call it 'Tell me your Dream'. One dream, each day. It's an open initiative and everyone is welcome to share a portrait with a story for a feature here. The portrait could be yours or a stranger. You can mail me at connect@siddharthajoshi.com. Or tag me in an image and we can take it forward from there. #LucknowDiaries 6th February 2015

A photo posted by #TellMeYourDream2015 (@siddharthajoshi) on Mar 6, 2015 at 5:33am PST

#TellMeYourDream2015 What is your dream? . "I dream of giving very good education to my two sons. The current work does not have much scope and I think with education they will be able to make a better living. It will also help them decide what they want to do in life." . Sher Ali's family originally comes from Faizabad, however his father learnt block printing in Mumbai and then came to Lucknow to settle down here. A shop was rented in the historical 'Kaptan Kuan' market (Capital Well market) for a monthly rent of rupee one only about sixty years ago. Now he pays Rs 20/ month. Ali buys the engraved wooden prints blocks from other artisans and then uses them to print on prayer caps, Kurtas etc. These prints are then used as base for chickankari work. He studied till tenth grade and then had to leave education and join his father's shop due to lack of money. He ensures now that his sons don't have to come to his shop and that they go to school regularly. ---------- This is a part of a 365 days project to collect dreams and I call it 'Tell me your Dream'. One dream, each day. It's an open initiative and everyone is welcome to share a portrait with a story for a feature here. The portrait could be yours or a stranger. You can mail me at connect@siddharthajoshi.com. Or tag me in an image and we can take it forward from there. #LucknowDiaries 4th March 2015

A photo posted by #TellMeYourDream2015 (@siddharthajoshi) on Mar 3, 2015 at 7:11pm PST

#TellMeYourDream2015 What is your dream? . "I want to earn more so that I can eat well and live nicely. If I have money then I can dream, but without it it's impossible to even dream, I only think of survival." . Kambuddin has been a tailor for almost a decade now, though he has been working in Lucknow only for the past 5-6 months. His life before this was pretty adventurous, especially the eight years he spent living and working in Saudi Arabia. He hails from a place called Sitapur and his cousin, who already worked in Saudi, called him also to work there as a tailor. Kambuddin really missed the freedom that he had in India, but still prefers Saudi as a place to live. An incident there made him leave and come been to India. His best memory from Saudi is a trip to Mecca for Umra. He decided not to do Haj because of the difficult life one has to live after that and many things that one has to give up on. He is now twenty seven and has a wife also who lives in Sitapur with his parents. ---------- This is a part of a 365 days project to collect dreams and I call it 'Tell me your Dream'. One dream, each day. It's an open initiative and everyone is welcome to share a portrait with a story for a feature here. The portrait could be yours or a stranger. You can mail me at connect@siddharthajoshi.com. Or tag me in an image and we can take it forward from there. #LucknowDiaries 3rd March 2015

A photo posted by #TellMeYourDream2015 (@siddharthajoshi) on Mar 3, 2015 at 3:48am PST

#TellMeYourDream2015 What is your dream? . "I have two kids and my only dream is to provide them good education. Though I earn little I make sure they study is a good school (Lucknow Public School) even though their combined fee is Rs 4200/ month. The world has changed and the only way to make a living is by good education." . Pintu Sharma is an auto driver who takes out his rented vehicle on the streets only in the night and drives it till 2am. During the day he works at a company which makes concentrates for eggless confectionery. His work is to take orders and deliver the product to different bakeries in the city. Pintu is fourty-five and comes from a small village near Lucknow. Now he is settled here to make a good living for himself and his family. However, that requires him to spend almost all his waking hours working at different places. ---------- This is a part of a 365 days project to collect dreams and I call it 'Tell me your Dream'. One dream, each day. It's an open initiative and everyone is welcome to share a portrait with a story for a feature here. The portrait could be yours or a stranger. You can mail me at connect@siddharthajoshi.com. Or tag me in an image and we can take it forward from there. 25th April 2015

A photo posted by #TellMeYourDream2015 (@siddharthajoshi) on Apr 24, 2015 at 10:27pm PDT