BAJRANG BALI & BADA MANGAL !!
Hanuman,is a favorite deity of Hindus,specially UP,and definitely the most popular Hindu God of Lucknow.Bajrangbali,or Hanuman,is not only the idol for all the young bachelors but also of devotees of all ages!
While Hanuman mandir can be found in every locality,mohalla and even lanes of the city, there are four temples that are most popular,The Purana Hanuman Mandir of Aliganj,Hanumansetu mandir ,Hanuman Temple of Hazratganj and the CDRI Hanuman temple.Though all have the same deity,their history and fan following are different ! The CDRI Temple is more for,few selective families and ardent loyal bhakts,leaving the remaining three to fight for the lime light.
The purana,Aliganj temple,is the oldest and the original main Hanuman mandir of the city,It was patronized,at time,when Aliganj was outskirts of the city,with IT College being the end of Lucknow in those good old days.As time passed,and when there weren't many vehicles or a good public transport system in the city,popel realized the need of another Hanuman Temple,in the centre of the city,and what other place could be the best for it,other than Hazratgunj,the heart of the city.Initially the temple started in the sixties as a statue under the peepal tree,next to Krishna Restaurant.The statue was without a roof,and once in the summer months,people saw the statue crying.The care-taker,in his desperation to have a temple for the hanumanji had played a trick.He had drilled holes in the eyes of the statue,and would hide ice behind it,which would melt and come out as tears.People got highly emotional,that hanuman is crying as he doesn't have a home,and donated ,generously and the temple came up,almost overnight.
The hanuman temple,pulled a large number of bhakts toward itself,and became the hub for the rendezvous of youngsters,specially from Lucknow University.All young men,from the hostels of Lucknow colleges,gathered around the temple every evening,and their power and popularity was evident by the size of Tika,the pundit put on their foreheads.Though tradionaly and conventionally hanuman is the symbol of brahmcharya or celibacy,the Ganj Hanuman Mandir also became the place where many a love affairs started and many eloped couples got married,in those good old days.
A bridge was then started to be built over the Gomti leading to the University.It would collapse every time,it reached a particular height.It happened several time,and then people,thought they should offer prayers.They made a small,make shift hanuman temple,at the side of the bridge and named the bridge,Hanuman Setu.The trick worked,the Lord was pleased and the bridge was completed,and then they constructed a proper temple,at that site,under the ages of Karori Baba,which soon became popularized as the Hanuman Setu temple.The temple became a hot favorite,almost overnight and has remained so for over four decades.
Tuesday,being the day of hanumanji and hanuman ji being popular in Lucknow,Tuesday,or mangal,is special for the city,specially the Bada Mangals, the Tuesdays of the month of Jeht month of the Hindi calendar,which fall usually in the month of June.In spite of all the scorching heat and sultry humidity,during the month,the four and occasionally five mangals are celebrated with great fervor.My memories of bada mangal go back to sixties,when the only temple,one could or rather had to visit,was the Aliganj mandir.We would get up early,and leave home,even before the sunrise,to avoid the heat and then would take hours to reach by rickshaw,and then the never ending serpentine rows of devotees.Something real spectacular was to see the young devotees,in red thongs(Langots) crawling on the hot blazing tarred road,to reach the temple,from far distances.As time passed,due to the distance and lack of space,infrastructure and glamour,the attendance started thinning at Aliganj and gradually almost finished,till it was revived few years back,but Hanuman Setu temple still remains the hot spot!
The main attraction of the bada Mangals,besides the prasad of boondi laddu,are the piyaoos or the stalls offering water to the devotees.Earleir they use to offer just cold water,then batashas and later boondi,but now the few of these are replaced with innumerable lavishly decorated counters which serve roohafza,neembo pani,lassi,juice,frooti,puri sabji,halwa and even proper meals cooked in pure ghee,and all these are in such large quantity,that often there are more people to serve than those to be served! All this gives the Hanumanji of Lucknow a separate identity,but I often wonder that if we stick to just water and prasad for all devotees,then from all the money that is spent during these four days,on the rest,we can easily place and run water coolers,at several places of the city,to function round the year.But if the rich devotees of bajrangbali,want it so,be it so !
Jai Hanuman
Dr Sanjay Kapoor Lucknow
Showing posts with label Lucknow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lucknow. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Sunday, October 4, 2009
MY DAYS AT ST FRANCIS SCHOOL,LUCKNOW
My Days at SFS
Its great to talk about the good old days, schools and to interact with my dear fellow Franciscans, peers, seniors and juniors.
Its a matter of great pride and pleasure to walk down memory lane and talk of my days at SFS(Oooooops ,I mean SFC)
SF was School when we were there!!!!!!!!!!! Its college now .
Walking down memory lane ,is probably a misappropriate term!
I really don't have to go back and try to remember anything!!
Its all there, as fresh as today, as if it happened yesterday!!!
Even though I left St Francis in 1975!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(sounds pre historic!)
I joined SFC in 1968,in class three, after doing KG from Christian College and Prep and Class 1 and 2 from St Ann's
( Many of you would not have heard of this school-it was the boys section of Loreto Convent in the present building of Avadh Degree college and we were the last batch of students ,before the school closed down)
After leaving St Ann’s, most of us had only two alternatives Lamarts or SFC
Lamarts was more popular amongst the upper class of Lucknow as it was more British and had almost a complete Anglo Indian staff and above all had the reputation of supposedly brining out smart cool dudes with a greater stress on extra curricular activities and sports
SFS was the second best, in those days but still had a great crowd at its gates for admission, for three reasons.
It was a little more affordable than Lamarts, the academics were reputed to be better and it had an aura of an Indian English school which was a bit more friendly to the non Hindi speaking parents!
The reason why my dad choose SFS for me was different from these three. My brother had joined Lamarts a year back, and my parents were not happy with the academics. So I landed in SFC more by default than as a choice, and could never thank my dad for that more!!!!!!!!!
My stay of over seven years at the college, has been the best phase of my life, the memories of which are my most precious possessions. Besides developing a taste for specific subjects, interest in studies, it helped me to build my personality and bring out the best in me .My passion for stage emerged there, for acting, elocution and debating. And above all it brought me close to a great lot of wonderful teachers and some friends, a bunch of soulmates who have been the most precious achievement of my life, and are buddies for keeps!!!
I left SFC in March 1975, when I was in class 10Th. We were the first batch of ICSE ,and since I had to pursue a medical career ,I wasn't sure if ICSE would help me for CPMT. So I quitted SFS and joined Mahanager Boys High School, even at the cost of loosing 6 months, amounting to an year subsequently
The stay at SFS was a little more than seven years and its been over three decades since I left it, but the memories of those days occupy a very special and coveted place in my heart in terms of space, closeness, quantity and quality
They come alive when ever I interact with any buddy from SFC, and luckily have been in touch with many
Sanjay Lucknow
Its great to talk about the good old days, schools and to interact with my dear fellow Franciscans, peers, seniors and juniors.
Its a matter of great pride and pleasure to walk down memory lane and talk of my days at SFS(Oooooops ,I mean SFC)
SF was School when we were there!!!!!!!!!!! Its college now .
Walking down memory lane ,is probably a misappropriate term!
I really don't have to go back and try to remember anything!!
Its all there, as fresh as today, as if it happened yesterday!!!
Even though I left St Francis in 1975!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(sounds pre historic!)
I joined SFC in 1968,in class three, after doing KG from Christian College and Prep and Class 1 and 2 from St Ann's
( Many of you would not have heard of this school-it was the boys section of Loreto Convent in the present building of Avadh Degree college and we were the last batch of students ,before the school closed down)
After leaving St Ann’s, most of us had only two alternatives Lamarts or SFC
Lamarts was more popular amongst the upper class of Lucknow as it was more British and had almost a complete Anglo Indian staff and above all had the reputation of supposedly brining out smart cool dudes with a greater stress on extra curricular activities and sports
SFS was the second best, in those days but still had a great crowd at its gates for admission, for three reasons.
It was a little more affordable than Lamarts, the academics were reputed to be better and it had an aura of an Indian English school which was a bit more friendly to the non Hindi speaking parents!
The reason why my dad choose SFS for me was different from these three. My brother had joined Lamarts a year back, and my parents were not happy with the academics. So I landed in SFC more by default than as a choice, and could never thank my dad for that more!!!!!!!!!
My stay of over seven years at the college, has been the best phase of my life, the memories of which are my most precious possessions. Besides developing a taste for specific subjects, interest in studies, it helped me to build my personality and bring out the best in me .My passion for stage emerged there, for acting, elocution and debating. And above all it brought me close to a great lot of wonderful teachers and some friends, a bunch of soulmates who have been the most precious achievement of my life, and are buddies for keeps!!!
I left SFC in March 1975, when I was in class 10Th. We were the first batch of ICSE ,and since I had to pursue a medical career ,I wasn't sure if ICSE would help me for CPMT. So I quitted SFS and joined Mahanager Boys High School, even at the cost of loosing 6 months, amounting to an year subsequently
The stay at SFS was a little more than seven years and its been over three decades since I left it, but the memories of those days occupy a very special and coveted place in my heart in terms of space, closeness, quantity and quality
They come alive when ever I interact with any buddy from SFC, and luckily have been in touch with many
Sanjay Lucknow
Durga Pooja of yester years
DURGA POOJA OVER THE YEARS !
Even though I am not a Bengali,Durga Pooja ,has always been a special event for me,every year.Was born at Narhi,in Lucknow,where we lived in an area called Kali Niwas,which means the House of Goddess Kali,and as the name implies,it was a huge haveli sort of a building ,sprawling amidst three roads,which had been divided over four generations,housing at that time over twenty Bengali families,with we being one of the only two non Bengali occupants in it.So my child hood was spent amongst Bengalis,and it was natural for me to understand Bengali comfortably,and speak adequately fluently.More than the language ,it was the Bengali rituals,festivals and weddings that we grew up with,and Durga Pooja ,being the most significant
The preparation would start well in advance,specially in getting clothes stitched and in rehearsing stage shows,skits and even long plays for the Pooja celebrations.Stage being ,one of my passions,I was always actively involved in it.The pooja,of our colony,was held in the municipal school adjacent to the Kali Niwas,and each and every one of the colony was actively involved in it,and the main task being that of collecting chanda ( Donation/contribution ) for the celebrations.It was while collecting the chanda and distributing the pamphlets,that I understood the meaning of Shree Shree Durga Pooja.I used to wonder,why a double Shree,till I realized that one was for the Goddess,and the other for her pooja,which was as auspicious and reverent as the goddess herself.
The theme of the pandal and the colour combinations for the idols were planned well in advance and changed every year
During the pooja days,we would wake with the load mersmerizng chants of Ya Devi sarv Bhootey and when the pandaal was set and the Holy Idols had been established,our day would start very early.Have a bath,no breakfast,and rush for the pandaal.While the ladies prepared the prasaad,and the elder males,made the arrangements for the pooja and the marketing,we kids had two major tasks,to clean up the area,especially where the idols were kept and to prepare the prasad in donas ( small bowls made out of dried leaf )The simple prasad,consisting of boondi,chopped bananas and apples,along with a piece of coconut,distributed after Prabhataanjali ( morning offerings) use to be our breakfast.That little prasad in the donas,which had the earthly smell of dried leave,eaten amidst the aroma of the pooja essence,was a wholesome meal.
We then got ready for the day and shouted,at each door and window,to collect the group.This ordeal,of collecting the 25-30 odd,boys and girls, ranging front 5 to 25 years would take almost an hour and then we would head straight to Bengali Club,at Hewwate road,which connects Hussain Ganj to Havlock road.Bengali Club was the main and biggest hub of pooja celebrations.After whiling some time,and dancing around on the music,we prepared the tables and arranged the chairs for the Bhog.These were only for the elderly and VIPs,rest of us,sat on the floor and ate.Poeple took turns in serving and eating,The taste and smell of yummy hot khichdi with cabbage,sweet chatni and begun bhaji ,served with salt and papad,ending with a gulabjamun or paisam is still so vivid in my mind.Post lunch we would go to visit the pandals at Vidyant college and kali baadi on Havlock Road.and occasionally to Model town area,which was the bengali area of Lucknow and then return to our local pandal,to set it for the evening
The tables were removed,and chairs were spread out,to convert the pandal into a mini theatre.We would go home,to change in our new clothes and return soon,to start the variety entertainment.Everyone was given a chance,and there was a small prize,even if just two morten toffees for every participant.We would wind up early here,then head for Lalbagh.The pandal at the park next to Darulshafa opposite the Lucknow municipal office,was always the most attractive ,not only due to the grand beautiful,bigger than life,goddess and other idols,but due to the big mela.( fair) The magnificent Durga,with her colorful clothes,dazzling jewelry,enchanting lotus eyes would almost come alive,at the beats of the dhool(drums) and the frenzied dance of the devotees with the earthen pots emitting the fumes of blissful divine aroma.Many ladies,dressed in their traditional cream silk sarees with red jari border and their big round red bindis, added to the festivityThe mela had everything-food stalls,games,swings and puppet shows.Hoopla,lucky wheel and shooting the baloons were most popular.After enjoying the games,and feasting on chat,biryani and ice-cream,we would land up at Bengali Club again,for a late night Bengali movie and return home past mid night.
On one of the evening we would go to other colonies,to present our,shows,skits and plays,and would get VIP treatment and special food to eat.This would go on night after night,and we would enjoy every second without even the slightest sign of tiredness.On the Bijoy Dashmi day,we would go visiting our neighbors to wish them and take their blessings.all would serve,delicious sweets,like sandesh,rosogulla etc,and the best part was that we were permitted to carry home,our share of snacks ,that we could not finish.
These wonderful memories of Durga Pooja are marred with two unpleasant ones too,related to the celebrations. The idols were immersed in Gomti river after Pooja,every year,usually at the Shaheed Smarak area. The idols were carried in the boats and immersed in the centre of Gomti.One year,on the day after emersion,it came to our knowledge to the utter shock to all ,that one of the boat guy,had taken the idols,and had them immersed at a place where the water was shallow and had subsequently removed the clothes ,ornaments and other offerings.He was bashed black and blue,till he hardly had a single unbroken bone in his body.but something worse,that happened was a real tragic incident,which I shall never forget.During emersion,two boats were moving side by side,and young men were dancing on the boats.Two of them dancing on either of the boat,tried to hold hands and dance,the boats got disbalanced and toppled and all on the boat drowned.It was a harrowing event...........twelve young men,three from the same family,loosing life together.The whole of Lucknow was drowned in sorrow !
I left lucknow to join AFMC,at pune in 78,but luckily didn't miss Pooja there too.Army Medical Corps,having its origin from Bengal Medical Corps,celebrates durga pooja with great fun and fervor,It was celebrated in the huge lawn outside the Command Hospital and was great fun.Being the dramatic and Hobbies secretary of AFMC,I was actively involved in the decoration and the daily entertainment programmes.One day's show,was exclusively by students of AFMC.We would get famous artist to perform every year,and I had the luck to watch Manna Dey,Hemant Da and dance performances of Ravi Shankar live there,besides some wonderful movies of Satyajeet Ray,including Jolsa Ghar .
Durga Pooja still remains close to my heart ,but in the Huge pandals,and the lavish celebrations of today ,I often miss,the warmth of those good old simple days and strong bonds
Joi Ma Durga ! Joi Ma Kali !!
Dr Sanjay Kapoor , Lucknow
Even though I am not a Bengali,Durga Pooja ,has always been a special event for me,every year.Was born at Narhi,in Lucknow,where we lived in an area called Kali Niwas,which means the House of Goddess Kali,and as the name implies,it was a huge haveli sort of a building ,sprawling amidst three roads,which had been divided over four generations,housing at that time over twenty Bengali families,with we being one of the only two non Bengali occupants in it.So my child hood was spent amongst Bengalis,and it was natural for me to understand Bengali comfortably,and speak adequately fluently.More than the language ,it was the Bengali rituals,festivals and weddings that we grew up with,and Durga Pooja ,being the most significant
The preparation would start well in advance,specially in getting clothes stitched and in rehearsing stage shows,skits and even long plays for the Pooja celebrations.Stage being ,one of my passions,I was always actively involved in it.The pooja,of our colony,was held in the municipal school adjacent to the Kali Niwas,and each and every one of the colony was actively involved in it,and the main task being that of collecting chanda ( Donation/contribution ) for the celebrations.It was while collecting the chanda and distributing the pamphlets,that I understood the meaning of Shree Shree Durga Pooja.I used to wonder,why a double Shree,till I realized that one was for the Goddess,and the other for her pooja,which was as auspicious and reverent as the goddess herself.
The theme of the pandal and the colour combinations for the idols were planned well in advance and changed every year
During the pooja days,we would wake with the load mersmerizng chants of Ya Devi sarv Bhootey and when the pandaal was set and the Holy Idols had been established,our day would start very early.Have a bath,no breakfast,and rush for the pandaal.While the ladies prepared the prasaad,and the elder males,made the arrangements for the pooja and the marketing,we kids had two major tasks,to clean up the area,especially where the idols were kept and to prepare the prasad in donas ( small bowls made out of dried leaf )The simple prasad,consisting of boondi,chopped bananas and apples,along with a piece of coconut,distributed after Prabhataanjali ( morning offerings) use to be our breakfast.That little prasad in the donas,which had the earthly smell of dried leave,eaten amidst the aroma of the pooja essence,was a wholesome meal.
We then got ready for the day and shouted,at each door and window,to collect the group.This ordeal,of collecting the 25-30 odd,boys and girls, ranging front 5 to 25 years would take almost an hour and then we would head straight to Bengali Club,at Hewwate road,which connects Hussain Ganj to Havlock road.Bengali Club was the main and biggest hub of pooja celebrations.After whiling some time,and dancing around on the music,we prepared the tables and arranged the chairs for the Bhog.These were only for the elderly and VIPs,rest of us,sat on the floor and ate.Poeple took turns in serving and eating,The taste and smell of yummy hot khichdi with cabbage,sweet chatni and begun bhaji ,served with salt and papad,ending with a gulabjamun or paisam is still so vivid in my mind.Post lunch we would go to visit the pandals at Vidyant college and kali baadi on Havlock Road.and occasionally to Model town area,which was the bengali area of Lucknow and then return to our local pandal,to set it for the evening
The tables were removed,and chairs were spread out,to convert the pandal into a mini theatre.We would go home,to change in our new clothes and return soon,to start the variety entertainment.Everyone was given a chance,and there was a small prize,even if just two morten toffees for every participant.We would wind up early here,then head for Lalbagh.The pandal at the park next to Darulshafa opposite the Lucknow municipal office,was always the most attractive ,not only due to the grand beautiful,bigger than life,goddess and other idols,but due to the big mela.( fair) The magnificent Durga,with her colorful clothes,dazzling jewelry,enchanting lotus eyes would almost come alive,at the beats of the dhool(drums) and the frenzied dance of the devotees with the earthen pots emitting the fumes of blissful divine aroma.Many ladies,dressed in their traditional cream silk sarees with red jari border and their big round red bindis, added to the festivityThe mela had everything-food stalls,games,swings and puppet shows.Hoopla,lucky wheel and shooting the baloons were most popular.After enjoying the games,and feasting on chat,biryani and ice-cream,we would land up at Bengali Club again,for a late night Bengali movie and return home past mid night.
On one of the evening we would go to other colonies,to present our,shows,skits and plays,and would get VIP treatment and special food to eat.This would go on night after night,and we would enjoy every second without even the slightest sign of tiredness.On the Bijoy Dashmi day,we would go visiting our neighbors to wish them and take their blessings.all would serve,delicious sweets,like sandesh,rosogulla etc,and the best part was that we were permitted to carry home,our share of snacks ,that we could not finish.
These wonderful memories of Durga Pooja are marred with two unpleasant ones too,related to the celebrations. The idols were immersed in Gomti river after Pooja,every year,usually at the Shaheed Smarak area. The idols were carried in the boats and immersed in the centre of Gomti.One year,on the day after emersion,it came to our knowledge to the utter shock to all ,that one of the boat guy,had taken the idols,and had them immersed at a place where the water was shallow and had subsequently removed the clothes ,ornaments and other offerings.He was bashed black and blue,till he hardly had a single unbroken bone in his body.but something worse,that happened was a real tragic incident,which I shall never forget.During emersion,two boats were moving side by side,and young men were dancing on the boats.Two of them dancing on either of the boat,tried to hold hands and dance,the boats got disbalanced and toppled and all on the boat drowned.It was a harrowing event...........twelve young men,three from the same family,loosing life together.The whole of Lucknow was drowned in sorrow !
I left lucknow to join AFMC,at pune in 78,but luckily didn't miss Pooja there too.Army Medical Corps,having its origin from Bengal Medical Corps,celebrates durga pooja with great fun and fervor,It was celebrated in the huge lawn outside the Command Hospital and was great fun.Being the dramatic and Hobbies secretary of AFMC,I was actively involved in the decoration and the daily entertainment programmes.One day's show,was exclusively by students of AFMC.We would get famous artist to perform every year,and I had the luck to watch Manna Dey,Hemant Da and dance performances of Ravi Shankar live there,besides some wonderful movies of Satyajeet Ray,including Jolsa Ghar .
Durga Pooja still remains close to my heart ,but in the Huge pandals,and the lavish celebrations of today ,I often miss,the warmth of those good old simple days and strong bonds
Joi Ma Durga ! Joi Ma Kali !!
Dr Sanjay Kapoor , Lucknow
MACBETH at LORETO,LUCKNOW
MACBETH AT LORETO LUCKNOW
At the onset,my apologies,for being late,which was due to many reasons.Besides being busy ,had been out of Lucknow several times in recent past,but above all was suffering from a major Writer's Block!
It was a real double treat ,when lucknow staged two English plays in one month,Unfaithfully yours by ACTORS and then MACBETH,by TALL ( Teachers Association of Loreto ,Lucknow ) I bought the ticket well in advance,lest I miss,seeing it,and waited anxiously for the day
Watched the play with mixed emotions.Was feeling really great,visiting Loreto,and that Auditorium,after many years,probably decades.( last being in 74 ) I not only have great fondness for the school,but have special attachment ,with that auditorium,where I made my stage debut,in 65,almost 45 years ago.Theatre at Loreto was really active in those days,and there was something or the other,going on,round the year.We had permanent stage props,several backdrops, and a large wardrobe with a wide range of costumes.Their were two permanent tailors,who use to stitch and alter dresses and curtains etc for the performances.After leaving school,I did continue to go for plays,whenever I could,and last was in 1975 ( I think it was The Circle ) I really felt great,sitting in that auditorium,after so long a time,and even though I was alone,I had no time to feel lonely as I was continuously thinking of the past,and the plays that I had seen there.At the same time I felt a little sad too,as nothing seemed to have changed.Infact the furniture in the auditorium ,had been replaced,by chairs of inferior quality.I was expecting the auditorium and the stage,to have improved,over the years,befitting the expected changes in the auditorium of the leading convent school of the city,to keep abreast with the changing times
Watching a play,is always a treat for me,and that too in your old school,couldn't have asked for more.But was disappointed a bit.The play,Macbeth,a farce revolved around a scenario,where during the staging of Macbeth,everything goes wrong,including an accident of the actor doing Lady Macbeth,compelling the male director to pitch in for that role .The play somewhere missed out ,in bringing out the comedy and the much desired impact.Old fashioned start,improper sound and light effects,in appropriate costumes,lack of coordination , average acting and an overall casual attitude contributed in making the performance,deplete of the essentially required flow and entertainment
I may have sounded harsh,but having said that,I would like to compliment the complete team,for their effort in this maiden venture,and their enthusiasm,to put up the play,in a short period,in spite of their busy schedules,and duel responsibility of college and home.Above all,they were handicapped by the poor audiovisuals of the auditorium.
But I still enjoyed those two hours ,and would look forward to more performances,in that hall.which is so close to my heart.
Sanjay Kapoor , Lucknow
At the onset,my apologies,for being late,which was due to many reasons.Besides being busy ,had been out of Lucknow several times in recent past,but above all was suffering from a major Writer's Block!
It was a real double treat ,when lucknow staged two English plays in one month,Unfaithfully yours by ACTORS and then MACBETH,by TALL ( Teachers Association of Loreto ,Lucknow ) I bought the ticket well in advance,lest I miss,seeing it,and waited anxiously for the day
Watched the play with mixed emotions.Was feeling really great,visiting Loreto,and that Auditorium,after many years,probably decades.( last being in 74 ) I not only have great fondness for the school,but have special attachment ,with that auditorium,where I made my stage debut,in 65,almost 45 years ago.Theatre at Loreto was really active in those days,and there was something or the other,going on,round the year.We had permanent stage props,several backdrops, and a large wardrobe with a wide range of costumes.Their were two permanent tailors,who use to stitch and alter dresses and curtains etc for the performances.After leaving school,I did continue to go for plays,whenever I could,and last was in 1975 ( I think it was The Circle ) I really felt great,sitting in that auditorium,after so long a time,and even though I was alone,I had no time to feel lonely as I was continuously thinking of the past,and the plays that I had seen there.At the same time I felt a little sad too,as nothing seemed to have changed.Infact the furniture in the auditorium ,had been replaced,by chairs of inferior quality.I was expecting the auditorium and the stage,to have improved,over the years,befitting the expected changes in the auditorium of the leading convent school of the city,to keep abreast with the changing times
Watching a play,is always a treat for me,and that too in your old school,couldn't have asked for more.But was disappointed a bit.The play,Macbeth,a farce revolved around a scenario,where during the staging of Macbeth,everything goes wrong,including an accident of the actor doing Lady Macbeth,compelling the male director to pitch in for that role .The play somewhere missed out ,in bringing out the comedy and the much desired impact.Old fashioned start,improper sound and light effects,in appropriate costumes,lack of coordination , average acting and an overall casual attitude contributed in making the performance,deplete of the essentially required flow and entertainment
I may have sounded harsh,but having said that,I would like to compliment the complete team,for their effort in this maiden venture,and their enthusiasm,to put up the play,in a short period,in spite of their busy schedules,and duel responsibility of college and home.Above all,they were handicapped by the poor audiovisuals of the auditorium.
But I still enjoyed those two hours ,and would look forward to more performances,in that hall.which is so close to my heart.
Sanjay Kapoor , Lucknow
HAUNTING MEMORIES OF ST FRANCIS
The Haunting Memories of SFS
Its unbelievably strange,but I remember everything of SFS ,in my mind as crystal clear,specially the classes where I spent most of the day during those seven odd years
I not only remember the classes,or my seats,but even the seats of some of my other class mates!
Class III B was on the ground floor of the old primary building, to the right as you enter,after the Staff accommodation block(it was demolished and the new double storied primary section came up in 1970 at the same site)
Class IV was on the rear new block,ground floor,second from the toilets,facing the rear field
Class V and VI were in the rear block too,but on the first floor of the extension block to the rear wing
Class VII and VIII were on the first floor and IX and X on the ground floor of the main block
The staff quarters as we entered from the main gate,and the administrative block and principle office behind the primary section
The Canteen and Staff room were in continuation and behind this building with the chapel on the first floor
The Gym and the PT Instructors office were to the right of the main block with the Head Masters Office(The Forbidden Danger Zone-Tigers Den) in it under the steps going to the first floor of the main block
The Hall (Auditorium) was to the right of the main block with the Sceince Labs behind it
The Dormitories for the hostellers were on the first floor of the rear block and the cookhouse and dining hall for them,on the ground floor ,of the same building,at the far end,towards Cathedral School
There was a so called swimming pool too and a basket ball court
Have I missed out anything
and has anything changed/ any additions?? or demolitions ???
Prof Sanjay Kapoor
Its unbelievably strange,but I remember everything of SFS ,in my mind as crystal clear,specially the classes where I spent most of the day during those seven odd years
I not only remember the classes,or my seats,but even the seats of some of my other class mates!
Class III B was on the ground floor of the old primary building, to the right as you enter,after the Staff accommodation block(it was demolished and the new double storied primary section came up in 1970 at the same site)
Class IV was on the rear new block,ground floor,second from the toilets,facing the rear field
Class V and VI were in the rear block too,but on the first floor of the extension block to the rear wing
Class VII and VIII were on the first floor and IX and X on the ground floor of the main block
The staff quarters as we entered from the main gate,and the administrative block and principle office behind the primary section
The Canteen and Staff room were in continuation and behind this building with the chapel on the first floor
The Gym and the PT Instructors office were to the right of the main block with the Head Masters Office(The Forbidden Danger Zone-Tigers Den) in it under the steps going to the first floor of the main block
The Hall (Auditorium) was to the right of the main block with the Sceince Labs behind it
The Dormitories for the hostellers were on the first floor of the rear block and the cookhouse and dining hall for them,on the ground floor ,of the same building,at the far end,towards Cathedral School
There was a so called swimming pool too and a basket ball court
Have I missed out anything
and has anything changed/ any additions?? or demolitions ???
Prof Sanjay Kapoor
Sunday, September 6, 2009
LORETO & MY FIRST TEACHERS
Loreto & My first Teachers !
Being a May born and since the sessions in the Convents in those good old days started in January,I had to spend six months at Christ Church College(about which I hardly remeber anything),before I was admitted in Loreto Convent in Jan 65 in KG.For many ,it may be news,that Loreto had a boys section too,earlier,till 1967 to be precise.The boys section of Loreto Convent,Lucknow was called St Annes and was run in the building of Avadh Ladies Club,on Kalidas Marg,just a road away from the backside of Loreto's main building,which now houses the Avadh Degree College.Though the administration of the boys section was from the main school,there was no intermingling with the girls, :( ,except during fates,sports days and annual functions or Christmas programmes.
The small school.with just three classes had three teachers,Mrs Fig,Mrs Springett and Mrs Jordan,the first three teachers of my life ( Though my mother was actually my first teacher,who taught me,alpahbets and numbers,before I got into formal schooling)Mother Carmel,was the Mother Superior(Prinipal) at our times,of the complete Loreto Convent and would visit us,once a week,for a very casual but a vigilant round.
Mrs Fig,was an Anglo-Indian,in her late 50s or early 60s,who had spent nearly four decades as a teacher in the school,and had pracatically taught most of the youngsters of Lucknow.Fair,prim and slim she looked really british in her dress with bright floral prints, prematurely silvered hair,brisk gate and the typical Queen's English accent.She always used the same powder or perfume,by which we could identify her ,appraoching the class,much before she reached.She lived in the interiors on Lalbagh and was famous as being the mother of five young sons,who bullied everyone around taking the advantage of the fact that most boys were their moms students.She was the Mother hen of the school almost like a grand mom figure to each one of us.Besides being the class teacher of KG,she was the Story Time and Recreation Break,teacher for the whole school.She would not only read out stories,but make us read too,and would encourage us to tell stories that we could remember and create stories from a sentence started by her.She was also our music teacher ,and played the piano,really well,and gave us our first lessons of do,re me,fa and the Christmas Carols,specially Jingle bells. She was the first lady whom I saw eating indian food,with a fork.She would role the chappati,dip it in gravy and take a bite,and then with the fork would eat a peice of vegetable or meat.
Mrs Springett was actually a british lady,settled in India,and was in school for only a decade,since her husband joined La Martineer Boys and she lived with him in the staff quarters of Lamarts.She was class teacher of the class one,and with her plump physique and grumpy voice,she always reminded us of Mother Hubbord ! She was very loving and caring too,but would never spare the rod! For every mistake we did,which almost always used to be,making noice in her abscence,we would be spanked.She would actually make us bend on her lap,and give two spanks with her palms,one on each bum,and then a stern smile.One never minded that spanking,thanks to the warmth of the soft motherly feel of her lap.
Mrs Jorden,was the youngest,in her late forties,and probably a converted christian.Living in Lalbagh,and always dressed in a saree she was more Indian than the others. She was sweet too,when she wanted to be,but usually she maintained her distance with the students.Being the class teacher of class 2 ,she teached maths to other two classes too.She knew her tricks of numbers so well that she tought us,tables,addition,substraction,missing numbers and dodging,very easily.
None of these three could teach Hindi,and for that we had Mrs D'Souza,the hindi teacher of Girls section.In her late twenties,she was approachable,and friendly.She lived in Narhi and was infact my neighbour,but i never dared to take advantage of that,even though I met her often in the evenings in the locality.She never bothered us much to mug the Hindi Varnmala,as long as we identified the alphabet and could use them to write,jal,tub,aam,bus etc.( I still cant speak out the hindi alphabets on order)She had a tragic fatal stove fire acccident at home,even while we were in school,and that was probably my first encounter with death of someone I knew,and loved.
My tribute to these teachers of Loreto,would be incomplete,without the mention of Mrs Cordigal(Hope I got the spelling correct) Wife of an IAS officer,she was probably a konkan or kurgi,as I presume, retrospectivly, keeping in mind her fair shining skin and beautiful eyes..Emmaculately dressed in pure cotton or silk sarees( La Fab-India and Sanskrti style ) she was jovial,funny and unlike the teachers of those days very friendly.She would come to teach us as a subsitute teacher from the main Block,when anyone was on leave or ill.
Mrs Springett left India in late 60s,Mrs Cordigal moved out of lucknow ,when her husband got posted out,but I kept seeing Mrs Jorden as late as late 70s once in a while in Gunj and .would often see Mrs Fig,knitting,on a winter afternoon,on her rocking chair,in the varendah of her hose,facing the road behind Noor Manjil,in Lalbagh.Whenever I stopped to wave at her and wished her,she would strain her eyes,and then give a knowingly smile with brightened eyes,seen through thick glasses,as if she recognized.Wonder if she really did?
Those memories are so fresh,even after over four decades,and I can actually still hear their voice and feel the warmth of their hugs even today.May thier soul rest in peace,and may my humble tribute and loads of love reach them as a thanks for all they taught us,which I could teach my children,and may be,will teach my grand children too.
Sanjay Kapoor Lucknow
Being a May born and since the sessions in the Convents in those good old days started in January,I had to spend six months at Christ Church College(about which I hardly remeber anything),before I was admitted in Loreto Convent in Jan 65 in KG.For many ,it may be news,that Loreto had a boys section too,earlier,till 1967 to be precise.The boys section of Loreto Convent,Lucknow was called St Annes and was run in the building of Avadh Ladies Club,on Kalidas Marg,just a road away from the backside of Loreto's main building,which now houses the Avadh Degree College.Though the administration of the boys section was from the main school,there was no intermingling with the girls, :( ,except during fates,sports days and annual functions or Christmas programmes.
The small school.with just three classes had three teachers,Mrs Fig,Mrs Springett and Mrs Jordan,the first three teachers of my life ( Though my mother was actually my first teacher,who taught me,alpahbets and numbers,before I got into formal schooling)Mother Carmel,was the Mother Superior(Prinipal) at our times,of the complete Loreto Convent and would visit us,once a week,for a very casual but a vigilant round.
Mrs Fig,was an Anglo-Indian,in her late 50s or early 60s,who had spent nearly four decades as a teacher in the school,and had pracatically taught most of the youngsters of Lucknow.Fair,prim and slim she looked really british in her dress with bright floral prints, prematurely silvered hair,brisk gate and the typical Queen's English accent.She always used the same powder or perfume,by which we could identify her ,appraoching the class,much before she reached.She lived in the interiors on Lalbagh and was famous as being the mother of five young sons,who bullied everyone around taking the advantage of the fact that most boys were their moms students.She was the Mother hen of the school almost like a grand mom figure to each one of us.Besides being the class teacher of KG,she was the Story Time and Recreation Break,teacher for the whole school.She would not only read out stories,but make us read too,and would encourage us to tell stories that we could remember and create stories from a sentence started by her.She was also our music teacher ,and played the piano,really well,and gave us our first lessons of do,re me,fa and the Christmas Carols,specially Jingle bells. She was the first lady whom I saw eating indian food,with a fork.She would role the chappati,dip it in gravy and take a bite,and then with the fork would eat a peice of vegetable or meat.
Mrs Springett was actually a british lady,settled in India,and was in school for only a decade,since her husband joined La Martineer Boys and she lived with him in the staff quarters of Lamarts.She was class teacher of the class one,and with her plump physique and grumpy voice,she always reminded us of Mother Hubbord ! She was very loving and caring too,but would never spare the rod! For every mistake we did,which almost always used to be,making noice in her abscence,we would be spanked.She would actually make us bend on her lap,and give two spanks with her palms,one on each bum,and then a stern smile.One never minded that spanking,thanks to the warmth of the soft motherly feel of her lap.
Mrs Jorden,was the youngest,in her late forties,and probably a converted christian.Living in Lalbagh,and always dressed in a saree she was more Indian than the others. She was sweet too,when she wanted to be,but usually she maintained her distance with the students.Being the class teacher of class 2 ,she teached maths to other two classes too.She knew her tricks of numbers so well that she tought us,tables,addition,substraction,missing numbers and dodging,very easily.
None of these three could teach Hindi,and for that we had Mrs D'Souza,the hindi teacher of Girls section.In her late twenties,she was approachable,and friendly.She lived in Narhi and was infact my neighbour,but i never dared to take advantage of that,even though I met her often in the evenings in the locality.She never bothered us much to mug the Hindi Varnmala,as long as we identified the alphabet and could use them to write,jal,tub,aam,bus etc.( I still cant speak out the hindi alphabets on order)She had a tragic fatal stove fire acccident at home,even while we were in school,and that was probably my first encounter with death of someone I knew,and loved.
My tribute to these teachers of Loreto,would be incomplete,without the mention of Mrs Cordigal(Hope I got the spelling correct) Wife of an IAS officer,she was probably a konkan or kurgi,as I presume, retrospectivly, keeping in mind her fair shining skin and beautiful eyes..Emmaculately dressed in pure cotton or silk sarees( La Fab-India and Sanskrti style ) she was jovial,funny and unlike the teachers of those days very friendly.She would come to teach us as a subsitute teacher from the main Block,when anyone was on leave or ill.
Mrs Springett left India in late 60s,Mrs Cordigal moved out of lucknow ,when her husband got posted out,but I kept seeing Mrs Jorden as late as late 70s once in a while in Gunj and .would often see Mrs Fig,knitting,on a winter afternoon,on her rocking chair,in the varendah of her hose,facing the road behind Noor Manjil,in Lalbagh.Whenever I stopped to wave at her and wished her,she would strain her eyes,and then give a knowingly smile with brightened eyes,seen through thick glasses,as if she recognized.Wonder if she really did?
Those memories are so fresh,even after over four decades,and I can actually still hear their voice and feel the warmth of their hugs even today.May thier soul rest in peace,and may my humble tribute and loads of love reach them as a thanks for all they taught us,which I could teach my children,and may be,will teach my grand children too.
Sanjay Kapoor Lucknow
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