Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state of India. It had a population of more than 35 lakhs. Lucknow is also the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division. Walking through the lanes and by-lanes of Chowk and Aminabad one finds Lucknow of yore. The 'tehzib' or mannerism is still prominent and a topic of great appreciation. This is a city that still speaks the language of "aap-janab" and the dictum of "pehle aap" is still a part of everyday life for a true Lakhnawi. - and so natural it is - Aadab or salutation which has its own sophistication and style. Dress forms though have changed noticeably in the span of a century, yet the beauty and charisma of Chikan - the intricate and delicate hand embroidery, still rules the wardrobe.

Lucknow is in fact among a few cities that duly understands the grace of the 'dupattas' or the covering cloth. Wisdom, women and wine are the three things truly understood and respected by the Nawabs. Not a thing of condemnation but an institution it was the “kothas", where sons of Nawabs were deliberately sent to learn the culture, sophistication and respect for the fairer sex. Muzzafar Ali's unforgettable film "Umrao Jaan" is a depiction of this social institution. Love was found in either Paris or Lucknow-- a proof of this is the lovers lane in the posh modern Hazratganj: these lanes were used as a meeting place for the lonely hearts to escape the monitoring eyes of their parents.

"Kan kauwe bazi" or kite flying was not only a pastime but the means of sending love letters to the beloved, "kal shaam kothe pe aana, hum intezaar kareinge tumhara"-- Tomorrow in the evening come to the terrace, I'll wait for you. Such words were written on the patang or the kite and the kite was flown and dropped on the beloved's terrace. A story goes that once a Chhote Nawab did this with his beloved and instead of the beloved getting the letter her mother found it and the love bug bit her, assuming that the Bade Nawab has done this sweet and naughty thing, she reciprocated in the same manner writing "Intezaar tumhara hi to tha humein, umra bhar rahein takte rahe, der lagee aane mein tumko, shukr hai phir bhi aaye to"- I was waiting for this all my life, you came late yet now you have come. Thus started the love between the Bade Nawab and the Badi Begum which ended up in their marriage and left the real ones to repent.