Forgotten Naval Wing flag down!

A forgotten flag on the pole atop the

National Cadet Corps, Naval Wing

office in Lucknow. People here, including

the press, create a hullabaloo at times

over what they perceive as disrespect to

the flag but this flag has gradually

sunk to the bottom of the pole

out of neglect. 

Reclamation work at the River Gomti in Lucknow

Religion is the big challenge! Here we have

the left overs of puja offerings that have to be thrown into the river. 

Pollution is well understood after all the publicity

over the years but the gods still have to be appeased! People

have given into pressure and now deposite it on the footpath to be

later collected and disposed of by the municipal workers

but as in the bottom picture some packets were

placed on the footpath but 'something' went

into the river. Maybe the holymen and temple priest could

change this age-old ritual by declaring it bad for our holy

rivers, after all there are auspicious occasions when

people bathe in rivers to cleanse themselves of their sins.

Many years ago egg was included as a vegetarian item

because it was felt people were missing out on the protein 

that is missing in veg diets. It is difficult to guess how

many Hindus were convinced by the green signal 

given by religious heads.

The Gomti riverfront project of the SP government in Uttar Pradesh

under Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav:  Rebuilding and reclaiming 

the banks after decades of erosion! 

This will give the river some  depth that will make boating possible if boating 

is a part of the plan.

To the left out of the pic was a paper mill that closed

down many years ago as did the Mohan-Meakin Brewery 

up stream. 

Letters to the Improvement Trust in 1921***

George H. Shepherd's letter
dated 2nd January, 1921
to the Executive Officer of
the Improvement Trust
requesting for the allotment
of No 13 Lawrence Terrace to him.
He was living at No 4 LT at the
time.

Lawrence Terrace was demolished in 1959 barring the Lucknow Club which
still stands. Point no. 4 of this 1921 letter mentions the concealing of
a grave at no. 13 behind a brick wall...more later

1857 Memorial at Mariaon, Lucknow ***

Mariaon

This pillar commemorates the old Mariaon cantonment
garrison in 1857 by the 38th, 48th  and 71st infantry
a large portion of these regiments mutinied
on the evening of May the 30th  1857.
This pillar marks the site of the residency
bungalow occupied by Sir Henry Lawrence K.C.B.

Tuck-Larkins

Pic c 1963 courtesy Robert Jordan: The newly weds Edgar Tuck and Phyllis Larkins  

Lucknow-Sitapur Road August 2015

A modernised rickshaw cart at a
roadside coal stall

Chandra Hospital, Sitapur Road, Lucknow

From a Lucknow flyover

Not seen in this pic is a track branching left that goes to Sitapur and beyond.
This train will be coming from Barabanki, Gonda, Gorakhpur and maybe beyond.
In other words, for trains coming from the north-east or the east, Varanasi to Bengal  the tracks divide at Malhaur one going straight to the main Lucknow Junction and the other towards Gomti Nagar Stn., Badshah Nagar St. and on to Daliganj, City Stn., Aishbagh Stn and the Lucknow NER Junction which earlier catered only to the NER's metre guage trains.
 

Out of the pic to the left is the outer Daliganj Rly cabin for the Daliganj Station
which is about 150 metres ahead.

The  metre guage track from Aishbagh Station goes to Sitapur, Lakhimpur Kheri
and beyond ending at Kathgodam.

Chattar Manzil and Farhat Baksh in Lucknow

On the roof of Farhat Baksh with the
 Chattar Manzil on the left

The crest of Farhat Baksh

Steps lead to underground rooms of the
Farhat Baksh and below
to the Chattar Manzil. The twin
buildings are now under renovation

These two buildings now handed over to the ASI,
 were in use as the offices and laboratories of the
Central Drug Research Institute which was
opened in 1951 by India's first Prime Minister,
Pt Jawaharlal Nehru. 

Farhat Baksh one of Maj.-Gen Claude Martin's
many properties

From view of the twin buildings

Over the years I've photographed the building where
I stand, presently, from across the river

The other side of the Chatter Manzil

The Chatter Manzil from the river side
Monday, Oct 5, 2015

Got a start when the pig let me know
of its presence 

That is the opposite bank much improved but
one can see a guy with a helmet
emptying remains from home 'puja'

The Farhat Baksh built by Claude Martin seen
from behind where flows the Gomti

This causeway would have been added sometime
later as protection from floods and vandals

Birla Vidhya Mandir formerly Philander Smith school, Naini Tal***

In June 2015 when we visited Naini Tal, accompanied by by grandson,
Aden I walked up to see this school. I was disappointed on
two counts one is that being on the edge of the hill the
main building was robbed of a front view and secondly
there was no indication that this was formerly Philander-Smith school,
a pre-1947 insitution!
(Hope to come back and put some captions
to the pics)